Sholay Bollywood DVD

An all-time classic
Sholay - the greatest Bollywood film of all time - brought together the acting talents of some of the biggest stars in Bollywood at that time. The two male leads, Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan, were already hugely popular. Amitabh Bhachchan had just made his big breakthrough the previous year (1974) with Zanjeer. Dharmendra was already well established and had starred in the box office smash hit Yaadon Ki Baaraat (a film which sadly doesn't get very many mentions when talking of classics). These two are supported in the film by Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan making his onscreen debut as the menacing villain Gabbar Singh.

The story is about a retired police officer Thakur Baldev Singh (Sangeev Kumar) living in a village that is being terrorised by Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan). Thakur recruits two small time crooks Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jaidev (Amitabh), whom he had encountered during his work in the force, to capture Gabbar. The film has various...

Amazon Qualiton Edition - Sholay (DVD)
Sholay is a phenomenon... I rate it as the best Indian movie ever made and one that can compete head-to-head with any other movie in the world, Hollywood releases included! Theatrically screened in 1975, it is timeless... not even for once you feel that there's anything dated, everything looks contemporary - and this is no mean achievement!

Every single character is etched out optimally and you remember ALL of them after the movie. Howzzat!

The music is memorable, it complements and enhances the myriad of moods and sequences and emotions and drama in Sholay (Embers) - whether it's the terror and ruthlesslessness of the villain, the dacoit Gabbar; the unspoken romance between one of the two heroes Jai and the widow Radha; the flirtation between the other hero Veeru and the "tangewaali" (coach driver) Basanti; the angst, lionheartedness and the bravery of Thakur, a landlord and an ex-police officer who recruits Jai and Veeru, two small-time crooks, to capture...

Needs a proper restoration....Criterion, anyone?
I tried to watch this DVD, and I had to stop. First, this film was shot in 70mm, and the DVD is pan and scan. Not good. Second, the songs weren't subtitled! Not good. And, thirdly, there are so many versions out there. How long was the actual film? 204 minutes? 280? Most people who have seen the entire thing have said it's magnificent. It's regarded as one of the greatest Bollywood films ever made, and we should be able to see it in all its uncut, widescreen, subtitled glory. Criterion should release something like this. They have never done a Bollywood film, and this is an important one, so it fits, excuse the pun, their criterion.

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Fight Club

The most underrated film of the last year
When I'm looking at the Top Ten list's of America's critics and the nominations of the DGA,WGA and all the other guilds and press associations, I terribly miss David Fincher's outstanding film "Fight Club", which is possibly the best film of 1999.

Not only is the film visualy stunning, it is also very thought-provoking, wickedly funny and, above all, extremely entertaining. Only few films managed to be so many things at once. David Fincher, in my opinion one of the most exciting directors of the decade, fills his movie with so many ideas that it would be sufficient for three more movies, and they are not just gimmicks for their own sake, they all mean something. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are brilliant in the leads and the soundtrack by the Dust Brothers fits perfectly to the images.

Many reviewers thought the film was fascist. I think you can only call this ridiculous, since that assumes Fincher sympathizes with Tyler Durden's project mayhem. In fact, he...

The year's best satire
FIGHT CLUB arrived in the US with a blaze of publicity stressing its violence and nihilism; some critics (and those close to the production) countered this with the suggestion that it was an anti-materialist jeremiad. On a second viewing, it seems like neither -- it's easier to see it as a smart, committed and complex piece of filmmaking. David Fincher once again dazzles with his direction, which is as intelligently energetic as the acting of Brad Pitt and, especially, Edward Norton. What's really impressive, however, is the way that the film manages to flirt with an anti-materialist, hyper-masculine primitivism even as it suggests that we're all a little too sophisticated to buy it (as it were).

FIGHT CLUB may hold that we're not the clothes we wear, or the credit cards in our wallet, but it's savvy enough to realise that our paths of thought and modes of organisation are almost entirely contaminated by the world we've created. Is the solution to destroy that world...

This Movie is Why "Professional" Critics Must Go
I didn't see this movie in the theaters because it had gotten very mixed reviews from the so-called professional movie reviewers. But, when it hit the local vidoe store, I thought I would give it a try. WOW, what a kick in the teeth, interesting, and fast moving journey into one man's mind. The path this movie takes is fantastic.

Norton and Pitt are perfectly cast, and supported by a crew of fight club members that make for a well-acted show. Meatloaf, Ed Gil, Jared Leto, et. al. are great in support as the members/followers of the leads. Helena Bonham Carter has the only real female role in this film and is perfectly cast. But as much as the acting, this movie is made by the story. Unconventional, with a great twist at the end, the whole movie kept me on the edge of my seat. As with many great movies, it is hard to classify the genre (action, comedy, drama), as there is a sampling of all in this film. In the end, I would just classify this as a great...

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The Wendell Baker Story

not a barn-burner but sweet and witty
***1/2

As played by Luke Wilson, Wendell Baker is the kind of character authors like to refer to as a "lovable rogue" - a smooth-talking scam artist with a tongue as nimble as the pen of a scribe (to borrow a phrase from scripture, if I may be so bold). The trouble is that a good-hearted guy can run afoul of the law for only so long before he risks losing the woman he loves (Eva Mendes) and before he is finally forced into taking a long, hard look at his life. Thus, once he's paroled from prison, Wendell decides to go straight by taking a job at a retirement home (he's been duped into believing that this is a first step on the road to a career in hotel management) run by a sadistic administrator (Owen Wilson) and his toadying staff. There's a little of the feel of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," as the con man leads the put-upon inmates of the "asylum" in a well-coordinated rebellion against their oppressors.

The chief attraction of "The Wendell Baker...

Hilarious!
I thought this movie was very funny. If you like the Wilson Brothers' other movies, then you shouldn't be disappointed here. It's full of their usual oddball comedy, with surprising cameos and a great soundtrack. I hope Luke Wilson is not put off by those pedantic critics who don't get it. He and his brothers, along with their pal Wes Anderson, have a unique take on comedy that is fresh and highly entertaining.

See this movie!
This movie is a kick! Really well done. Very quirky, very endearing. Good ensemble cast. Lots of laughs. If you like this one, then see Henry Poole was Here too - also very good. There is something very geniuine about both movies. Definitely my two favorite Luke Wilson movies. Hope there are more like these to come.

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Heroes of the Bible

Christian movies
Thank you for putting movies with a message out there. We are encouraged in the Lord every time we watch it! Keep up sharing the good news!

bible
this is the 3rd time i have done this and don;t know why you all keep asking me to do each time i do it i still get told i have to do a review why 3 times as i said the first two times i like



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Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Ace Ventura When Nature Calls VHS
Ace Ventura When Nature Calls VHS- Hilarious Movie, Just as funny but NOT funnier than the First. Chi-ca-ca! Chicago! Outrageous moments, making you want to Laugh hard, Jim Doesn't Disappoint. This movie along with Part 1 are Great Classics. I can watch them All the time. They are that funny!

Bumblebee Tuna
If there was to be just one pop-culture character with 'franchise' written all over it, it would be Ace Ventura. After the sleeper hit that was the original, Ace is shipped off to Africa, via Tibet, to find the missing sacred animal of the peaceful Wachati tribe. It is supposed to be a wedding gift to the savage Wachutu tribe, marking the congregation of their people.

Ace is the best there is (the only there is) surely sending him to find the sacred bat (his most hated creature) is the 'right' thing to do. No matter how crazy he is. And how crazy indeed! This time around Jim Carrey goes completely wild as Ace. Any trace of an actual human that we saw before is surrendered to complete insanity. You can tell that Carrey is having the time of his life just ad-libbing and winging it. You can almost hear director Steve Oedekerk struggle to contain his laughter off-camera. There are even a few moments when Carrey himself almost cracks-up.

I prefer the sequel to the...

Ace Ventura When Nature Calls... Very Funny.1st one is better.
Good Movie. NOT GREAT. the first one is way better. still worth some laughs. The monopoly Man! Guano! Interesting and cool monster truck scene.
Worth a couple laughs.Could have been better.

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Jackie Chan's The Myth

Indi-"Chan"-a Jones style martial arts film
How could I resist the baaad pun? "Myth" is actually a renamed Chinese film from 2005 called "San Wa."

Briefly, Jack (Chan) is an archaeologist who dreams of a past life as a General (Meng Yi) in Ancient China.

When he's asked by a colleague, William (Tony Leung Ka Fai) to help find a scientfic discovery relating to defying gravity, Jack returns to China and faces his dream princess Ok-soo (Hee-seon Kim) and his own past failure as the General to protect her.

The story's a bit of Indiana Jones and a bit of the fallen Samurai myth. I very rarely watch subtitled films, but "Myth" was easy enough to follow and provided enough amusement to make the rental worthwhile.

One my favorite Jackie Chen films
I really enjoyed this film and so did my kids. I heard about this film through a friend of mine and I must say that I was pleasantly suprised. The acting was pretty good and so were the action scenes. I would love to have seen this movie at the theaters.

One of Jackie Chan's better recent efforts
The Myth initially feels like Jackie Chan is reinventing his Armour of God movies just as he recently reinvented the Police Story series, with a slightly darker tone. The film's two plot strands aren't always as complimentary as they could be, with the historical backstory of Chan's general falling in love with the Emperor's latest concubine far more interesting than the modern-day adventurer Chan's efforts to uncover their secret. It's not always successful, not least because of some poorly timed CGI, but it does offer an enjoyable fight on a glue factory assembly line that plays out like a demented version of twister and a spectacular battle scene (Stanley Tong is clearly a fan of Anthony Mann, copying several set-ups from The Fall of the Roman Empire) en route to the finale. And the last half hour is impressive stuff, be it a surprisingly bloody (for Chan) one-against-all battle that sees him fighting atop a mountain of corpses or the scenes in a giant weightless mausoleum that...

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Seed of Chucky (Unrated and Fully Extended) [HD DVD]

Chucky and Tiffany's Androgynous Child
Continuing from Bride of Chucky... Tiffany has given birth to a strange looking razor tooth baby named Sh*thead. The seed is kidnapped by a british ventriloquist and forced to compete in ventriloquism contests in England. Sh*thead looks like a dead ringer for David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days. He has a kind soul and is nothing like his parents.

As each day passes hes wondering where his parents are and dreaming of meeting them. Soon enough he manages to escape and ends up in America. He makes it to the set of the movie where Tiffany and Chucky are filming a movie. He reads the voodoo chant words on his necklace and manages to bring his parents back to life.

Chucky and Tiffany cant tell what their child is so they take off his pants to reveal a barbie-like crotch. Tiffany wants a girl so she names her Glenda and Chucky wants a boy so he names him Glen. If you ask me id say its more like a boy. But Tiffany and Chucky continue to argue over it throughout the...

Ridiculous, silly, and very, very, funny
Make me laugh as much as this film and you get four stars at least, hands down. You figure; you've got a couple of dolls possessed by murderous spirits and who somehow go around murdering people for fun and right away you can forget all about suspension of disbelief. Anything is okay here, since the premise is so absurd. This is not a horror film, it is primarily a comedy with a bit of blood. And Jennifer Tilly is hysterical as herself playing the screen idea of herself: on a diet, sneaking candy bars, ready to play a sexy version of the Virgin Mary for a film done by Rapper Redman. It is so good to see a gorgeous woman on screen who doesn't look like she's starving to death.

And, oh, yeah, the special effects are incredible. All done with puppets, not CGI. Very impressive. For this alone, all you guys out there studying film, this film is worthwhile.

Just let me put it this way: if you liked the Gremlin films, this one is for you.

Quite Funny, Gruesome, Emphassis on the Second One
Bloody, gory, sex filled, and quite hilarious. Seed of Chucky was a great moie all around. After i saw the movie, i went to a restaurant were a hobo broke inn to my car (i was on a road trip, i actually still am. i'm writing this in the new york hilton). this was #1 on my movie road trip list, where mee and my friend bill are going to go across america and see all of the movies that we feel the need to see. i'm really not 13, but i don't have an sn.

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Nooma: Name 18

Thought Provoking Life Lesson
In this short lesson Rob Bell provokes thought in who you are and who you are trying to be. Too many of us are dissatisfied with ourselves and often try quite unsuccessfully to emulate those we look up to; a coach, a teacher, an athlete or star. Rob encourages us to look inwardly as we place that first unsure foot on a journey toward self discovery.

Tell me who are you......are you....ooh ooh....
I use this video when I teach my spiritual gifts class because it stresses the importance of being you, knowing you and being the person God designed you to be. In the video Rob talks about Jacob wrestling God [Jesus] by the Jabok. In the story God changes Jacob's name to Israel, but only after Jacob has been away from his family for several years - hopefully coming to grips with his own identity.

I needed this daily meditation. I spend a lot of ...wait let me start over.

I waste a lot of time in ministry reflecting how my church can be like Northpointe, or my preaching could be like Francis Chan or if I could just write like Brian Mclaren, or if I knew my bible like Scott McKnight, or If I knew the church like Phyllis Tickle.

If I could only be more like Rob Bell.

"Are we so concerned with what others think that we miss out on who God created us to be?"

Recently I have been doing a lot of soul searching preparing for a calling...

Nooma DVD Name 18
I love these dvd's. They are so simple and life pertaining with a message that is great.

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Full Metal Jacket (Deluxe Edition)[HD DVD]

Well Worth Buying (again)
If you're a fan of this film like me and had bought the Blu-Ray or HD-DVD before and thought "This is hi-def?", then you're in for a treat. This newly remastered version has a sharper picture and better color image and new commentaries to boot. While not as stunning a transfer as "The Shining" or "2001", this is still a much improved re-release. Trade in your old copy and purchase with confidence.

The Jungian thing...
Stanley Kubrick has been quoted as saying that with Full Metal Jacket, he wanted to make a war film, as opposed to an ANTI-war film. Condemning war is easily. It's a moral no-brainer. Trying to understand its nature is something far more challenging. As a result, Full Metal Jacket does something far more subtle and difficult than simply tell us that War is Hell (although it does that, too). To understand what and how, one must consider the film's structure:

Full Metal Jacket is split brutally into two parts, the first of which follows our hero, Private Joker (Matthew Modine) through basic training at Parris Island. A tubby, slow-witted misfit named Leonard Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio in an effective performance) is pushed too hard by the sadistic drill instructor Hartmann (R. Lee Ermey), and ends up killing both Hartman and himself in the Grand Guignol blackout sketch that ends part one.

It is at this point that many people have trouble with Full Metal Jacket, as the second...

As a former Marine, this movie holds a bit of nostalgia for me
I spent 1992-2001 in the Marine Corps Infantry. And this movie is a favorite among Marines no matter where they are.

While I think that it is absolutely inappropriate for children, you will have to make that decision on your own as a parent. But be warned, the language in this movie is very harsh.

R. Lee Ermey plays the part of Senior Drill Instructor Gunnery Seargeant Hartman (that's a mouthfull), his euphemisms, mannerisms and behavior are perfect. He absolutely nailed it.

If you've got any friends, relatives or acquaintances that are in the Corps, this is always a winner of a gift. Particularly if they are getting ready for deployment (ship life is a drag).

A caveat about reality...with the demise of conscription and the institution of the "all volunteer force," Drill Instructors no longer administer corporal punishment (i.e. they do not strike the recruits). Anyone who tells you otherwise is either a former recruit trying to embellish...

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Hostel - Part II [Blu-ray]

ok movie, the killer characters were interesting. SPOILER Alert
I enjoyed this movie, it was a bit more interesting the first one. I was disappointed that Jay Hernandez gets killed right away, but it also it makes sense since no witnesses/survivors can be left or else the whole operation is at risk.

What really put a new light in the movie were the two male characters who are new to the club. There we get to see two different characters at play, one who is eager to taste evil and one who has to be dragged into the situation. The one who is eager has fantasies of how killing somebody will make him gain a characteristic that will intimidate others, a characteristic that does not need to be mentioned yet perceptible. What he fails to consider is that the characteristic that he years for, might not come from killing an innocent and defenseless victim, or killing without need or killing out of curiosity. The other clients of the club are truly evil, they indulge in their dark pastime as the goal, for pleasure, and that is how and why they...

Unbox quality is great, but the movie is terrible
I have our computer hooked up with a DVI-to-HDMI cable, and the quality of Amazon Unbox is suprprisingly good. It's almost indistinguishable from DVD quality except in a few rare cases of very high-speed camera pans where it is just a little staggered. The quality of this movie is no different, and the contrast of the dark settings is outstanding on Unbox.

Unfortunately that technology is wasted on Hostel Part 2. I like Roth's film "Cabin Fever". It was a creative film with a gritty plot line and a creative use of special effects. Hostel Part 2 really boils down to nothing more than "how creative can we be about torture" and "how stupid and obvious can we make the ending". I decided to see the movie because Eli Roth's promotion of the movie when it was realeased talked about the incredible ending. I love a good twist ending ("The Prestige" was one of my favorites for good endings), but this one was way too obvious. I won't spoil it, but it's not even worth the $4...

Pathetic....
I watched the unedited version of this on ppv. It stunk to high heaven. The first one was a 10 star compared to this and the first one was a glorified B flick. No more Hostel movies please.

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Fat Blasting Bootcamp

Love It! Great Energy!
I do a lot of fitness DVD's and I recently purchased this one and right away, I know it's going to be one of my favorites. It targets the whole body and incorporates cardio and toning so you get everything you need in one workout. Cindy Whitmarsh has tons of energy and is motivating, easy to follow and the time flies by. I recommend this program to anyone!!

Not a favorite, but intense as you want it to be
We found this moderately difficult. Having done Denise Austin's Kickboxing boot camp, Bikini Boot Camp and one from australia - it has more repetition than we like. Although, after one workout my abs really hurt, which is a good thing. The ab workout on this (and the bonus 5 min) is very intense and after doing them once you know you've done abs.

I'd recommend it.

Get your body in shape
Great workout! It was easy to follow. For those of us who refuse to join a gym, this is a great home fitness workout.

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The Star of Bethlehem

Impressed
I just watched this, expecting to be unimpressed by a guy making up wild theories. What I saw blew me away! The depth of scholarship and attention to detail convinced me that Rick has arrived at the truth. As a "just the facts ma'am" kind of guy, I'm not easily impressed, but this is the best documentary I've seen in years.

Evidence for God
A magnificent display of the evidence to support the claims made for the Star of Bethlehem. The presentation is an inquiry without presupposition that engages even the most hostile viewer in an entertaining and easily understandable way. The data and the methods of investigation employed are transparent to anyone wanting to repeat them for themselves - I have and find only more evidence for the claims he makes, the visuals and the music are a delight and the discovery will take your breath away. A great Christmas present for anybody open minded to sorting truth from myth and legend regardless of religious persuasion. The Bible always said the heavens declare the glory of God. If you don't see that, get this DVD.

A DVD we've shared with our friends
We bought this DVD as soon as it was available for sale through its original vendor. Twice I've seen Rick Larson give this presentation live and it brought tears to my eyes BOTH times. When the DVD came out I knew I wanted to buy it to share with others, and that's what I've done. Before I viewed it for the first time I was eager to see how it would compare to the live presentation...it is wonderful! I've pre-ordered more copies to give as gifts.

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Pumpkin Scissors, Vol. 1: Honor and Blood

Great, character driven action/drama
Although the premise seems a bit cliched, and the trailer doesn't nearly do it enough justice, Pumkin Scissors is a wonderful little series that establishes itself nicely in this first season. We're introduced to a delightful cast of characters and a situation that is unique to war-driven anime: it takes place after the war. Each character is well developed and they seem as much like a family as the guys at Section 9 in GitS. Anyone looking for action won't be disappointed, but this is a drama driven war story that doesn't get to heavy into it's main plot. This is something only touched upon lightly, but you know there is something bigger going on. Instead, the majority of the series is character exploration and a collection of stories about the Pumpkin Scissors dealing with the effects of war on the populace. It really is a great series and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new anime.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
I'm a bit ambivalent towards this show because most of the characters in the "War Relief" team are stereotypes that I've seen before (lecherous dude, mild intellectual, cheerful girl who serves tea and a middle-aged chief who spends much of his time reading a paper and has nothing useful to say). For an army unit, this group is pretty useless. The bright stars are 18 year old Alice, noble born and idealistic, cute and prone to striking dramatic poses with her sword and the giant Randall. Yeah, Randall makes this show for me. He's well over 7 ft tall, seemingly indestructible and wields an awesome pistol - great for killing the crews of tanks. The giant doesn't speak much but I find him the most interesting of the team. It's amusing to see people react to him! Alice is remarkably accepting of Randall, not even asking about his past, but I think their relationship will deepen as the show progresses. One thing for sure, with Randall the "War Relief" team became a lot more...

An anime definitely not to be judged by its cover!
The war was over and the empire would never be the same. The after-math of a major war could leave cities, towns and the people in chaos as famine, plague and problematic people are common place.

The Empire has created a new division within the 3rd section of the Information Bureau. The new division is called "PUMPKIN SCISSORS" and their mission is to assist areas that are devastated.

Unfortunately, to some people, the "PUMPKIN SCISSORS" is looked at as a group of people who are just the pawns of the Empire that is just there to suppress the people and really, just organized to be "politically correct".

But leading the "PUMPKIN SCISSORS" is Lt. Alice Malvin, a daughter of royalty but chooses to serve the military and help the people who became the casualties of war. She believes in justice, while many think she's out of her mind.

But with each dangerous and deadly mission, she meets up with a very tall soldier who joins the group. A former...

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Home of the Brave

As a former solider, this move is irritating
Mere weeks away from learning that their unit has received orders to go home from Iraq, various soldiers go on a humanitarian mission and run into an ambush. Chaos ensues, and all receive an injury in one way, shape, or form. Weeks later they are all in Spokane, Washington and the four main characters (Vanessa - Jessica Biel, Will - Samuel L. Jackson, Jamal - Fiddy, and Tommy - Brian Presely) deal with piecing their lives together while many hate the war, and by proxy, hold that hatred against the soldiers involved in it. The rest is just a person-by-person experience of individuals coping with semi-related post-war lives.

Home of the Brave is controversial in that it's difficult for a movie-maker to relay a message that's very positive of the military life or the struggles of a soldier - and keep a job in Hollywood - but it's clear that the creators of this movie didn't even remotely try. They paint a bleak picture of abandoned, abused, and shell-shocked soldiers who...

Hollywood Propaganda sinks to a new low....
I couldn't even make it through this joke of a movie. Decent cast with the worst script ever laced with an agenda and biased outlook make this movie look like some crap that was made for TV by PBS or something. The basics of the movie are that EVERY soldier that goes to Iraq comes back either in a body bag or in pieces, ignoring the fact that more Marines have died in motorcycle crashes than in combat in Iraq. It portrays every soldier as some drunk lunatic fool. Of course that's what hollywood thinks anybody that enlists in a 100% VOLUNTEER army is, even though they constantly profess they are "against the war but support the troops". You'd be hard pressed to find many people that are pleased with how the conflict in Iraq has gone from the beginning but this movie is just nonsensical over the top garbage propaganda. The movie had plenty of potential if it would have been more realistic. Maybe then it would have been easier to write some decent dialogue for the cast to work with.

Inaccurate, left wing slanted, anti-soldier crap
Within the first 20 minutes I knew that this would be an overall terrible movie.

The "war" aspect of it is EXTREMELY inaccurate....M-16A2s currently in use are NOT fully automatic, a small squad of three soldiers would not go running from building to building nor EVER pursue 2 individuals through alleyways for hundreds of meters, and they would definitely NEVER leave a wounded soldier alone and say "Don't worry a medic is on it's way", and in an ambush two unarmored vehicles, or any for that matter, would split off the main group and drive off on their own. All this happens within 10 minutes of each other. As a currently soldier, I wanted to throw my size 10 boot through my TV.

And then comes the main point of this movie (wait, is there even a point to this nonsensical crap?) which is their return home and struggles with PTSD. Sadly, the American public is overall blind to what PTSD truly is, and this movie doesn't help. Not every soldier, even those with...

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Hellraiser (20th Anniversary Edition)

"What's your pleasure Mr. Cotton?"
Be forewarned that this review is primarily for the DVD release of Hellraiser, not the film itself. It's no secret that Anchor Bay has done an excellent job bringing classic and cult horror films to DVD, even if it's over and over again. The 20th Anniversary Edition of Clive Barker's Hellraiser adds a few new extras, while bringing over the same extras that were available from the older DVD release of the film. What's new here are the interviews with the film's stars Doug "Pinhead" Bradley, Andrew Robinson, and Ashley Laurence. Other than that, it's the same stuff that we had before, including the interesting commentary by Barker and Laurence. If you already own the previous release of Hellraiser, the new interviews alone aren't any reason to go out and pick this up whatsoever. Anchor Bay has quite a habit of double and triple dipping their DVD's (there is yet again another edition of the original Evil Dead on the way as well), and the 20th Anniversary Edition of Hellraiser is...

More gore with your compelling storyline? Yes, please
Hellraiser is an extreme horror lover's dream come true. Clive Barker's unique vision marked a virtual rebirth of the genre at a time when slasher sequels were the fun, yet predictable, norm. Although the premiere setting for viewing this movie is a crowded theater of screamers (and sick puppies like myself who find humor in gore), one can still achieve a quite satisfactory effect watching this movie alone in the dark. Some horror creators rely on blood and gore for its own sake, others rely on the story itself to produce the desired effect. Clive Barker is one of the few horror geniuses who can make copious amounts of gore an integral and necessary part of the story. Hellraiser can be deliciously gross, so those with weak stomachs should beware. It features rats; decayed, maggot-infested meat; and copious amounts of blood--and that's just the teaser. Later there are acts of cold-blooded murder, human dismemberment by arrays of chains, a partially formed, pus-dripping, oozing...

A classic of the genre.
In 1986, Clive Barker wrote a novella called "The Hellbound Heart" which was and by all means still is a brilliant example that in a space of roundabout 160 pages a skilled horrormaster like Barker can convey horror and suspense enough to shock and scare the reader. Barker is the same one who says that there are no new stories, only new ways to tell. It is a refreshingly original story rich in gruesome details. Then, in 1987, Barker himself got the opportunity to adapt his novel to the screen. This film immortalized the legendary villain called Pinhead, played by Doug Bradley. The film is just as gruesome as the book if not more. I'd say that I had no doubt the film would be faithful to the novel because after all it was the novel's writer who was directing the movie in the first place! I just rewatched Hellraiser last night and I reread the book today. It's short enough to be read in one sitting...and compelling enough, too! To me this film is a contemporary...

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Trap

Too real for comfort
Unlike so many big studio thrillers, this low-budget indie film has a very realistic feel that makes it all the more creepy. Ed Nahhat comes across as an actual person--not another clone of Brad Pitt doing the obligatory psycho role--and he really brings home the well-founded fear of "the killer next door."

Good story, interesting characters. Good use of imagery.
I actually heard about this from the WriterDirector James Bonner himself. I happened to meet him at a local hangout, and when he mentioned he was a filmmaker, in my typical LA style I almost ignored the mention (everyone is 'in the biz' in LA, lol), I'm glad on my way out I asked him what he's done.

That night I had a chance to watch the film on ***flix. My first impression, 'Oh no, it's an indie flick'. Don't get me wrong, most of my favorite films are from indies, but never intentionally.

I told myself I'd watch it for 10 minutes to give it a chance. 83 minutes later, I thought, 'Wow, that was CRAZY!!'. In the first ten minutes I was hit, the movie has very believable characters that do some unbelievably depraved things. If you like sick psycho-dramas, with blood, murder and deceit, you might want to give this a nod.

Soundtrack was good, and some of the scenes have a 'Lynch-esque' vibe to them when combined with the bizarre uber-snot punk tunes...

Trap review
This is the worst movie I have seen in ages. Would not recommend it to anyone.

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Kaw

Unexpected Gem
Yes, it's another animals-on-the-attack movie, this one molded from Hitchcock's "The Birds" (and even featuring Rod Taylor)...but a tightly wound, well directed, and surprisingly suspenseful addition to the genre. Here ominous black ravens are in attack mode, for reasons the movie sketchily provides, and it's up to a seasoned cop (Flanery) to save the day. Yes, it's a B-Movie, but it's still exceptionally well done. For starters, it's never boring, moving along at a quick pace. And while dreaded CGI is incorporated into the effects, they also managed to use real ravens with the CGI, to minimalize use of CGI. Truthfully, the effects work is pretty seamless, and just right for this type of film. The performances are more than adequate, and while there's never really a truly frightening moment, this is still ions more entertaining than most straight-to-DVD horror drivel. And refreshingly, the accent is less on needless gore and more on suspense, something seriously lacking from today's...

Mad Crow Disease
"Kaw" is not Hitchcock, but it's not bad either. The similarities between "Kaw" and "The Birds" are self-evident, although they are denied vehemently in the interviews with cast and crew: the film even features Rod Taylor, from the Hitchcock masterpiece.

Parts of "Kaw" are contrived and stretch the imagination, but who isn't expecting that with a film about hyper-intelligent ravens spawned by the carelessness of antisocial Mennonites? There are typical B-movie plotpoints: it's the last day of work for the chief of police; there are children stranded and exposed to the birds; there's a crazy old gun nut in town, etc.

For no apparent reason ravens start banding together to attack people in a small town (this was actually shot in Canada), leaving the hero cop, Wayne (Sean Patrick Flanery), and the crusty town doctor (Rod Taylor) to figure out a strategy to combat them. In the midst of this is a subplot about Mennonites, who are extremely disagreeable, and who...

IT'S YOUR KAW
This retake on the claasic Hitchcock's THE BIRDS even features the 1963 movie's hero, Rod Taylor, although this time around the durable actor plays the town's loveable doctor. In the '63 film, all kinds of birds were the predators; this time around, it's just the ravens, who have been infected by feeding on the carcasses of diseased cattle.
The special effects are pretty decent and while there's not a whole lot of new ground broken, the film succeeds in entertaining those of us into the attacking animals venue. Sean Patrick Flanery takes a leave from his villainous role on THE DEAD ZONE and plays the stalwart sheriff.
KAW won't receive raven reviews, but it's a pleasant enough diversion.

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Comic Hero Double Feature (Incredible Hulk Returns/How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way)

Draw the Marvel Way
Why not draw comics the Marvel way? And while you're at it, watch the Hulk while you're practising?

The Incredible Hulk was a hit TV series in the 70's and Anchor Bay Entertainment presents both the Hulk Returns and the classic `How To Draw The Marvel Way'.

With the recent release of the Hulk TV series, the Incredible Hulk is not the appeal of this set. Many years ago, Big John Busecma and Smiling Stan Lee co-authored `How To Draw the Marvel Way'. It was a runaway success and still probably sits in many comic collectors collections today! (Say that twice). The time has come for the re-release of the 1984 Fireside Book companion.

Clearly, with the original master from 20 years ago, there will be degradation, and there is. While the images are not as sharp as today's productions, the advice and examples given certainly are! John Buscema is clearly at the top of his game, while Stan reads his cue cards with the best of them! Stan is no artist, but...





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The Christmas Card

Beautiful story about the heart of Christmas
I'm usually not so sappy when it comes to Christmas movies, but I loved this movie.

A beautiful woman sends Christmas cards to the troops, with pictures of her hometown. A sergeant receives one of these cards and after going on leave following a fellow soldier's death, he finds himself in Washington timber country. I loved the cute little scenes in the diner where they both find they love curly fries and the tasteful flirtations. The church scene was so nostalgic and made me want to head straight to church. The only disbelieving part was where she breaks up with her shallow fiance and he takes it so well and gentlemanly.

A Boyfriend for Christmas and Eve's Christmas are also movies I've seen recently that I'm also purchasing. Take a look at them as well.

Sweet and touching
This is a very sweet, clean, family-friendly movie. Its one of my favorites, right up there with Hallmark's Season For Miracles - it has the same tone and theme of welcoming strangers into a family.

Cody Cullen is a soldier overseas at Christmastime who receives a Christmas card from well-wishing stranger Faith. He is touched by the card and keeps it close. When a fellow soldier is killed in an attack, he returns to the States to notify and comfort the widow. While there, he also searches for and meets Faith, but never tells her how he knows her. Through a series of events he becomes like a member of Faith's family. When his time is up, he leaves the Christmas Card with a special gift for Faith's family and disappears without saying goodbye. Faith then realizes her feelings for him and tries to catch up with him. Naturally, it is a happily-ever-after fairytale story. :-)

The Christmas Card
I watched this movie in December 2006. The Christmas Card is the greatest movie that I have ever watched. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. This family attends church. No suggested dialogue, language, violence or sex. How much better can it get. A soldier in Iraq receives a Christmas Card from a stranger and it keeps him going. It is scheduled to air December 2nd at 9 and 11pm. Dec. 7th 9pm and Dec. 25th 7pm on Hallmark Channel.

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Care Bears - Magical Moments

~* Care Bears Guide ~*
~* Hello ~*
I know there are many Care Bears DVD's listed on Amazon with no episode lists.
This makes it hard to know what you are getting!
I've decided to help organize your collections by providing dates and Episode Lists.

~* CARE BEAR ORIGINS ~*

The animation company, "DiC Entertainment", produced the first 21 syndication-ready Care Bear episodes from September 1985 on through 1986.
These original 21 episodes are available on DVD
in the form of 7 seperate Dics containing 3 episodes each --

"Celebration"
1. Birthday
2. The Last Laugh
3. Wedding Bells

"Forever Friends"
1. Girl Who Cried Wolf
2. Drab City
3. The Old Man & the Lighthouse

"Fun In The Sun"
1. Split Decision
2. Soap Box
3. The Show Must Go On

"Starry Skies"
1. Night the stars went out
2. Dry Spell
3. Cloud Worm

"Dreamland"
1. Magic Mirror
2. Mayor for...

if your child likes Care Bears, this is a good choice
My little girl stumbled on Care Bears and fell in love with them -- the old ones. I tried to watch the newer version with her, but Dark Heart was too scary. This is one of the older (original) versions. We bought this together with Forest of Feelings and Sharing in the Sunshine. Forest of Feelings sort of bombed, but the other two are still requested pretty often. We have satellite TV and lots of kid DVDs and Blurays and she still requests this one and Sharing in the Sunshine once every few weeks.

If these original versions were available anywhere else, I might say save your money. But at rental places and online, I was only able to find the Dark Heart ones, and that just wouldn't do.



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Beverly Hillbillies - Volume 3

classic "Hillbillies" memories
Alpha has re-released these classic episodes of THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, which are amongst the many eps from Season One to somehow fall through the cracks into public domain. Gone is the familiar theme song (which remains under strict copyright) but the same laughs are to be enjoyed with these superior B&W shows.

Episodes:

"Turkey Day" - Elly May makes a pet of the Thanksgiving turkey given to them by Drysdale, and the Clampetts can't bring themselves to kill and cook the lovable bird.

"Trick or Treat" - The Clampetts are mistaken for costumed trick-or-treaters while attempting to make new friends on Halloween.

"Hair-Raising Holiday" - Drysdale's doctor threatens to report Granny to the State Medical Board for practicing without a license.

"The Clampett Look" - Wealthy widow Fenwick and her daughter Cynthia (special guest star Joanna Barnes) "dress down" to dine with the Clampetts and are mistaken for poor hillbillies by Mrs...





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Hostel (Director's Cut)

The ultimate tourist trap
The first time you watch "Hostel" you leave remembering two things: an insane amount of sex and nudity, and some truly brutal torture sequences. The media ignoranty dubbed it a new genre, "torture porn". This film is actually rather tame when compared to some of Italy's 70's horror, grindhouse flicks like "Cannibal Holocaust", and some of Asia's current horror masters. Nontheless, horror fans drooled, sqeamish movie-goers and media watchdogs were offended, then everybody moved on. The truth is this: "Hostel" is the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" of our generation. After taking this so-called "director's cut" re-release as an opportunity to revisit a recent horror film I remembered fondly -if mostly for the two reasons stated above- I came to realize why so many people (not the least of which is Quentin Tarantino) believe in Eli Roth as a horror savior.

"Hostel" is a film layered with subtle humor that builds suspense beautifully and gives the audience exactly what they want...

Dark, nihilistic, misogynistic...but somewhat flawed
I may be one of the few people who actually enjoyed Eli Roth's first film, Cabin Fever, despite the many inherent flaws to the story, direction and all-over-the-place feel. I never bought into the tagline for that film as once of the most horrific films this generation. I've been watching horror films for as long as I can remember and Cabin Fever doesn't even scratch the surface of what constitutes a great horror film. But it did show me that Eli Roth was serious about genre and acknowledges and honors his roots and influences.

Hostel is Roth's sophomore effort, and just like Rob Zombie with his second film (The Devil's Rejects) he shows improvement as a filmmaker and continues to show that he respects the genre he's chosen to be in. Hostel is an exercise in hate, pain and nihilism. There really are no sympathetic characters in the film. Roth instead shows just how debased, cruel and inhumane people can be towards each other. Whether its through verbal, physical and...

So it is that bad?
Look, for anyone rating this 1 star or hoping for a 0 star rating stop reviewing a genre that you hate. Maybe you like older movies, maybe you like love stories, maybe you like a film to be uplifiting. Whatever you like it is not horror. Sure, there are plot holes (all horror movies have those) and yes it has SO MUCH gore and nudity(which a horror movie is naked without) it offends you. But who asked you to watch this and rip it apart.

I love movies in general, own a couple hundred. I saw this in the theater because I enjoyed the very humerous Cabin Fever and Eli Roth as a director in general. If you like movies and can enjoy good humor watch the cabin fever extras. So simple and funny. And Eli Roth appearing in Both Cabin Fever and Hostel was really funny, I dug his cameos.

Overall I like Eli Roth's movies and think Hostel was not GREAT or anything but it was far from the 1 star ratings most of the close minded people reviewing it posted. So if you can...

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Care Bears - Carousel of Dreams 3

Very Enjoyable
Another dvd my granddaughter loves from her favorite cartoon the care bears.Like Dora she just sits and watches her other favorite show.I am so gald care bears came to dvd.





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Baby Einstein - Lullaby Time

Disappointing Commercial
The content of this video is a bit slow, which is probably more by intent than anything - I'm good with boring for bedtime preparation. My issue with this video is more the commercial at the beginning and the end of the video for the new Einstein Pals product line. They placed the commercial inside the "Play Once" and "Repeat Play" parameters, so once he's worn down from the 'boring' video, the stupid upbeat commercial comes on with louder tone and awakening pictures to ruin the "mood". Disney has plenty of other opportunites to market their materials without inserting a contradictive ad to what should be a mellow video.

No Grapes? No Nuts?
We love the baby Einstein videos and have many of them. As adults watching these, we were looking forward to this one because we both love lullabies. We were sorely disappointed that it is basically all classical music (Brahms) with only a tease of "Hush Little Baby" and a short "Lullaby, Say Goodnight" finale in there.
Our little one watches these in his jumperoo right before bed and they normally work him up and wear him out for bedtime. Even he was bored!!

The sleeping lamb blowing the feather was cute.

This was a miss - at least for my child
We have several of the Baby Einstein DVD's and all of them keep my 5 mos old son entranced for the length of the DVD. I only use them on the fussy days when I just need a break. Figured this one might be good to calm him and keep him briefly occupied. Brief it is. He is bored within 5 minutes. Played it the whole way through several times and each time he starts to cry and turn away w/i a short time. Pop in another one and he is fine. When I watched it...it is soothing, but does not have the other animations, movement that the others have and I think he is bored. thankfully it was a gift!

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License to Wed (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD)

Quirky but I may use it for counseling!
I am a pastor. In spite of everything I do, I know that the statistics are the same for couples I counsel as ones who elope. The divorce rate is still 50%. Statistics are worse for couples living together before marriage.

In fact, recently a couple I was preparing to marry split up weeks before the date. She was planning a wedding while he was planning to leave her. So I watched this movie to do a little cheering up. As I did so, I gained a lot of perspective and insight.

In this hilarious movie (I do want to emphasize it is for mature audiences), Father Frank works in hilarious ways to wipe the innocence off of the faces of the young couple. While they are seeing hearts and roses, he wants them to see and talk about what is real to them. By creating off the chart stressful situations, he helps them to see past the romance and into the reality.

I am actually considering this movie as required viewing for future couples! I can make a list of various...

Liscense to Wed
What a great movie!! License to Wed I read all the reviews online and was surprised with some of the comments. I think people missed the point of this movie. I viewed it as a satire to marriage preparation; however, there were some great points made. One, with marriage comes committment, trust, communication and children. Two, marriage is never easy and one should not go into it thinking life will be great. Both parties need to learn to communicate and work out the every day issues.

The actors were great-like everyone else I love John Krasinski who I think was perfect for this role.

I highly recommend this movie for a nice easy going, hilarious family movie. My 11 year old daughter could not stop laughing.

Let this one set on the shelf
If you are reading this review, you are probably thinking that this movie may be worth while seeing, it has robin williams. Not so. HE could not even save this completely disasterous movie. This follows the trail of a couple who get engaged at her parent's 30th anniversary party, then find out to use the "family" church to get married, they only have 3 1/2 weeks to do so, or it is wait 2 years. During this 3 weeks, they have to pass the pre-marital class ran by the "reverend" played by Robin Williams.

The chemistry of the couple is not believeable, the extent that the reverend goes to is so far fetched it's not funny, and the script has numerous holes/flaws (please see many of the other reviews, so i won't have to rehash). I'm glad I rented this rather than seeing it in the theater. Even one for robin williams loyalists to skip. No wonder MSN ranked this Worst movie of the year.

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Christmas at Home: Sights & Sounds of the Season

Not what I had hoped....
Well, I was dissapointed, mostly by the music. There were some very nice wintery scenes but the music seemed very "canned" and didn't often seem to fit the scene in view. Also, so many close-ups of christmas ornaments! If I use this DVD in the future, I will mute the sound and put on my own Christmas music.

Sights and sounds of Christmas
This dvd is such a joy at christmas time. I used it at a christmas luncheon I was having and the guest really enjoyed all the beautiful music and the great christmas scenes and the color is great.

DVD for Christmas background.
This is not really what I was expecting. I played a few times and it just did not have the pictures I was looking for.

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Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman

A Brilliant Little Film Opens the Window to an Unknown Profession
PIERREPOINT: THE LAST HANGMAN is one of those films that emerges from the cracks in the theater 'failures' only to find its poignant message when released on DVD. Granted, the idea of a story based on England's most famous executioner doesn't immediately catch the interest of the general audience, but for those fortunate enough to either rent or buy this DVD, the rewards are plentiful. It is a little masterpiece of writing, acting, directing and production values.

Albert Pierrepoint was the third man in his family to 'ascend' to the list of executioners (capital punishment in England at the time was by hanging), and when he is accepted to the list in 1932 he begins what became the longest and most prolific career of British executioners. He took enormous pride in his work, assuring his peers as well as his 'victims' that every aspect of his job was done with obsessive professionalism: his timing of his duties was the shortest on record, meaning that from the moment he...

Timothy Spall finally in a deserving leading role.
Finally,constant supporting actor for over thirty years, Timothy Spall snares a leading role opposite the equally amazing Juliet Stevenson to bring to the screen the story of Albert Pierrepoint, the last English hangman. Pierrepoint, like his father and uncle before him was appointed Britain's Chief Executioner from 1933-1955 during which he personally oversaw 600+ hangings, including the famous Nazi War Criminal trials from Belsen Camp.He approaches every hanging as all in a day's work.His wife,masterfully embodied by Juliet Stevenson, chooses to know nothing of her husband's job.But, how long can something of this nature stay under the radar screen without it affecting them personally and as a couple? For people who like intense,well-acted films,look no farther that the noose right in front of your face! Easily one of the best acting jobs of late.

unforgettable true life story
****1/2

Albert Pierrepoint is determined to carry on in the time-honored tradition of his family. That's why, like his father and uncle before him, Pierrepoint has trained to become one of England's premier executioners, a man who approaches his grim job with the utmost professionalism, priding himself on using scientific precision to make his hangings the quickest and most "humane" in all the world. Indeed, with his careful calibrations and emotional detachment, he manages to turn capital punishment into nothing short of an art form. So sterling is his reputation, in fact, that he is called upon by none other than Field Marshall Montgomery himself to supervise the hanging of dozens of convicted Nazi leaders after the war. This elevates Pierrepoint to something of a national celebrity in the eyes of a war-weary, revenge-crazed public, a position he neither craves for himself nor truly knows how to cope with, for it calls into question the dignity of the entire...

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Civil War Battlefields

Needed To Do Their Homework
I sent this DVD to my father for Father's Day, because he has a great interest in the civil war, and has studied it for many years.
When I asked him how he liked it, he tried to be polite, but had to admit that while interesting, the accuracy was poor. While describing one battle, scenes were shown of a completely different location. He has visited these sites, and knows one from the other.

Ok...with qualifers....
...if you are a Civil War buff, this will make you pray for death. Let's just put it out there right now.

This WILL NOT give you a good overview of the war; this WILL NOT give you a good biographical sketch of the major players; this WILL NOT give you an idea of broader themes and causes of the war. The historian in me weeps (and the Civil War isn't even my area of focus/concern!#

Still, I gave this 3 stars and here's how I defend that rating: a)It covers the major battles: Manassas, Anietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spotylvania and Appomattox. b) The speaker is clear and direct - anyone will be able to follow along #but it will be too basic for those who know anything about the war).

I wouldn't buy this as a gift for anyone. They'd hate you. Forever. Instead, I use this in my survey course while giving a lecture on the war - showing one or two battles as I go progress during the lecture. Having said that, there's no way...



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Mohra

awesome and great bollywood movie
Mohra is an awesome,great and excellent blockbuster film.It is exciting,romantic and fun.The music is amazing with nice love songs.The story is excellent and the action is stunning.Mohra has great fight scenes like when Sunil Shetty saves Raveena Tandon from getting raped by criminals in prison,Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar have a big fight at Raveena Tandon`s house and when Akshay and Sunil get into a fight with bad guy Jindal(Naseeruddin Shaw)at his castle.Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon look great together.Sunil Shetty is a great action hero and Akshay Kumar is the king of bollywood.
Police inspector Amar Saxena(Akshay Kumar)wants to clean up the crime and corruption in his city by arresting drug dealers and murderers,but he doesn`t know businessman Jindal(Naseeruddin Shaw)is using vishal agnihotri( Sunil Shetty) as his pawn(mohra)to kill drug lords like Jibran(Raza Murad) and Tyson(Gulshan Grover) so he can become the biggest drug dealer in India.He doesn`t also know that...





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Captivity (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

Not to be taken seriously?
I have a rather mixed opinion about Captivity. Viewed seriously, it is an awful movie. Elisha Cuthbert plays a model who is drugged, kidnapped, held prisoner and tortured by an unknown assailant. During the first portion of the movie, she is essentially the only character, and she is not a very interesting one. For a long time, we know little about her - and nothing of the motivations of her captor - so it is hard to care about her on anything but the most basic level. Eventually, another prisoner appears, and then the plot twists begin; the only problem is that every twist can be seen coming long before it happens. And considering how "brilliant" the villain is, he leaves a relatively obvious trail for the police to at least suspect him.

On the other hand, while watching Captivity, I began to wonder if it is really just a parody of the so-called "torture porn" genre which has the Saw and Hostel movies as its most prominent members. After all, this movie takes...

What's real?
A beautiful model seems to have everything...money, fame, a dog. That changes when she's abducted in the middle of a lively club. She wakes up to find she's in a prison of sorts and subjected to horredous acts. Thus is the plot behind Captivity.

Lets be blunt shall we? I bought this because I think Elisha Cuthbert is an amazing talent. Yet somehow, even she couldn't save this film from being sadly predictable with characters as wooden as your dining room table. Jennifer (Elisha's character) has absolutely no backstory, you see her in a photo shoot so you kind of put two and two together to come up with the fact that she's a model. You realize she has a dog that she treats like a human. And, honestly, seems like a genuinely lonely person to me. But it doesn't take more than 15 minutes before she gets taken and the torture begins. With the film moving so swiftly I had no reason to care whether she lived or died.

The acting, on everyone's part, was terrible...like...

Movies Like This Can Be Torture
I'm shocked and appalled that I actually found something redeeming about "Captivity," if only at first. This is an ugly film, parts of which are as sick, depraved, and disgusting as an R rated movie is allowed to be. Of course, I knew all along that it was supposed to be that way, which is probably why that aspect didn't bother me. The first half of the film is actually quite strong, simply because no effort was put into character development, dialogue, or even plot; it was all about shocking the audience with gruesome scenes of torture and gore. It certainly worked in that regard. But then it completely lost its way, first when the characters were fleshed out, second when a back-story was alluded to. Both were beyond ridiculous, downright unnecessary. Had the filmmakers stuck to their original idea, had they not given the film an actual story and just focused on shock value, it probably would have been much more effective.

The plot concerns the plight of a young...

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Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 3, Fire: Vol 1

Love it, crave it, miss it when it's gone!
I love this show above all others. I started watching with my 10 year old and was captured enough to buy season 1 & 2. I struggled with anticipation for season 3 and have been a little disappointed with such a long wait and hum drum set of episodes, but I do understand how difficult the creators have it to keep such a wonderfully developed story going. I am so sorry to hear of the death of Mako the voice of Uncle Iroh. He was truly a gifted actor.

The best seen so far has been episode 5, the Avatar and the Firelord. It put so much into perspective. I truly enjoyed episode 3, Sokka's Master. I hope and pray that the people who are creating the show know how much people really identify with Aang and how much we look forward to the completion of his journey. All the characters are strong and need to stay that way.

Zuko is a wonderful character because of the struggle he finds within himself of wanting to please his father but also wanting to please his uncle. Sokka...

A Preview of Whats to Come
After the long 9 month hiatus that nick forced by providing fans with no new avatar news, Avatar makes it long waited Season 3 debut. Though the first five episodes seemed disappointing to fans, there was a purpose. Avatar is a little kid's show, intended for the 6-10 demographic. In war, there is always a certain amount of propaganda. Propaganda that generates hate towards the enemy. In order to provide moral ethical values into the show, Avatar must show that though there is an ongoing war, not all people participating in the war can be considered "evil." The first five episodes shows the fans and viewers of Avatar that Fire Nation citizens are not all bad and evil. Overall, the majority of them are just ordinary people who have the same problems as everyone else. The first 5 episodes of Avatar does the job of uncovering what the fire nation is all about brilliantly as it does so in a comedic and playful way.

3rd Season is amazing - can't wait for next DVD
I'm a 42-year-old mother of a 7 1/2-year-old and I love this series in my own right. I have every next DVD pre-ordered. The story line is psychologically intricate and interesting. The martial arts are well done - particularly with the isolation of one particular type of move to represent the different nations. The focus is not even on the fighting but on character development and interactions and plot development. This is a great series not just for children but for adults as well - even adults without children. In fact, I like the story more than my son, who would put pokemon and some others ahead of Avatar. Avatar is more complex that other stories of its genre and done very well. The first 2 books were indeed spectacular but I can barely wait for the next DVD to come out in this exciting 3rd season. I guess the first 2 seasons have done a great job of building up the story line to make each dvd of the 3rd season awaited with intense anticipation.

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Nwd 8: Smackdown Mountain Bike

The long awaited NWD 8
I waited almost a year for this film. It was better than I expected. Sweet shots from Israel, Canada and Merlins house. This action packed film starts out with Andreu Lacondeguy. His first trick is a huge double backflip. It is one of three double backflips to pedals ever landed on a mountain bike. Next is solid work from Wayne Goss. A sweet segment from the Kona Clump team in the middle, and awesome music from then on. It is the only mountain bike film you need.

good stuff
All good stuff as usual but I did like #7 better. Didn't like the sound track



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Master Touch, The

Good Euro-Crime Thriller
This is a Good example of the Euro-Crime Thriller.Kirk Douglas plays Steve Wallace, a middle-aged ex-con trying for one last big score befores he retires.Florinda Bolkan plays his beautiful trusting wife who has waited for his return for years, but her patience is wearing thin even though her love and loyalty to her husband is unbreakable.
Italian Star, Giuliano Gemma plays the young protege who helps Wallace out in this slow paced and well told story that has the usuall downbeat offerings of many Euro-Crime thrillers along with the exciting action sequences.Indeed at times the film reminds me of Michael Mann's,"HEAT".
Especially the character played by Robert DeNiro(Neal McCauley) who is reminiscent of the Steve Wallace character in Michele Lupo's,"The Master Touch" - aka: A Man To Respect.
Cinematography is by the late, Tonino Delli Colli who worked with many of the great Italian Directors including Sergio Leone.
All in all this was a worthwhile purchase and...

Plenty of action and tension
Released from prison, Steve (Kirk Douglas) is tempted to perform one last seemingly impossible heist. Eschewing the offer from notorious gangsters, he pairs up with an agile trapeze artist met in a street fight and plans a concurrent FOOLPROOF alibi and perfect crime. Unfortunately, fools are involved which leads to three brutal fights, one exhaustive car chase, and more than one vendetta to be settled -- leaving Steve to wonder if the effort was equal to the potential payoff. Be careful about making friends with acquaintances met in an alley.

Caveats: Image of this made-for-TV production is VHS quality on the DVD. There may be too much violence for some families.

I was there at the making of the film
My name is Carlos Rosaire, I am a Circus Artist and at the time of making this film I was performing in the Circus Orfei in Rome where the Circus shots were filmed, one of my family actually appeared in the film, after the film was completed, I saw the version in Italian and I very disappointed in the version that Amazon sent to me as it had been cut quite a lot and most of the scenes that I was looking forward to were missing, apart from this it was still a very good film, it was with great joy that I saw my old friend Giuliano Gema again, I have not seen him since the film was made. I hope this has been of some help to people who will have seen the film or will be doing so in the near future. Yours Carlos Rosaire Spain 28/09/2012

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Great Battles of WWII

For the WW II buff
I am real happy with this buy. I bought in the used category
and they came new in a tin. Two disc with 283 min. of viewing.
If you are a WW II buff, you will enjoy these disc and if you
get them as cheap as I got mine you will be overjoyed. I am
very pleased with this purchase.





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Paradise Hills

Starts slow, but stay with it.
I stumbled upon this movie through a banner ad. I was intrigued by the "buy the DVD or watch free online" message in the ad. I went to the site and watched the movie.

The movie can be viewed in 10 chapters that you click on one by one. The video quality is good, sound: good, the acting, bad. The amateurish acting makes it a little challenging to get through the first two chapters, but, by chapter 3 it starts to pick up. The acting gets better and the story starts to reveal itself. By chapter 5 or 6 I was into it.

It offers some pretty surprising twists and turns. In fact, the writing was pretty good. Not to keep harping on the acting, but given the good looks of some of the actors in this flick I can see why some more popular (not as good looking) actors get parts in the bigger movies. Acting makes a world of difference.

Paradise Hills is classic indie low budget fare. It starts slow, but if you give it some time to build a head of steam, you'll be...

Excellent Movie!
Great original screenplay. Exciting plot and good acting. I was glued to this one. Mike Cohen is a genius! A must see!



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Famous Generals of WWII

Elementary school level reporting
Boring. I expected some detailed information and discovered I could have written a more insightful report and it should have used more stills and available news video. A waste of time and money.

movies
great documentary . thanks . would rfcamend this movie to others interest in history of our u . s . a .



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Serenity: Southern Seas [Blu-ray]

Serenity: Southern Seas
The photography is stunning, the music lyrical and the whole effect is like having a wonderful sunset/sunrise by the sea right in your own home - leave the angst outside

Nice, but...
The video Quality is great. However, you'll realize you're not missing much if you turn it off after just a few minutes. Endless waves on various beaches and shores, over and over and over again.

Not very exciting.....
Video is fine, but would have done better to have natural sounds rather than the music. Gets old.....

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All That Remains: Live

Great songs, great performances, great quality
ATR is by far one of the top bands in the metal scene today, with some of the most brutal, awe-inspiring live sets I've ever seen. I'm not sure why this guy is complaining about a lack of 5.1, the sound quality is some of the best I've heard on a live metal DVD. Despite the extremely similar set lists of the two shows... your in for a unique experience with each. All the music videos are top notch, and the band/fan interviews make for good fun as well. If your a fan of live metal... or metal in general, everything in the ATR catalog is worth picking up, you won't be disappointed!

Audio Great video Amazing
I have been a huge ATR fan for years. This movie is the best live DVD from a band that I have ever seen. It is like you are at the concert in Philly or at the concert in Baltimore. If you have ever seen ATR live then you know this is a must buy. Especially for viewing in between concerts.

Just plain Amazing!
I received this a day ago, and just wow! It is a must have for any All That Remains have, I loved all the extras, i found out so much about the band i didn't know. I would recommend this to all All That Remains fans!

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Air TV, Volume 3

Touching...touching!!
Very touching series, it makes you wanna cry sometimes. Emphasizes the meanings of true love and strong will. Definetely worth watching!!

A very moving anime
I haven't seen volume four, but this seems to tie the series up with these last four episodes. The storyline is very sweet, touching and incredibly sad with a wonderful lesson on how we should all do the best we can to insure that our children live happy and full lives.

This volume shows the character of the aunt in far greater detail, going over why she is so cold and distant to her niece, and their coming together in the end is wonderfully touching, and makes the ending all the more sad. You really feel for the character of the aunt by the last episode.

I'd have to say this is probably one of the best animes I've seen, and definately one I want to get in the future.

Heart Wrenching
Volume 3 of Air TV speaks to my heart. As the mother of a much-loved adopted daughter, the scenes where the biological father and the adoptive mother struggle over Misuzu is heart wrenching. Very emotional, very beautiful.

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Century of Warfare: WWI/WWII/Korean War/Vietnam War/Operation Desert Storm

Very Interesting
I bought this for my husband who is in the military. He is also a history buff. I agreed to watch it with him, not all that happy about it. I quickly changed my mind. The transitions from scene to scene are nice and they way they describe the events is very real. For a documentary, this was entertaining.

Parts of it are worthwhile
This video is good only for a few things: a) the 1st Chapter on Disc 1 (United States Becomes a World Power)which covers time from the Reconstruction to the popping off of WWI. I could see showing about 5 minutes of this at the beginning of a 1865+ US survey course to set the stage for what will happen over the next few weeks b) 2nd disc - the Korean War chapter is pretty good, despite the monotone narrator. c)Operation Storm - good info, but horrible dvd quality in this Chapter.

IMPORTANT HEADS UP: There is no chapter jumping within a war. For instructors or buffs interested in a specific battle, you'll need to fast forward manually (time consuming), rather than click on a chapter to get there. Make time notations on your own as to when a specific event takes place on the disk.

MilitaryHistory
Got what I paid for at A great price in great time , A great selection for any Military History collector of the 20th Century.

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Day Watch (Unrated)

Enjoyable sci-fi flick-great action and tension
This was a highly enjoyable movie. Now, mind you, it has little to do with the book series outside of the same characters - it was (very, extremely) loosely adapted from the latter part of the "Night Watch" novel, so don't expect it to at all relate to "Day Watch" the book. Like the first movie, there was a lot of great action and watching Anton get his butt kicked all over the place - which hey, that's why we love him, right? Not to mention the whole scene at Yegor's party. But you'll have to watch it to see that - it's just a good thing the old witch wasn't holding a grudge after her 12 years in the zoo as a toad (definitely HAVE to WATCH IT *grin*).

We watched it in Russian with the subtitles. They weren't as much a part of the movie as the original - but they still occasionally were created so be a part of the scenery.

(EDIT): After watching the added features, I am even more impressed with this movie. The birthday party scene was filmed in a most...

Great Story, Good Movie, Bad DVD
I loved Night Watch and I think this film is a great wrap up to everyone's story arc. I saw both in the theater and bought the DVDs as soon as they came out. However, for me, the animated subtitles are about 1/4 of the fun. It makes it feel like a comic book and just gives it that edge. So why oh why did Fox not release that version for the DVD? I find it baffling that someone made the decision to not include them even as an option. Fox DVDs have been a mixed bag as of late and I think I will stop buying them sight unseen and rather rent them first to see if the DVD is good. It is unfortunate that Fox is so inconsistent in the quality of their releases.

Good, but note
Very intersting looking movie with very original special effects. Unfortunatly unless these discs are pirated, the legal Russian release does not contain and english dub or english subtitles. There are plans I've heard to bring the second movie in this trilogy to America, now only if they'd release Final Watch in Russia. That'll probably happen summer 2007 I suppose.

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Basilisk: Scrolls of Blood v.1 - Viridian Collection

The first casualty of war is innocence
Based on the like-named manga, BASILISK is an intense, violent, and grim fantasy/action ninja series (24 episodes in all -- the first DVD release contains eps. 1 - 4).

This is, for my money, one of the finest anime series ever released by Gonzo (or any anime company, for that matter). Beautifully and stylistically animated with imaginative (and sometimes nutty) character designs and fluid fight sequences, and backed by a brilliant musical score to boot, BASILISK is both a visual and audio feast. But don't be fooled by its initial beauty -- at its core this is a brutal and unforgiving show that is aimed at adult audiences.

The basic plot is quite simple: In Japan, 1614 AD, in order to settle a growing dispute over which of the Shogun's two sons should succeed him, the government lifts a peace agreement between the bitter rivals of the Kouga and Iga clans and pits ten ninja from each clan against each other. As each clan represents one of the Shogun's sons, the...

The first casualty of war is innocence
Based on the like-named manga, BASILISK is an intense, violent, and grim fantasy/action ninja series (24 episodes in all -- the first DVD release contains eps. 1 - 4).

This is, for my money, one of the finest anime series ever released by Gonzo (or any anime company, for that matter). Beautifully and stylistically animated with imaginative (and sometimes nutty) character designs and fluid fight sequences, and backed by a brilliant musical score to boot, BASILISK is both a visual and audio feast. But don't be fooled by its initial beauty -- at its core this is a brutal and unforgiving show that is aimed at adult audiences.

The basic plot is quite simple: In Japan, 1614 AD, in order to settle a growing dispute over which of the Shogun's two sons should succeed him, the government lifts a peace agreement between the bitter rivals of the Kouga and Iga clans and pits ten ninja from each clan against each other. As each clan represents one of the Shogun's sons, the...

GREAT SERIES!!!!!
I couldnt/cant stop watching this show. Just 1 of many good anime in last 3-4 years. I've had the series from import discs so hopefully the dubs sounds good.

No foolish comedic pieces here. This is pure action and story. Get the series, you wont be disappointed.

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Spider-Man 3 (2-Disc Special Edition)

Spider-Man 3 Does Not Disappoint
This movie is a "must see" for all superhero fans, action movie fans, and especially Spider-Man fans. There were many negative reviews floating around about this movie, but also many reviews claiming it was excellent as well. The range of different opinions was really surprising.

Modern special effects really do Spider-Man justice, and it is clear that a lot of thought went into this movie, as well as a lot of hard work with the computer animation effects. They are very high quality and truly seem real. There was so much going on, really a lot to sink your teeth into. It's complicated but still manages to be understandable throughout. It's around 2 1/2 hours long, but time flies because you are having fun. Some complained that there was not enough time with Venom, which is a valid point, but I'm sure that the movie in it's entirety will make up for that. All I can say is if you fit into one of the said categories, give this movie a chance. You will not regret it.

This one actually grows on you.
I just wrote a scathing review of Seinfeld season 9 before I came to this review. And how much happier I am for it. The basis for my critical review of Seinfeld was the elitism present in the cast away from the camera. How much nicer is it to see Tobey McGuire and this talented cast. I'm quite certain that Tobey McGuire is a nice guy (very much like Peter Parker) and that's a good thing. As for the movie itself: it really grows on you. The first time I viewed it was at a movie theater and, like many, I thought they tried to do too much. But the second time I saw it, it got better. The third time I viewed it, better still. I don't think they tried to do too much at all now. As someone that never read the comic books I didn't really know much about some of the villains in this movie (Sandman...the whole Black Spidey thing, etc). I remember seeing, in passing at local 7-Elevens, the black spider-man on the front cover of the comic books. But I never took the time to learn...

Spiderman is coming to the plate... two Strikes and three balls and bases are loaded
Spoilers!

I thought it was pretty good while watching it and then after it was over, several things began to bother me.

If one is going to have Harry die at the end, why not have him just die after the ally fight? It would be great seeing Peter have to fight Sandman with that guilt on his shoulders too.

So Sandman is just going to fly around for the rest of his life and rip people off and Spiderman is okay with that at the end?

Why have Harry make Mary Jane break up with Peter if that was never going to come back into play at the end with Harry saying, "I'm sorry," and Mary Jane confessing what had happened. I mean they were so giddy to talk about their feelings throughout, why stop there?

I think it would have been better to have Harry find a way to make Peter break up with Mary Jane so Peter would have that hanging on his shoulders too.

Also at the end, since Eddie/Venom is pissed that Peter "stole" his girl (actually...

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