Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

4 Film Favorites: Final Destination (Final Destination, Final Destination 2, Final Destination 3: Special Edition, The Final Destination)



Awesome series
I recently bought this for my mom as a present. We think these movies are hilarious and creepy at the same time. Having all 4 movies in one package for such a cheap price is great! It came extremely quickly and arrived in perfect new condition. I'm very glad I bought this and was very shocked at how cheap it was!

Final Destination 1-4 Pack
First I just would like to think that if its your time to leave this Earth than maybe its just the time. Its like if you want to go back in time, if you mess with something you make the future different. And in the sense of the movies if you are gonna mess with Death and try to cheat it, its just going to come back in full circle and get you eventually. Don't mess with Karma, Death, Life, Destiny, Faith whatever else goes in that category.

Two what i thought of the movies:
Final Destination: For sure is my favorite out of the four. I have always been a fan of Devon Sawa. I felt like the effects were done just right. It kept me guessing through the whole movie and the ending was great, made me so excited to see the next one.

Final Destination 2: I was having trouble playing this one in my DVD. It wouldn't bring me to the menu to play the movie. It would just get stuck after the animation of the logo. I tried it on my laptop and it went past the animation and...

completed my collection
I owned one of these movies and was looking for a cheap way to own them all and this was it. I now own all of them. This four in one was different than others that I have bought. Instead of having two discs with a movie on each side this has all 4 dvds. I liked that. I also liked how fast that I got this. I'm pretty sure I bought this from Go Hastings, which is a seller that I trust.

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The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas



Makes an excellent social commentary
This movie is incredibly entertaining from beginning to end and goes through a wide range of emotions and human trials and tribulations - humor & sadness, triumph and failure, loyalty and hypocrisy, etc.

I think that most people watching this movie miss, what is to me, the most important point of the entire movie.

You have a small town with a whorehouse that has been in existence for over 100 years. The people in the town have no problem whatsoever with the whorehouse. In fact, many of residents talk about why they support it.

It's the people elsewhere that have a problem with the whorehouse. It's something that they don't condone and they want to force their beliefs on the people in the town, disregarding completely how the people in the town itself feel.

It's a problem that exists in America and is one that I personally think is brought to light in this cleverly written musical. People are busy worrying about what their neighbors are doing rather than focusing on their...

The Best Little DVD One Could Wish For!
I have been waiting for The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas to be released on DVD for a few years now and finally it has arrived! It sure was worth the wait! The picture transfer is fantastic. Great clear images and a remastered soundtrack. The widescreen opens the picture up and gives audiences glimpses of things that were never able to be seen on the video. But the most exciting part of the DVD are the great bonus features: a short behind the scenes documentry (featuring interviews with Parton, Reynolds, Higgins and even Edna Milton, whom the character of Mona is based upon), outakes (hilarious bloopers from the set), and the original theatrical trailer (using an original song sung by Dolly about the premise of the movie). I only wish that Burt Reynolds deleted musical number had been included but I guess we can't have everything! I consider this DVD a MUST HAVE for any of the following people: Theater lovers, Dolly fans, Texans, Whores.... EVERYONE! Do yourself a favor and buy, The...

Country Comedy -- a speed lesson on perspective
Miss Mona (Dolly Parton) runs a whorehouse that has served generations of Texans. Yes, viewers, Texas has a whorehouse in it! A narcissistic TV news watchdog (Dom DeLuise) executes an expose that everyone in the county already knows about. The Sheriff (Burt Reynolds) loves Miss Mona, and tries to save the whorehouse. The Governor of Texas (Charles Durning) dances the two-step around the whole affair.

Great Broadway songs. Great Cast. A couple of new songs added by Dolly Parton. Funny situations and plenty of parody. Adult humor and fun.

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Prima Princessa Presents the Nutcracker



A must for little girls!
After reviewing Prima Princessa Swan Lake (see my review here), I wanted to have my girls watch Prima Princessa presents The Nutcracker before the Christmas Season rolled around. Once again, I am extremely pleased with this video as it the story is narrated while the professional ballerinas, from the Birmingham Royal Ballet, perform the dance. Then, the scene is recapped at breaks while instructors teach dance steps to young, budding ballerinas, playing in the yard or house. Each of the acts is divided into two parts, giving little ones a chance to watch, then learn a dance step and get up and dance themselves. The various steps that are demonstrated are passé, glissade, sauté, sauté arbaresque, and echappe sauté. I love how the producers show the words as they pronounce them as well. The video runs about one hour, and easily captivates little ones, especially with the breaks to get up and dance. There are also bonus features, such as arm positions and Port...

A Fun New Twist to a Classic!
One of my favorite Christmas memories is going to the local presentation of The Nutcracker every December. I was so enamored with it as a little girl that I signed up for ballet one year just so I could play a part in it! I have missed seeing it since I moved away from home and hope to take Amber some day.

Because of all that I was really excited to get to review Prima Princessa Presents the Nutcracker. It provided me a way to show Amber The Nutcracker in a way that was fun and easy for her to understand at her age now! She loved dancing along to it (as you can see!) and I was impressed with the gorgeous costumes & scenery during the ballet which I guess is not surprising considering it's the Birmingham Royal Ballet preforming. Like the other Prima Princessa DVD the breaks were cute and fun and Amber and I both really enjoyed it! This would make a perfect Christmas gift and you can't beat the $6.99 price tag!!! I highly recommend getting it for the little ballerina in your...

We love it!
Just as the previous Swan Lake video, this DVD is broken down into different segments alternating between the Nutcracker performance and learning ballet steps. Once again, this movie gets my daughter up, moving, interacting. The extras include the different beginning arm positions that they cleverly describe looks like a flower blooming. My 2.5 year old daughter absolutely loves these movies (has been watching them since 1.5), and we enjoy them as adults as well. Prima Princessa movies are top favorites at our house!

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Sea Prince & The Fire Child



Finally!
This is a great classic film that mysteriously disappeared for a long time. In fact, most of the old Sanrio films disappeared. I saw it when I was very young in the early 90's, and I lamented the fact that it was never on DVD, but only om ancient VHS tapes or recorded from TV specials.

It's one of those films that, if you saw it as a young 'un, it stays with you forever, because it's so unlike most childrens' films. At times, it doesn't feel like a childrens' film, due to its dramatic elements.

It's a very delightful and heart-wrenching film, and I can't wait to add it to my DVD collection!

So beautiful!
My mother, sister, and I all fell in love with this in the original japanese as the "Legend of Sirius" even though we couldn't understand it. We were shocked to find it in English in a local video rental store, but thrilled that we could finally hear the whole story.

It is just beautiful to watch, the music is lovely, and the characters are cute. I love the mythological take on Romeo and Juliet, and the ending is much easier to live with :-)

We still have our VHS copies in both English and Japanese, but this is one we really want on DVD.

I have read online that it had a limited release on DVD in Japan, but that it is nearly impossible to find. Please re-release it on DVD!

Childhood classic FINALLY comes to dvd
YES YES YES! It got me emotional then, and it does now! Great tragic love story, with beautiful characters. I loved it. If you like movies like The Last Unicorn, Unico, and other odd, now obscure, titles, you'll love this! SO glad it is on dvd now.

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Phantom



THE 21st PHANTOM CONTINUES HIS FAMILY'S LEGACY.....
Kit Walker has come of age but before he can take up the challenge of becoming the 21st Phantom, his adoptive parents have to bite the dust.... The PHANTOM saga continues in this almost 3 hour two-part television mini-series movie with Ryan Carnes playing the legend. Compared to the long history of dozens of Tarzan films, it has always seemed a Hollywood anomly that the Phantom had to date only rated ONE serial, ONE feature film and an animated TV series. Finally we are treated to another visualisation of the GHOST WHO WALKS legend, but a somewhat disappointing one at that. A pity that lessons of the past still seem to not have been learned. Pause for a moment to consider another film legend - The Lone Ranger who has appeared in a couple of serials, a long running TV series and several movie adventures. The original TV episodes with Clayton Moore are fondly remembered and his two cinema adventures remain very popular with fans especially the first Lone Ranger film which was...

What Phantom?
I wont be buying this film as I saw it on tv and was quite disappointed.Why do we have to "upgrade" characters like the Phantom, The Lone Ranger,Wonder Woman etc.? In this version why does Kit Walker wander about the city with his coat wide open so everyone can see the skull buckle on his outfit? At least the real Phantom had natural strength ( of 10 tigers : old jungle saying) and didn't have to enhance it with an electronic suit.Why does Guran have to be a woman? No offense meant towards women but Guran has always been one of the Pygmy Poison People.Why change that?Lets hope someone will make another film like the Billy Zane version.Please don't turn this new Phantom into a series.Phantom?What Phantom? He may as well be another X-man.

Good future series lays ground work.
The series is decent in that it sets up the possibility of a decent future show. The mini series on Syfy was 4 hours long. It took about 1 1/2 hours to even get to the Phantom. It setups nicely as to why he is the Phantom and who the bad guys are. It pays homage to the history of the Phantom as well. If you would like a modern Phantom this is the show for you, if you have your heart set on the old time Phantom running through the jungles this is not for you. Very modern, I would say the only thing I didn't like was that the new suit in the show appeared to be mostly black with very little purple. Looks like they may have corrected that at least according to the box art of this DVD.

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Road Kill (Fangoria FrightFest)



Underrated
If you want the usual film about teens killed off one by one, this isn't for you. This is a very surreal film that will appeal more to fans of 70s fare like "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" than it will to the "Saw" crowd. It also takes a bit of thought to follow (no, as opposed to what most critics think, the guy with the gun wasn't possessed by the truck -- later events prove otherwise). And, no, the characters do not act in an inexplicably stupid manner -- other than doing something people who've watch Spielberg's "Duel" would think twice about, strange behaviour is part of the plot. There's a couple of weak spots: I thought the gore took away from the effectiveness of this film, and I doubt so many could pick up how to drive a road train so easily. But the beautiful cinematography, great performances and effective mood make up for most of the weaknesses

RUNNING ON EMPTY
This is my fifth FRIGHTFEST film and I must admit I'm disappointed in most of these films. Only PIG HUNT and DARK HOUSE have met my expectations. Considering films like DUEL, JOY RIDE, CHRISTINE and even MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, ROAD KILL comes up short. There are mny incredulous things about this movie, but most irritating is that three untrained youths are able to drive a "road train."
The acting isn't bad considering the script and the inept direction. The girls were especially annoying.
I've only 3 left in the series but I'm in no hurry to see them!

Somebody thought this was a good idea? Really?
I really find it hard to write something about this film. I'm kind of shocked that this thing even got made. It's not very good. I don't want to say too much about the actors because I think the cast gave it a sincere effort and probably did pretty good with the material they had to work with, but the plot was so silly. For instance, when Nina opened the back door of the trailer and walked inside...My thought was "Really?" Who in their right mind, or even out of their right mind would have gone in there? And then at 120 minutes, when she hesitated to pull the trigger. Oh, heck no. Usually, I give stars for meeting the expectations I had for a movie going into it. If it meets expectations, then I rate it higher no matter how low those expectations were. Well, I didn't have real high expectaions for this one, but ROAD KILL does not even meet the minimum either in horror or parody. It is no fun at any point and does seem to take itself seriously. I can't even put it in a class...

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Monday, October 14, 2013

I'm Gonna Explode



i adore this film BUT....
I get a pleasing sensation watching Marie Deschamps and Jean Pablo de Santiago for over an hour because they really do have beautiful faces and very cool personalities That thing Roman does with the red and white stocking pulled down to his nose, as a hat, with eye-holes scissored out is adorable. Marie Deschamps looks like a young Marie Schneider.

Maru is surrounded by bulls******* people seem to fall short of her deeps and sensabilities always. Roman is still freaked out about his mother's death. He's the rich kid with a credit card instead of parental attention .However i still found the father and his girl-friend full of accountability. It's just that their world has no room for the needs of a developing teen.. He has psychotic fantasies to deal with his frustrations.but nothing truly disturbed. Maru wants a relationship that transcends the superficiality surrounding and excluding her. Roman has a void inside. These are their pivots acting like magnets.It's full of...

Teenage Romance Or Rage Against The Machine? Rebellions And Tantrums Under The Mexican Sun
The creative team behind the interesting "Drama/Mex" continues its quest to prove that there is no such thing as a healthy, well-adjusted teenager in Mexico! "I'm Gonna Explode" unite two such disaffected youths in a drama of alienation, co-dependence, and romance on the run. But whether you view the couple as true rebels or as simply brats (and I might make a case either way)--"I'm Gonna Explode" taps into some real feelings of angst. And like "Drama/Mex," "I'm Gonna Explode" asks the viewer to regard the young protagonists in a sympathetic light even if their bad acts and selfishness might not always warrant compassion. Ah, but the foibles of youth!

"I'm Gonna Explodes" introduces Roman, the privileged son of a local congressman. Roman's trauma stems from the death of his mother and the blame that he places firmly on his father's shoulders. With homicidal fantasies, including a brutal opening sequence, it's hard to immediately get behind the sullen character...

Excellent teenage drama from Mexico
I was looking for a good foreign movie to watch and when I was browsing the foreign movie section at my local library (here in Blue Ash, suburban Cincinnati, which has tons of great foreign movies in its collection), I fell upon this. Didn't really know much about it but boy, I am glad I picked this up.

"I'm Gonna Explode" (104 min,; originally released in Mexico in 2008; finally released on DVD in the US in 2010) brings the story of HS outcasts Ramon and Maru, who find each other by happenstance and immediately click. They run away, causing Ramon's dad, a highly-regarded politician, to start a search for the teenagers. As it turns out, the teenagers have set up camp (literally) on top of Ramon's (hence dad's) mansion. Sparks fly between Ramon and Maru. They feel like soulmates. But things eventually take a turn when they are found out, with dramatic consequences. You'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out, and I guarantee that you won't be disappointed...

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Frozen



When Nature Has the Upper Hand
We've seen so many thrillers in which the threat comes from something unnatural, be it a ghost, a zombie, or a masked serial killer that cannot himself be killed. This is partly why "Frozen" is such a refreshing experience - nature itself is the threat. Human beings are capable of withstanding a great deal, but there's always a breaking point, and this movie does a pretty good job of searching for it. It begs the question: What would you do if you found yourself in a similar situation? Is there anything that could be done? Or is it merely a matter of waiting to die? For something that very easily could have been a mindless shock fest, "Frozen" is instead an effective story where suspense builds from a fairly plausible situation.

As far as the plot is concerned, there isn't all that much to describe. In fact, it can all be summed up in one sentence: At a mountain resort, three college kids struggle to survive when they're left stranded on a ski lift. Everything depends on...

A Harrowing And Character Driven Tale Of Survival--"Frozen" Is NOT A Horror Film
A dubiously labeled "horror" film--"Frozen" is actually a surprisingly strong film about survival. If you were disappointed by "The Blair Witch Project" (a harrowing film about being lost, not about witches) or "Open Water" (a film more reliant on the drama of helplessness than on shark scares), then you will probably see little point to "Frozen." If, however, the very real frights of those films unsettled you--this film should tap into the same sensibilities and be right up your alley. An incredibly tense tale of three friends who are stranded on a ski lift, "Frozen" explores very real and powerful feelings of isolation and desperation as the trio comes to terms with their situation. Realizing that to survive is to act is only the first hurdle. Unfortunately, it seems as if nature itself is conspiring against the kids.

"Frozen" is a surprisingly sophisticated drama despite its very simple premise. The terror is understated and real (not at all what I was expecting from the...

absolutely excellent - will keep you on the edge of your seat
This film just opened today in limited release and I just came back from watching this film. Very few films take us through a real original disturbing and masterfully crafted edge of your seat thriller/drama/horror adventure movie....All I have to say is... studios look and learn. I could only hope more films were this engrossing. As I watched I was so involved in what was going on, my popcorn and coke fell out of my hands. This is a really truly horrific scenario that is so real and could very much happen just about anywhere at anytime and without notice. The actors, Kevin Zegers, Shawn Ashmore and Emma Bell gave nothing short of outstanding performance and the direction is flawless. Saw Zegers in Transamerica and really like his choice of work... have been following him for sometime now and I look forward to seeing more work from Shawn Ashmore and Emma - all very gifted actors who really own their craft. Back to the film... I was inmerse from the get go till the end and you never...

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Veggie Tales: Girl Power Triple Feature



Very entertaining & great lessons
I bought this because I wanted my daughter to learn something useful yet be entertained; something you don't get from Disney movies. The stories are funny and the songs are catchy. We find ourselves singing Madame Blueberry's song at random times throughout the day. It was also a nice surprise that "sitter-in-denile" was about a big sister with a new baby brother and talks about loving and caring for the baby, which is currently something she's dealing with. Overall, this is a great set. The bible lessons are what I was looking for and what I got.

So enjoyable and what a great price!
I bought this DVD set for my Goddaughter because I was trying to raise the price of my purchase order for the Free Super Saving Shipping deal. She ended up liking this DVD set the most. I've always been a fan of the Veggies Tales, even since I was little. Great cartoon with wonderful spiritual lessons attached. They're great! But I loved that this tailored to young little girls, like my Goddaughter and had the variety of stories for an unbeatable price! Definitely a great deal!

Great stories Great deal
All 3 stories are good. And a very good deal to get 3 shows at this price. My girls (3 and 7) love it!

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Sunday, October 13, 2013

Lets Hear It for the Laurie Berkner Band



A great DVD for kids 10 months and up
We got the Laurie Berkner DVD right after we saw the ad for it on Nick Jr.
My daughter (10 months) would stop whatever she was doing to watch some of the videos on Nick like "Who's That?" and "5 years old". So once we saw they were making a DVD we jumped on it.
And sure enough she loves it. With the exception of 1 or 2 songs all of the songs on this DVD are fun and some are just silly. Lauries music is constantly encouraging the kids to participate. My daughter knows when to clap and even make the Octopus sound during the "Pig on your head" song.
Most of the songs even my wife and I like with the exception of the "Clouds" song and "On the farm".
The Moose and Zee interludes are kinda cheesy and my daughter seems to loose attention during them after she's watched the DVD a few times. But the Moose and Zee songs include a couple that she really likes like "Everywhere I go".

Here's a list of the songs you'll find (not sure of the names);
5 Days...

Disappointing
This DVD is not awful, but it is vastly inferior to "We are... The Laurie Berkner Band". In that one, they draw from over a decade of songs that Laurie wrote. We Are... also seems better produced and directed. As an example, the lighting was much better in the first DVD. In the new one, Laurie is blasted with high intensity lights, so much so that her face appears overexposed and white and her eyes a little too dramatic (guess that's the style today though). Musically I prefer the first one too.

This DVD also suffers from interludes with the Nick Jr. moose where he does silly things to hype the crowd. This gets old fast, and kills replay value.

Her early DVD I have literally watched a hundred times and still enjoy. We even went to see the band in concert. They are great.

I still give this DVD four stars because it's above average compared to other childrens' DVDs.

Moose and Zee
After Nick Jr cancelled Moose A Moose and Zee recently, I was looking for a DVD that featured the pair for my 13 month old daughter. This was the only DVD that I could find. It's great!! It has plenty of spots with them between songs and included in the special features are four videos with fun cartoons of just Moose and Zee. It was perfect and my daughter loved being able to see her favorite two characters again. Also, we have already memorized the Laurie songs that are catchy and fun to dance around to. It was a perfect buy for us!

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Jane Eyre



Remastered my Aunt Fanny!!!!
This version of Jane Eyre is one of my favorites. I excitedly preordered this DVD a month ago when I found out about it. Unfortunately, I can only give this DVD two stars. That is one star better than the last "remastered" release that I reviewed...the extra star is due to the fact that THIS one is at least not missing an entire scene.

Far from being remastered as claimed this release is, if you can believe it, even worse than the other I reviewed. First, it is dark & muddy--I had to crank up the brightness on my TV up almost all the way in order to see any detail at all. Second, the picture is almost constantly filled with long scratches (sometimes right through the middle), both white & black "drop-outs," and a hair or fiber that appears at the top of the screen throughout the entire front credits. Third, the color fluctuates several times throughout the film. Fourth, in some scenes the sound is...

Great film - Bad DVD!
I was so excited to see that this wonderful made-for-tv movie had been released on DVD. What a horrible shock it was to see that the print the DVD was created from was in terrible condition. Whole scenes are missing. The dialog jumps around. The screen goes completely black in the middle of a scene for a good three seconds. There are scratch lines throughout the film.
The "original" film itself I give 5 stars (from memory). The DVD -- doesn't deserve a single star. Shame on the production company for not remastering this brilliant film.
If you love Jane Eyre, these performances in this are well worth watching, but find a different copy.

The love people have for each other
It's hard to imagine a better gothic romance than "Jane Eyre" -- gloomy vast houses, mysterious secrets, and a brooding haunted man with a dark past. And while there have been lots of movie and TV adaptations, one of the absolute best is the 1970 TV movie starring Susannah York and George C Scott. "Jane Eyre" spends too long on Jane's school days (and not quite enough on the Thornfield days), but the two lead actors are absolutely brilliant in their roles.

Jane Eyre was an orphan, abused and neglected at a boarding school run by a tyrannical, hypocritical minister. But Jane refuses to let anyone push her down -- and many years later, Jane moves on by applying to Thornfield Hall for a governess position. She soon becomes the teacher and friend to the sprightly French girl Adele. Then she encounters her employer, Mr. Rochester, a cynical, embittered man who spends little time at Thornfield.

They are slowly drawn together into a powerful love, despite their...

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Jonah Hex [Blu-ray]



JONAH HEXED BY HOLLYWOOD HUBRIS
To begin, please understand two things about me:

1: I Love Westerns.
2: I`ve been a fan of the character 'Jonah Hex' for over 30 years.

In the comics, Jonah Hex caught my interest because of the gritty, hard-edged stories that featured a tough ex-Confederate soldier turned hard-case Bounty Hunter roaming the old West. I won`t belabor the details, but if you want a good idea of the tone of Jonah Hex; most fans liken Clint Eastwood`s "The Outlaw Josie Wales" to practically be a Jonah Hex movie. Jonah Hex would indeed ask the immortal question "You Gonna Pull Those Pistols, Or Whistle Dixie?"

The movie "Jonah Hex", while somewhat capturing the charaacter`s 'Attitude', unfortunately sees fit to muck it up with supernatural underpinnings and the sort of gimmickry that James West would laugh at ( ...I mean...c`mon...twin Gatling Guns mounted on a saddle? ...a gun that shoots lit sticks of dynamite ?? )

Jonah Hex --the character -- was NEVER...

Put a hex on it
I like steampunk. I like Weird West. I like comic book adaptations. I like movies that bust out of the usual genre cliches.

But it's not an unconditional love -- the loathing I have for "Jonah Hex" proves it. This movie is a bit like the evil love child of "Wild Wild West" and "Van Helsing," with all the bloodcurdling stupidity of the former and the flashy steampunky trappings of the latter. Josh Brolin does his best to salvage this messy undercooked stew of cliches, but honestly... there's no saving this movie.

Jonah Hex (Brolin) was a Confederate soldier who turned against his commander Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), and Turnbull got his revenge by killing Hex's family, scarring his face and leaving him for dead on a cross. Of course he doesn't die, but becomes a bounty hunter who can communicate with the dead just by touching them. All this is crammed in the first three minutes.

Then the president recruits him to hunt down Turnbull, who is...

If The Wild Wild West and Van Helsing had a love child, this would be it
I knew before sitting down in the theater today that this movie is getting nothing but trashed all over the place by critics, but I always go in with an open mind and usually end up disagreeing with them. Well, that's not the case here. First off, the movie is only 72 minutes long if you take away the end credits. They spent no time developing any of the characters, so I never really cared about any of them. Maybe a director's cut will be released on DVD, because this movie really needed another 30 minutes.

Josh Brolin is a fine actor and he is the best thing about the movie, but even he seems a little bored with the whole thing at times. He does get some good one-liners along the way. John Malkovich is just here for a paycheck. Talk about a villain that will put you to sleep. His whole evil plan has been done a million times before. We all know Megan Fox looks great, but can she act? The answer is still no. She's not too bad here, especially when compared with her previous...

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Saturday, October 12, 2013

8 Diagram Pole Fighter



Brilliant
This is a unique movie. It starts off with a very serious Lily Li getting a message in her thoughts that only 6 out of her 7 sons will return from a battle with some Mongolians. Instead, only brother #6 returns (Alexander Fu Sheng). He comes back insane after seeing all of his brothers die. It was a bit disturbing for me as well. Hsiao Ho, Lau Kar Wing, Wong Yue and 2 other Yang brothers all bite the dust before the movie ever really starts. Luckily, Yang #5 (Gordon Liu) makes it out alive and goes to study at Shaolin Temple. That is all I will tell about the story, you just have to experience it for yourself. A true Shaw Brothers classic. The use of sets only may turn some people off, but they are beautiful sets and any Shaws fan will not have a problem with this. Also, if you love hand to hand, there is a slight chance you will not like this wonderful movie. It is all pole fighting, no hand to hand. Only get this if you want to see some of the best stick work ever. Even Lily Li gets...

The Ultimate Shaw Bros. Movie
What can I say? I'm a fool thinking that I was a true fan of the old school Venom/Shaw Bros. movies without ever even seeing The Invincible Pole Fighters, until today. The Invincible Pole Fighters is hands down the definitive Shaw Bros. Kung Fu Flick. I thought the Master Killer was Gordon Liu's best movie, until today. This movie has awesome action, a cool plot, the late Fu Sheng, Gordon Liu, and a cameo by the Kung Fu King himself Liu Chia Liang(director)! Kudos to Venom Mob Films for bring this rare flick out to the public and for noting on the packaging that it's a video transfer. Ground-Zero films should take lessons from the Venom Mob. Hey any chance of this flick being released remastered and uncut?

SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!
Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is definitely one of the best of all-time. Its in my top 5. The pole fighting in this movie is spectacular. My favorite scene is when Gordon Liu fights the shaolin monk to complete his training. The choreography is amazing. $$$ well spend. You must buy this movie. It is Gordon Liu at his best.

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I'll Come Running



This movie is fantastic
I watched this by chance when it was on a pay channel when I thought it was a different movie. It's not often that I'm so glad I made a mistake but this is one of those times.

I cannot even tell you how hard this movie made me cry - and I am NOT the crying type people. It is absolutely heart wrenching and tragic and beautiful all at the same time. I don't need to tell you what it's about, you can read the description. What I will tell you is that this movie is one of the best I've seen. Out of the blue, unexpected, raw emotion. It makes you understand how sometimes letting yourself just feel without analyzing everything is the true gift and the way we should live. If you fall in love in a day - embrace it rather than question and doubt it. JUST LIVE! Don't miss this emotional rollercoaster ride - and grab the Kleenex!

This is a wonder!
This is a wonderful film! Refreshing, bold, and lean. I fell in love with every character. Ms. Diaz gives a solid, heartfelt performance. So glad I "happened upon" this movie!

You Either Like It or You Don't... It's That Kind of Movie
I really enjoyed this movie. I took a chance on it when IFC offered a viewing of it on Cable On Demand whilst it was still in theaters. I wasn't disappointed. It definitely was different than what I expected, but the acting is great and genuine and this really is a shining role for Melanie Diaz ( whose other really break out role in my opinion was Itty Bitty Titty Committee). Definitely take a chance on this movie. It's worth the watch!

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What Would Jesus Do?



Excellent message - terrific story!
Excellent message - how one person can change how a whole town lives by simply saying "What would Jesus do?" This movie is loosly based on the 1898 novel, "In His Steps: What would Jesus Do?" by Charles Sheldon. The names are the same, but the story takes a modern tone, but the valuable lesson is the same. A drifter, played by John Schneider is shunned by the community even the pastor of a dying church, played by Jim Gleason, tells him "I'm sorry that I can't help you." But the message the drifter brings to a church is "would Jesus act that way?" As church members start changing the way they do things from running their businesses to helping the less fortunate, the wave of love and goodness takes over the town even when a greedy, ruthless politician wants to take over.

This message is vital to the world in this day and age. Imagine what would happen if every Christian would think before acting and ask themselves "what would Jesus do in my place?

[...]

A Conscience-Pricking Account of Christian Living
If you are smug in your Christian life, or even are not, this movie is for you. How do you maintain your faith when you, a pastor, saw God allow the death of your wife and two children in a horrible car accident? You are a mugger. How do you return to your faith when you observed your mother pray devoutly all her life, and see her life end tragically? (Do you conclude that it did her no good?)

The questions continue for Christians of various occupations. How do you turn away a needy job-seeker? How do you allow salacious material to be printed in your newspaper? How do you accept a lucrative music-making contract when it involves the playing of immoral songs? How do you revive a dying church? How do you prevent a casino from being built where the church stood for over a century? How do you stop a heartless, amoral politician running for mayor in your town.

You must start by believing that with God all things are possible. You also repent. And so on...

Phenomenal movie
I read all the bad reviews after I ordered the DVD, and figured Id made a mistake. But I just watched it and thought it was one of the best Christian movies Ive ever seen. I thought the acting was good, and the script was good, and of course the re-telling of the IN HIS STEPS book/story was great. I plan to recommend this movie to everyone I know, and probably buy several more copies as gifts for friends, relatives, and a church Ive gone to. Obviously you dont need a $50 million budget to make a movie that tells the greatest story ever told; demonstrating "love, understanding, peace, kindness, goodwill" (from the movie), rather than anger, retribution, jealousy, self-centeredness...

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Friday, October 11, 2013

Energy Crossroads: A burning need to change course



A Cold Shower of Fact
In a society where most people take energy for granted and assume life will go on just as it is, this film is a cold shower of fact.

For many of us, energy is something we wish we had more of, drained of it as we might be at the end of a long day. But the energy that lights and heats our homes and powers our TV, refrigerator and air conditioner, that helps grow and transport our foods, and that lets us drive to work or bring the kids home from school, that energy remains far in the shadows. Since it's just "there", we give it little if any thought.

Energy Crossroads looks deeply and objectively at our use of, and dependence on, energy. It traces the history of our society since the Industrial Revolution and makes very clear that without cheap energy--primarily petroleum over the last 100 years--our society, and the industrialized society worldwide, could never have existed.

Our fossil fuel-based society has literally exploded on the earth, bringing a...

A must see for everyone!
I've been interested in the peak oil energy depletion problem since I read the Long Emergency in 2006. I've seen many films dealing with this subject and I would say that Energy Crossroads is a great first step in educating the public about this serious problem confronting us all. I think this is the perfect film to be viewed in the schools as well. I was happy to learn that there is a sequel to this film called The Great Squeeze produced by the same film maker and it actually has an interview with James Howard Kunstler who wrote The Long Emergency..

Jocha's "energy crossroads" review
Excellent documentary, do not watch this one in combination with "Blue gold..." and the "Strange days on Planet Earth" series because after that you will commit suicide! The documentary is very informative and shows through facts and great interviews how fast a change is needed when it comes to our energy sources. In addition, it also presents some good alternatives that clearly show that more sustainable and less polluting energy sources are available today... it is just corporations and governments that are not up to the challenge... unfortunately... not only the naked monkeys but the entire planet will go down if we do not do something fast...

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Three Kings [Blu-ray]



Oh! Those Extras! And how's the film? Fine.
THREE KINGS is not for everyone. And it's not easily pigeonholed. Fans of categorization will hate it. :)

"What's it like?" they ask. You can't say it's a comedy, because plenty of people won't find it funny. Can you say it's a heist film? Only if you're narrow-minded. An action movie? Yeah, maybe, but this isn't comic book action here.

Soldiers at the tail end of the Gulf War get a lead on a hidden stash of gold and decide to find it and take it home. What happens to them along the way changes their objectives and changes their lives in profound ways. Director David O Russell has crafted a movie that SEEMS to be aimless, changing directions with the wind, but is actually a movie with a certain destination, taking a more realistic approach to arrive there. A good example of this narrative philosophy is pointed out by Russell in his excellent and illuminating commentary track: in one scene Clooney is rushing pell-mell through an underground bunker and collides...

An extraordinary piece of work
I was expecting a fun in the sun with guns and gold kind of movie. Boy was I surprised! This ranks up with movies like Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line as a really intelligent "war like it really is" story.

It starts off fairly simply. At the end of Desert Storm a group of soldiers find a map showing where stolen Kuwaiti gold was being kept so they go get it. What was extraordinary was the way that the Iraqi soldiers actually helped them but would not let them help any of the locals. Orders from Saddam they said.

However, seeing the injustice being meted out by the Iraqi soldiers our four heroes (Clooney, Wahlberg, Cube and Jonze) decide to intervene. Things do not go well as Wahlberg is captured and tortured and all their vehicles are destroyed.

The torture scene is poignant. Wahlberg and his torturer have much in common: they are fathers, they joined the army to give their families a better standard of living, except that the torturer's one year...

to heck with the politics
I'll admit the first time I saw this movie in the cinema; I didn't like it that much. Then again, I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't sure whether it would be a comedy, a drama, or an action film etc. So when the movie was finished and I was walking out of the cinema, I wasn't too sure what to make of it.
I didn't watch the movie for another few years until my friend got it on DVD and having nothing else to do, I decided to watch it again, hoping I would have a different point of view after watching it for a second time. And boy, am I glad I did!
Three Kings is a great movie with; I believe, a deeper meaning. The basic plot is about 4 soldiers in the Gulf War who discover a map on a prisoner after the war is over. It turns out that the map shows the location of $23 million worth of Kuwaiti bullion stolen by the Iraqis. So these 4 soldiers set about getting themselves a nice little bonus. However, upon retrieving the gold, Sgt. Archie Gates (Clooney) and his men are faced...

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Lost Boys: The Thirst [Blu-ray]



Great Comeback!
Lost Boys: The Tribe was a horrible movie. It was a blemish on the Lost Boys' series. The Thirst is a major step in the right direction. This film is more of a Frog Brothers film than a Lost Boys film. It's more in the vein of a horror/action picture than a straight horror picture. Honestly, I feel The Thirst kind of has an Expendables feel to it, with a more comedic tone. Feldman and Newlander give very likeable and well-balanced performances. The girl who helps the Frog Brothers fight the vampires also does a great job, and I'd like to see her character reappear if a sequal is made. My only compaint with the Thirst is that the main gang of vampires look like bratty, rich-kid, reality show wannabees. This detail is kind of rectified though, but I won't say anymore. Go watch Lost Boys: The Thirst! It's a great direct to DVD Halloween treat!

The Frog Brothers make the movie!
Okay, I am not sure how a person would feel about this movie if they didn't grow up loving the original, especially the Frog Brothers.

Personally, I really didn't care for The Tribe. It seemed like they were trying to kind of remake the first one in a way but with a more modern twist. Frankly, I felt like that just didn't work. I had to get it though because it had Edger in it. I was so upset that they left out Alan, MY favorite Frog brother. The Tribe was just a huge let down to me like I figured it would be.

When I saw that they made The Thirst, I thought "Are you serious!? Another one?? How far are they going to try to stretch this?"; then I saw that Jamison Newlander would be in this one as well as Corey Feldman. Well, that did it for me. I had to see the original Frog brothers reunited! I must say, I really enjoyed watching it. The story line was a little corny, but doable. Most of the vampires all die the same way. I think 2 or 3 of them exploded without...

Im A Fan
Ok so you know, I loved the first installment with the 2 Corey's. I'm a vamp fan ok.

Have now seen the second one, I loved it as well.

But it certainly was nice to see this one. It is different than the first, a bit campy in some places, but if you love vamp movies you will enjoy this installment for so many reasons - the memorial to Corey Haim, little flash backs to him in the first installment, they did a good job of showing Corey Feldman's missing his good friend wishing he was still alive and garnering strength from his relationship with Corey Haim's character Sam (such a great tribute). He was dead in this one and they let you know how he died.

Corey Feldman with his 'brother' Jamison Newlander in the movie certainly stepped up with lots of great thumbs up towards the first movie. At the end they introduced a female werewolf ... yeah!! I personally enjoyed it, hope you do too. And I wish to thank everyone for the nice tribute to Corey Haim, as...

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Splice



Splice Review
SPLICE

STARRING: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chaneac and Brandon McGibbon

WRITTEN BY: Vincenzo Natali

DIRECTED BY: Vincenzo Natali

Rated: R
Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller
Release Date: 04 June 2010
Review Date: 12 July 2010

I'm not exactly sure why I liked Splice, but I did. Even so, I won't be recommending it to anyone I don't know closely, because it's out there and isn't what most people will be expecting - especially based on its trailer.

If you're envisioning Species, you may be let down. If you're thinking Alien; you could be disappointed. It does however; lie somewhat in-between those two great films. And it's also sprinkled with a hint of the sort of family drama you'd find in The Jerry Springer show. I know - I just lost half of you there, didn't I? Still interested? Okay, keep reading.

Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley play Clive and Elsa; scientists as well as lovers. We...

Modern Day Frankenstein?
When I saw the preview for Splice, the first thing that came to my mind was that the movie looked like kind of a rip-off of that 1995 movie Species that Natasha Henstridge walks around in half naked. And while there are indeed some major similarities between Splice and Species, I think that Splice Director Vincenzo Natali actually had another movie in mind when he wrote this movie.

Back in the early 1930s if you were to play God and try to create life how would you do it? We'll, you'd do some grave robbing and try to bring back the dead with a little lightening, right? How else? Because cloning and gene splicing in the 30s was a concept as distant as an iPhone. It's so much easier today. Just take some animal DNA and mix it with a little human DNA, throw it in a Petri dish, incubate, let sit then voilà. It's alive....It's alive!!!

Splice's Dr. Frankensteins are Adrian Brody and Sarah...

Hubris
The best horror films don't merely provide lots of gore and bloodletting, but tap into the primal fears of human beings, as well as the darkest parts of human nature. "Splice" does just that.

Audience reactions seem to be mixed to "Splice", and it's easy to see why. "Splice" is really more of an art film that has more in common with David Cronenberg's films than mainstream horror fare like the "Saw" franchise. The film even stars Sarah Polley, an indie film fixture.

Polley plays Elsa, who, along with her husband and fellow geneticist Clive (Adrian Brody), create a human/animal hybrid in secret, who they later name Dren ("nerd" spelled backwards, a cute way of the two embracing their science geek status). As in all horror films, playing with mother nature turns out to have disastrious consequences.

Although films have long been using this basic plot that goes all the way back to "Frankenstein," what elevates "Splice" is its great script and acting. Elsa...

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Thursday, October 10, 2013

The Secret of Kells (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)



The Secret of Kells
Brendan dreams of writing the greatest book of all time, but he's stifled by his uncle, Abbot Cellach, who wants Brendan to be practical and help build a wall around the village of Kells to help protect them from an impending Viking attack. When Brother Aidan turns up from another village that's already been attacked by the vikings, he captivates Brendan because he was a great writer, and he asks Brendan to help him finish the now legendary Book of Kells. Now, Brendan must defy his uncle's warnings and venture into the forest outside Kells and confront his fears of the "Dark One" to find inspiration to finish the great Book of Kells.

The Academy Awards have a tendency to nominate a lot of films that have only been released in limited release and are not very widely seen. Some people see this as a detriment, thinking that the Academy has lost touch because it typically doesn't look at the more widely seen and generally loved movies. In my opinion this is actually a strength,...

Spellbinding Beauty
"I've lived through many ages
Through the eyes of salmon, deer and wolf
I have seen the north men invading Ireland
destroying all in search of gold
I have seen suffering in the darkness
yet, I have seen beauty thrive in the most fragile of places
I have seen the book,
the book that turned darkness into light..."

These are the opening words to what is a most remarkable film - Tomm Moore's The Secret of Kells. The Secret of Kells is no mere animated film...it is an illumination. Appropriately so for it is based upon the creation of what may be arguably called the single most beautiful work of human hands to ever have been created - the book of Kells. The book of Kells is a hand-written illuminated copy of the New Testament's four Gospels completed by Celtic monks cica 800 ad and imbued with a strong Celtic sensibility literally woven throughout more tradition Christian iconography. It is widely considered to be the pinnacle of Ireland's...

I have seen the book. The book that turns darkness into light.
The Book of Kells is Ireland's greatest treasure: an ancient book filled with exquisite illuminations.

Technically, "The Secret of Kells" is about the making of that book. But it's far more than that -- it's a visual hymn to Ireland's history, a coming-of-age tale, and a parable about Christianity coming to Ireland. Modern animation is suffused with exquisite Celtic art, music and a sense of fairy magic, and wrapped around a seemingly simple story about a boy learning about the power of art.

Abbot Cellach is determined to save the Abbey of Kells from the Viking invaders, so he's having the monks (including his nephew Brendan) build a vast wall around the abbey. But when the illuminator Brother Aiden arrives, he brings with him the legendary Book of Iona. Brendan is fascinated by the Book, and ventures out into the forest -- against the abbot's orders -- to fetch ink-making supplies for Aiden.

He befriends a strange fairy girl named Aisling, and...

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