Coney island

Good old-time musical
I saw all her movies when a kid, and I enjoyed watching them again. Also, the Technicolor is beautiful. Music great.

Finally out on Official DVD- never available on VHS
As Phil Silvers would say, "Glad to see ya!". Well, I'm glad to see this film on DVD! Finally, finally - after waiting years and years. It's nice to have this film (and it's "twin", Wabash Avenue) out on official DVD. There's plenty of bootlegs of this film (and many other Betty Grable films) running around out there - buyer beware!. Neither Coney Island or Wabash Avenue have ever been available on VHS or DVD. Both films are part of the "bare bones" Fox Cinema Archives collection - no chapters, no fancy inserts, no extras of any kind. Just the movie. I have had a bad, taped from TV bootleg of this movie for years because it never was available. Finally Fox has smartened up and realized that there is a market for this type of film, after all - look at how many badly made bootlegs there are out there. I just think that Betty deserves fancier packaging.

The only thing I don't like about this film is that George Montgomery's singing voice (obviously dubbed) doesn't match his...

A Feast for the Eyes
Not great cinema, but a heck of a lot of fun to watch. The print is wonderful . . . sharp, colorful and clean. The sound is so good that it almost sounds like stereo. Coney Island is typical 1940s 20th Century Fox fare but Betty Grable is major joy to watch, especially in technicolor. No wonder she was so popular. If you like the genre, if you are a fan of Grable, or if you just enjoy a good time, this one's for you.

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Warlock

Near brilliant, undiscovered western
The 1959 film "Warlock" is one of those great surprises for movie fans. It's a classic western, undiscovered, awaiting the lucky viewer who happens to stumble across it. After viewing this dark, almost gothic oater, most viewers will ask themselves, "Why haven't I heard of this film?!"

I'm not sure as to why "Warlock" has been relatively ignored over the years, though I think the film is derivative of other films. I think the generic Hollywood backlots where "Warlock" was undoubtedly filmed certainly detract from its overall allure. But simply put, "Warlock" fell through the cracks, and it's a film deserving of reexamination.

Part "High Noon," part "Shane," part "The Searchers," "Warlock" tells the tale of a town victimized by crime. They hire a gunfighter in the form of Henry Fonda, who arrives with a crippled sidekick (Anthony Quinn) in tow. Fonda's character becomes a semi-celebrity,...

One Of The Best Westerns Of The 50's!
Warlock is one of those movies that got lost in the shuffle in the years following its release. Subsequent classics like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Magnificent Seven, The Man With No Name trilogy, The Wild Bunch, etc, all diverted attention away from this 1959 Western masterpiece. Expertly directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda (in one of his best Western roles), Anthony Quinn (in arguably HIS best Western role), DeForest Kelley, and Dorothy Malone, this is a movie that - upon further review - truly does hold up very well against even the best Westerns of all time.

Fonda plays a Marshall (gun) for hire who is brought in to "clean up" the town of Warlock. He does so with the proviso that he can do it his way, with no interference from the town council. They agree, but he warns them that at first they will love him and what he does, but later on they will come to hate him and his methods. His prediction comes true, but the way the...

Warlock ain't for me
One of the great, forgotten westerns, Edward Dmytryk's WARLOCK is the story of the little southwestern town of Warlock and its ongoing battle with a gang of law breaking desperados. The gang is led by Abe McQuown (Tom Drake,) a bad hombre who we can safely assume has ruled Warlock for a long, long time. The first scene in the film shows McQuown and gang `calling out' the town's deputy sheriff. If the opening scene is a little reminiscent of the closing scenes of `High Noon', the deputy sheriff's inglorious exit is not. He's humiliated out of town, and McQuown's control of the cowed town is once again secure and unquestioned.

One emergency town council meeting later the town agrees to spend the exorbitant amount of $400 a month to buy the services of gunslinger Clay Blaisedell (Henry Fonda) and his tag-along friend, gambling operator and dime magazine hero Tom Morgan (Anthony Quinn), the `Black Rattlesnake of St. James.' Since Warlock is not an incorporated town,...

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Oscar Romero: A Martyr's Homily

Product Quality
The content of the product is outstanding, however there is no mention in the description of the item does it state the product is a DVR even though it is described as a DVD. The quality is that of a VHS transfer. Had the product been about half the price, this could have been expected. Disappointed.





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The Next American Revolution: Beyond Corporate Capitalism & State Socialism

Excellent tool for education and action
I saw the trailer to this movie on Vimeo and was blown away, so I bought it on through Amazon and had it arrive at my house three days later. The film didn't disappoint--I set up a screening for friends on Facebook and Eventbrite, and used the movie's website resources to do a discussion afterward.

The film is great because it gives people an analysis of what the long term trends of the U.S. economy are (stagnating wages, environmental destruction, rising inequality) and how they affect American politics. The most important thing, though, is that it offers solutions. As communities around the country build up economic power through practical initiatives, Alperovitz shows how that can translate into progressive political power, and hopefully a way to break open the corporate stranglehold that's preventing us from dealing with climate change, a bloated financial sector represented by Wall Street, wasteful and exclusive health care, and wealth inequality. Alperovitz says that...

This DVD is a great summary of Alperovitz's ideas.
I heard about Alperovitz on NPR, googled him finding a five minute video, and had this DVD within a week. I immediately bought his book What Then Must We Do? and have benefited from his clear summary of the problems that face America and the solutions.

Succinct, very relevant, and professionally presented
At last, the Mondragon model has found traction outside of Spain: it call it socialist capitalism or capitalist socialism - cooperation at the grassroots works!

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Mister 880

Surprisingly good comedy...
This is the story of an old man (Edmund Gwenn) living alone and feeding himself by "collecting antiques"..mainly other peoples junk....and selling it. He finds an old printing press and starts to print money but ONLY when he is running short of cash at the end of the month. The Treasury Dept case file is "#880" and the agents start calling him "Mr 880" because they cannot find him. Years go by and still he remains anonymous .....that is until a "hot shot" special agent is sent from Washington (Burt Lancaster).....the agent tracks him down..........very good story...with some humor....some viewers will need a Kleenex box handy....overall a good story.....

Nice old hard-to-find gem.
I had seen this movie when it first came out in 1950 and not since. It was not available on Netflix or Amazon Prime (Roku) or from www.Oldies.com or other venues I have used. I was so glad that I was able to find it online at Amazon.com.
It has a great cast. Previously, Edmund Gwenn played Kris Kringle in "Miracle on 34th Street", Burt Lancaster was the title character in "The Crimson Pirate" and Dorothy McGuire starred as the mother in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn".

it is very difficult to find this item anywhere else so I recommend checking Amazon for those hard-to-find items.

Catching a Counterfeiter
Mister 880, 1950 film

Counterfeiting has been known since money was invented. This is one case that was long outstanding, unlike most counterfeiters. An agent is brought in from Los Angeles, someone with a fresh look. You see the city streets of that time. "Skipper" deals in antiques (junk to some people). He has a bill to pay so he gets money from "Henry", a rich relative. "Skipper" has a map of New York city. One taxi driver knows who gave him a phony dollar. The agents follow her to her workplace and continue to watch her. Watch how they arrange to get close to her! Ann is a French interpreter at the United Nations. Steve Buchanan cultivates her. Carlos tells Ann that Steve was there earlier! Ann learns more about that incident and does research. [Why operatives should use a cover name.]

Steve visits Ann. [Note the unlocked doors in New York city.] Ann types a trick letter, it interests Steve. [Could this backfire?] Did his partner search her apartment without...

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Say One For Me

Only one third of the image, and a travesty of a worthy film.
Thanks to the previous reviewer for saving me the disappointment and money of ordering this. It's the same pan and scan print Fox shows on TV, and so it's reputation continues to troll in the mud. In point of fact, though, Tashlin did a lot of creative stuff with the scope frame, especially with the choreography and in the bar scene, and Crosby and Walston are terrific in it. Don't buy this version though. It's total butchery. Shame on Fox for charging top dollar or any dollar for the kind of print you might have seen on TV at 3 am 30 years ago.

SAY ONE FOR ME
SAY ONE FOR ME was made in cinemascope but i but i think this dvd is full screen since all other that were released that were cinemascope films were full screen. So i would not buy this film which i like very much but i already have a copy from tv. And charging a price of 19.99 is shear robbery. They start the movie in widescreen but after the credits it goes full screen it is a disgrace and they should sell them for 5.00.

JEERS TO FOX HOME VIDEO!!!!!
FOX HOME VIDEO has got to be kidding releasing WIDESCREEN films in the pan and scan (fullscreen) version...most TVs now are widescreen and every home video distributor releases films in their original WIDESCREEN format...even the on demand films released by Warner Home Video...If I wanted the fullscreen version I would have taped it off of Fox Movie Channel...VERY BAD NEWS for the consumers who buy these films...stay away from FOX CINEMA ARCHIVES COLLECTION!!

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Remember the Day

Remember the Day (1941)...
This movie has entered the rotation on my cable system (Time-Warner) and I've seen this excellent movie from 1941 for the second time (today, 04/09/2012). Sentimental in nature, it basically deals with Claudette Colbert's character recalling events prior to World War I as a young teacher, the life she led, and the love that she had - and lost due to that terrible conflict. Also, there is a focus on a particular young student that had a terrible crush on her at that time - who now was a candidate running for President.

Personally, any movie that Ms. Colbert did during the 30's into the early 40's is good enough for me (by default)!

Of course, the best part of the movie was the ending - with the candidate/former student looking up at two of the most important women in his life. Take heed, you might just feel a little something that takes you back...to YOUR school days!

See the movie for yourself!

I rate "Remember the Day (1941)"...Five...

Sentimental & Schmaltzy - but I love it!
I can't imagine a film like Remember the Day being produced today. It's very sentimental, which doesn't appeal to today's audiences. However, because of the sentiment, it does appeal to me. Claudette Colbert is very good in this film; John Payne is handsome and proved that he could act when given a good part. In just about every Playbill bio I've ever read about John Payne, he had listed this as one of his favorite films (Miracle on 34th Street being another one on his list). He's wonderful in the scene at the bandstand, when he's about to go off to war. Chokes me up every time.

I've had a bad, taped from TV VHS tape of this film for years because it was never available on VHS or DVD (until now). Part of the Fox Cinema Archives series, it's strictly "bare bones" - no chapters, no fancy inserts, no extras of any type - just the movie.

Remember the Day When movies were Fantastic
I purchased this DVD as I love Claudette Colbert and I have to say I was not disappointed. Claudette is amazing in this role and she ages 50 years throught the movie. It is definitely a good story about love and loss and if you ever had a crush on a teacher when you were younger, you will definitely hold "Remember the Day" in your heart. A good wholesome movie for those who are tired of the trash they put out today.

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23 Paces to Baker Street

Another Fox pan and scan!
This great Cinemascope film is another issue from Fox in pan and scan. Why they keep doing this is of course beyond
any one's comprehension.
I thankfully have Fox's official Spanish release in all its 2.35 widescreen glory.
As I have remarked in previous reviews, why do Fox keep on issuing 2.35 films in 1.33 pan and scan?
The 5 stars are of course for the film itself.
I have just found out that it has been issued in the U.K. in 2.35 ratio and is available from
Amazon.co.uk This is obviously the one to buy.

More pan & scan awfulness from News Corporation
I can't believe I fell for it again-- maybe because I love anything Van Johnson and Vera Miles are in and I've wanted this movie for years. It's nice of News Corporation (multimedia conglomerate owner of the proud 20th Century Fox film library) to include the original poster art-- with "CinemaScope" blaring across the cover. But push play and sure enough it's Pan & Scan. Absolutely no respect for its customers, after all the complaints about previous DVD issues in this series. They should be boycotted. But I want these movies so badly I'll probably buy pre-widescreen era releases-- I just refuse to buy anything that's widescreen era from this joke of a company. Long live Warner Archive-- and News Corp can go to you know where.

Underrated Suspense Film Noir.
Excellent Hitchcockian mystery thriller about an emotionally volatile & embittered mystery writer (Van Johnson) who is blind and overhears a partial conversation he believes is related to the planning of a kidnapping. Due to the skepticism of the authorities he becomes obsessed with trying to solve the case by himself. Complicated characters with an unconventional villian and targeted victim. Filmed on location there is a wonderful 1950s London ambience to the picture.
Great cast and exciting entertainment. Directed by film noir master Henry Hathaway--also underrated.

"23 Paces To Baker Street" is the perfect film to watch on a long rainy afternoon, so pour yourself a cup of tea (or whatever) and enjoy this neglected gem.

Sorry, but I cannot vouch for the print quality of this film. Buyer beware.

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Travel to France

How to really travel in France
What a great video..it really shows France up close and personal. If you travel the world while sitting in your arm chair..this video is for you... do not miss seeing it.





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A Message to Garcia

Mediocre DVD transfer for a So-So Movie
The DVD release of this 1936 20th Century Fox Film is mediocre. It is grainy in some places...but acceptable. Its not bad but not good either. So, also, for the movie. Wallace Beery is an acquired taste. John Boles, a handsome leading man of the 1930's is fine as the hero. But poor Barbara Stanwyck.....even with her brilliant acting skills she is straining credibility as a Cuban Senorita. She has been photographed beautifully with false eye lashes and lip gloss galore. There are even a couple of stunning close-ups of her. But she is miscast in this so-so melodrama. It is exciting in some places but the mediocre DVD transfer distracts considerably.

If the DVD transfer had been better the film would have been much more enjoyable. That said, it is always a treat to watch Stanwyck, even when she is miscast. She always brings things up to her level which is first class. Stanwyck's work has always been first class, even when applied to material that is not. This is...

Typical 1930's action adventure....
The story line is a young Army officer (John Boles) is hand picked to deliver a personal message from the US president to a guerilla leader in Cuba who is trying to overthrow the Spanish gov't. He has all sorts of problems along the way and meets a girl (a VERY young Barbara Stanwyck) and an old Marine deserter (Wallace Berry).....after fighting Spanish troops, spies, the Cuban jungle, bandits, and others, he eventually delivers the message....and is the "hero"......pretty good story with lots of action.......was probably a hit when released....



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Special 26 (Hindi Movie / Bollywood Film / Indian Cinema - DVD) 2013

It is not only difficult to catch Ajay Vardhan... it's impossible
More or less based on true events, SPECIAL 26 tells of a rash of fake raids conducted by an audacious band of thieves passing itself off as CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) agents or Income Tax inspectors across the breadth of India back in the mid-1980s. That these con jobs went unreported is indicative of the mastermind's acuity in selecting his victims, most of whom were shady businessmen or politicians whose loss of ill-gotten gains wasn't near as detrimental as the resulting negative publicity would've been should they had brought in the proper authorities. These thieves never resorted to flashing guns. Instead they wielded a tool that was even more intimidating, that of governmental authority.

When asked how many such raids had been executed, one accomplice reluctantly admits to half a century. So, given that sheer number and that, it turns out, thirteen such cases had been detected in the past two years, perhaps it's inevitable that, at some point, the real CBI...

DVD does not work
I was looking forward to see this movie, heard that Akshay Kumar acually "acts" in this movie. However, the DVD does not work. Tried it on multiple devices.

Good movie
A true story very well done in a timely manner, It happened a long time ago. Their may be a second one soon.

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Wilson

An invitation to better histories of this important era
Lavish biodrama on the life and times of President Woodrow Wilson (and therefore the US's involvement in the First World War, which traditionally is called the Great War, of course, and in its time and for some years was called The World War). This film seems to be getting discovered lately, though it has been available on tape since the 1980s. Some of it is even accurate, no small thing for a 1940s biodrama dealing with human complexities. Alexander Knox in the title role is differently shaped and less serious-looking than his namesake, but he does capture well the habit of lecturing everybody.

There's an intense sequence in the middle around the entry of the US into the war. In the actual events, late on January 31, 1917, Ambassador Count Johann von Bernstorff notified the US State Department that Germany would resume submarine warfare against neutral (i.e., US) vessels in blockade areas (a policy, by the way, that Bernstorff himself had lobbied against vigorously with his...

Had to have it!
Alexander Knox's portrayl of President Woodrow Wilson was spot on-right down to the pince-nez glasses. If you are a fan of presidential movies, you will surely want this one added to your collection. I just wish that they would put this out on DVD.

wilson: Why isn't this on DVD?
Why isn't this movie on DVD? Despite its flaws, it is a very thought provoking portrayal of on of our five greatest presidents.

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Lisa

heartwarming
I first saw this film many years ago when I was a teenager and instantly fell in love with it. Over the years it could be seen on tv quite frequently but then as so often happens the powers that be stopped making it available.
As the film begins we see Stephen Boyd's charactor hunting Lisa as though she were some sort of criminal, but then the unthinkable happens and he begins to see how deeply she longs to return to her homeland and begins a long and illegal journey with her to make her dream come true making himself a wanted man himself in the process.
I don't want to give away what happens but suffice it to say that as the story progresses the viewer is drawn in and begins to want that happy ending we all hope each film has. In it's own way it does happen here but only with a great deal of love and sacrifice.
For those who are looking for a film with integrity, a good story, good acting and a few twists and turns to keep your attention, then this is it.

Unforgettable
I saw "Lisa" exactly one time, many decades ago, when I was a kid. I watched it on a black and white TV, late at night, interrupted by many annoying commercials. I've never forgotten "Lisa": Dolores Hart played a Holocaust survivor determined, by any means necessary, to get to Palestine at a time when the British were interdicting such arrivals. Ruggedly handsome Stephen Boyd was Inspector Jongman. He began by hindering Lisa's pilgrimage and ended up helping her. For comic relief, there was Hugh Griffith, a smuggler who used a tennis racket in his ongoing battle with the bats that invaded his exotic Tangiers apartment at dusk.

Most importantly, I never shook the feeling that the film aroused in me - this film literally made me sick, and terrified, but it also moved and inspired me.

In the intervening years, I read somewhere that "Lisa" was an early attempt to depict the Holocaust in a mainstream Hollywood movie. That just increased my curiosity. Some kind soul...

Holocaust Survivor
I saw "Lisa" many years ago and forgot both the name of the movie and the stars, but I never forgot the emotional impact of the story. Today I stumbled across it on TV and watched it again, finding the same emotional impact. We must never let the world forget the Holocaust and the survivors all have a story that is important for us to remember. Palestine and its beginnings are part of this story.

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Tender is the Night

Erratic adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic
A psychiatrist (Jason Robards) in a Swiss clinic on the verge of a brilliant career falls in love with one of his patients, an heiress (Jennifer Jones) with schizophrenic tendencies. Against his better judgement, he marries her and it proves his undoing. Directed by Henry King and based on the celebrated novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the film only glosses over the complexities and layers of Fitzgerald's work. Actually, if there had been no Fitzgerald's TENDER IS THE NIGHT, the film might have been more impressive. To the film's credit, it doesn't shy away from the incest theme which may have seemed too provocative for 1962 audiences. Indeed, the film is quite frank including a sequence of a father taking his gay son to Robards' psychiatrist to be "cured" of his homosexuality. The fragile Nicole seems like the role Jennifer Jones was born to play, so it's a pity that it happened about 15 years too late. Jones looks smashing in her 1920s garb and bobbed hair but she's clearly a matron...

Glossy CinemaScope reduced to a 4:3 stream.
F. Scott Fitzgerald isn't the best basis for a glossy 50's CinemaScope soap opera, but that doesn't mean you won't get a trashy melodrama that is definitely worth the wallow. Jennifer Jones and Jason Robards almost play themselves here, and the location work is impressive. The sassy and uber sexy Jill St. John is a plum asset, and there is a moody Bernard Herrmann score that's better than the picture. Hardly a waste of time, but sadly, this streaming version is a worthless 4:3, pan-and-scan version, albeit with fine DeLuxe color and the original 4-track stereo mix.

Don't Buy This DVD-R
This wonderful film has an old transfer - it is Panned and Scanned with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
It is outrageous for Fox Archives to publish this movie without a good widescreen transfer.
Contrast this release with Warner Bros. Archives: I have dozens of their titles, all correctly
transferred.

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Holiday for Lovers

HOLIDAY FOR LOVERS .. Entertaining from memory ... BUT ...
Another wasted opportunity from 20th Century Fox if the AMAZON presis is to be believed:

"Presented in 1.77:1 ratio"

HOLIDAY FOR LOVERS is a sort-of THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN with lots of good "travelog" footage so surely we can reasonably expect a proper release to DVD.

Why haven't they yet realised we want these Scope films as they were produced and directed to be viewed - what are Flatscreen TV's for!!!

Eric GLASBY Australia

Mild, harmless comedy
Well, at least this CinemaScope film is presented in Widescreen. This is a very mild, not very funny Clifton Webb vehicle. The travelogue aspect of South America is not that effective. Plus, the color of this print is often dark and not as vibrant as it should be. The cast is OK, especially Jane Wyman and Webb, as usual, plays Webb. Thin plot should have been funnier.

Not as bubbly as it should be
When their eldest daughter (Jill St. John) travels to Brazil with a tour group and decides not to return, a psychologist (Clifton Webb), his wife (Jane Wyman) and their precocious younger daughter (Carol Lynley) trek down to South America to see what's going on. Based on the Broadway play by Ronald Alexander, the attractive cast can't do much with the sitcom material. It doesn't help that there's an unpleasant pre-feminist undertone to the proceedings. Webb wants his daughters to further their education but they're more concerned with boys/men and his wife seems to implicitly encourage them. One of the more hideous examples of the film's tone: when Lynley refuses to marry Gary Crosby, he takes her over his knee and spanks her! Webb is offended at this but Mama Wyman thinks it's cute! Yes, yes I know it was a different time but still. Furthermore although the film takes place in Brazil, it doesn't appear any of the cast went there, just the second unit as the actors play out their...

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Clive of India

A Favourite Movie
I've loved this movie for years, and was so glad to find it! A lively adventure with Ronald Colman, the exquisite Loretta Young and ever British Character actor that Hollywood could round up. This film isn't great "history", but it more than fulfills the purpose of Great Entertainment!

As a footnote* * This film had a featured performance by character actor COLIN CLIVE....a direct descendant (through his mother) of one of "Clive of India's" Cousins!





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The Marriage-Go-Round

ANOTHER GREAT SUSAN HAYWARD FILM THAT SHOULD BE ON DVD.....PLEASE 20TH CENTURY FOX CONSIDER.....
THE MARRIAGE-GO-ROUND IS ONE OF THE FEW COMEDIES THAT SUSAN HAYWARD APPEARED IN. ALTHOUGH, KNOWN MOSTLY FOR DRAMA SHE OFFERS A VERY APPEALING, PLEASING PERFORMANCE ALONGSIDE JAMES MASON AND JULIE NEWMAR. THE FILM IS FUN AND ENTERTAINING AND TAKES US BACK TO THE HOLLYWOOD OF THE EARLY 1960S. IT WOULD CERTAINLY MAKE FOR A GREAT DVD THAT IS FUNNY AND APPEALING--SOMETHING VERY LACKING IN THE COMEDY OF TODAY. PLEASE 20TH CENTURY FOX DO THE RIGHT THING AND RELEASE "THE MARRIAGE-GO-ROUND" ON DVD......IT WILL MEAN ANOTHER SUSAN HAYWARD FILM WILL ENTERTAIN THE WORLD........THANK YOU...........GARY JASINKONIS....EAST NORTHPORT, NEW YORK........THE ULTIMATE SUSAN HAYWARD FAN..........

Susan Hayward also brilliant in comedy !
This is an interesting film in Susan Hayward's filmography since it is one of the few comedies she was in.
Made two years after her oscar winning role,"I want to live", Hayward is vey spiritual in this diverting 1960 movie,co starring the talented James Mason and Julie Newmar.

It is also in technicolor and gives again the possibility to watch "The redhead from Brooklyn" in color, which is always a feast for the eyes.

I for one am eagerly waiting for the anounced release of this DVD.Let's hope 20 century Fox hurry up with its release.

Please Please Please put this out on DVD
I can't agree more with the other two reviews. An Excellent, fun movie starring 3 great actors. Susan Hayward, James Mason, and Julie Newmar are a fantastic mix. I waited forever for Susan Hayward's "Soldier of Fortune" with Clark Gable to be released on DVD and bought it the instant I knew it was out. This great movie is on the top of my wish list.

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Unfaithfully Yours

His Last Bow
In hindsight, Paramount's decision to terminate their relationship with Preston Sturges occupies the region between 'insane', 'irresponsible' and that old standby, 'stupid'. Sturges' subsequent relocation to Fox was, of course, utterly disastrous; which makes UNFAITHFULLY YOURS as much a miracle as it is a great comedy. His stock company (save for a very funny Rudy Vallee) was now a thing of the past; although the cast he assembled here is game and lively, Edgar Kennedy foremost among them. Nevertheless, UNFAITHFULLY YOURS is Sturges' second consecutive attempt (after MAD WEDNESDAY) to move away from his trademark of the inspired dialogue-comedy and towards a more visual (or in this case, audio-visual) farce. Fortunately for us, he succeeded brilliantly (not that it cut him any ice in an increasingly desperate studio-system that not only didn't know what to do with its few geniuses but began to openly despise them). Rex Harrison plays a vain, high-strung symphony conductor who -thanks...

One of Sturges' very best
Only The Lady Eve forces me to edge this movie out of number-one spot among Preston Sturges' comedies. The dialogue is snappy as ever (Doltish husband: "Too much temperament! Give me the simple viewpoint!" His wisecracking wife: "You've got it, kid. You don't have to yearn for it.") but the slapstick of the finale is cleverer by far than any in his other movies. The use of music is inspired, both in Harrison's concert revenge-fantasies and in his later attempts to put them into action, when the music is spiked with comic effects. A little slow to get started, this movie soon enough develops a quirky, unpredictable, and completely fascinating story line. Don't deprive yourself of seeing this!

Classic Struges comedy finally comes to DVD
In "Unfaithfully Yours" Rex Harrison plays a conductor who imagines what he would do to his wife (who he believes to be cheating on him)during a performance. Unfortunately, he discovers that real life never works as smoothly as one's fantasies. A classic Preston Sturges comedy, "Unfaithfully Yours" captures the brilliant comedy director in top form. Although there was an anemic remake with Dudley Moore in 1984 (with a screenplay co-written by Valerie Curtain the cousin of Jane Curtain of "Saturday Night Live" fame and one of the original cast members of "Three's Company"), all it does is prove not to mess with a classic film.

This new Criterion edition has some really cool extras and the image quality is very, very good. The audio Audio commentary by Sturges scholars James Harvey, Diane Jacobs, and Brian Henderson are fascinating but I honestly preferred the video appreciation by Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) as well as the video interview with Sandy Sturges. There's...

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Holy Motors

BEWARE: VOD Version is CENSORED
I am appalled to discover that Amazon censors movies on VOD. And I thought censorship was dead. Well, it's not. It's alive and flourishing at Amazon!

Knowing little about the scene in question, I initially thought the blur was the director's choice, perhaps to suggest that Mr. Merde had no genitalia. But, now, I understand differently and I am rather disappointed in Amazon and will AVOID RENTING R, NC-17 or unrated titles through their VOD service in future. They may not require membership, but they still charge a fee, so shouldn't their VOD be treated similarly to NetFlix, who I can confirm appears to not be constrained by FCC rules and regulations for TV/cable broadcast?

At any rate, I'm going to be more cautious now when renting streaming movies from Amazon.

UPDATE: I can't hold Amazon completely responsible, anymore, though they should be aware of any censorship in their streaming titles, and I would expect them to refuse titles from companies who...

"Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world." James Dean
Enter at your own risk. This movie is quite capable of confusing you and making you angry. It could delight or overwhelm you, win you over or enrage you. It could make you feel like cursing and truly hate all art-house in general, French art-house in particular, and Leon Carax, and his collaborators, specifically.

For me, "Holy Motors" is very interesting, unpredictable, shocking and ever-changing. It is my kind of movie in which the writer/director expresses his admiration for cinema as an art form. I've always felt a deep respect for the filmmakers who use in their original and unpredictable pictures the references, allusions, and direct calls to the other movies and to film creators who inspired them. "Holy Motors" is one of those pictures - about film and film-making.

Our life - is a (movie) theater, and we are actors in the movie that plays in the theater. For me, it is the first thing to keep in mind when you try to make sense of what is actually...

True work of beauty (differs for every beholder)
Some movies are made for a very specific audience. The kind of audience that yearns for a creation that has never been tried before and when transformed into an audio-visual format, leaves you speechless and spellbound once you have had the luck and the pleasure to view it. That's Holy Motors for you. There are quite a few actors in the movie. And kudos to the director for extracting every bit of acting abilities from each one of them. Be it the lead protagonist or the assistant of the photographer who gets shocked when trying to interrupt him from admiring beauty or even the kid playing his teenaged daughter. No matter how big or small the size of your role or your screen time, everyone did an amazing job - thanks to the director.

It is not very often that you get the opportunity to watch a movie that has almost no relationship to anything you might have seen before on the big screen or has any association with life as it exists (for the most part) and yet is not about...

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Plain Clothes [Blu-ray]

Finally Gets the Digital Treatment w/ Director's Commentary
I discovered this movie on cable quite by accident about 25 years ago and fell in love with it. The quirky screenplay by Scott Frank ('Get Shorty', 'Little Man Tate') under the skilled and well-thought-out direction of Martha Coolidge ('Real Genius', 'Valley Girl') made for a tight, yet low-key and funny-as-all-get-out movie that stands head and shoulders above a lot of the other films of its day that seemed somehow to garner more unwarranted attention.

The cast, ranging from relative unknowns Arliss Howard and Suzy Amis to screen legend Robert Stack, do an astounding turn in this movie, neither taking themselves too seriously, nor poking fun at the source material. As Martha Coolidge says about the film in her commentary, 'it's a good, fun romp!' It's sad that this got lost in the shuffle during its theatrical release, but fortunately, it's now on Blu-Ray and DVD.

The transfer is very good (full-screen, unfortunately, but a very good one), the sound and...

great find
I had never heard of this film before/but I love 80s movies.
And from what I read it sounded like a good film.
So after watching a preview on you tube.
I decided to buy this Blu-Ray.
And it turned out to be a great find.
Kinda like when you go to the Video store back in the day.And find that classic film.
And fall in love with it.
Kudos to Olive films I think they are doiing a outstanding job.!
Very good A/V presentation.!

Been looking for this!
This was a simple but funny movie that we had on VHS tape recorded off TV. We have been looking for it for years and were pleased to find it on Amazon.

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Hollywood From The Vault Double Feature: Cheating Blondes (1933) / Cheers of the Crowd (1935)

Of interest only to Thelma Todd fans
This double feature of CHEATING BLONDES/CHEERS OF THE CROWD is from Alpha Home Entertainment, a company that specializes in releasing rare out-of-copyright movies. CHEATING BLONDES(1933) stars beautiful cult icon Thelma Todd, famous for her mysterious death and her many team-ups with just about every famous movie comedian of the 1930s. This is one of Todd's rare non-comedic starring roles, but unfortunately it doesn't show her at her best. But it's not Todd's fault. While trying to look up information about CHEATING BLONDES on the internet, I came across two listed running times: 61 and 66 minutes. Alpha's version clocks in at about 49 minutes. It's obvious the movie has been edited--many scene transitions are pretty jarring, and the story is hard to follow. Thelma Todd actually plays dual roles--twin sisters--and she even gets to sing a song. However, it's hard to judge her performance without seeing the full movie. From the title one would think that CHEATING BLONDES is a exciting...

Essential Viewing
No, it's not the greatest film but for Thelma Todd devotees it's a real treat. Cheating Blondes has been unavailable for decades and was thought lost. Thelma appeared in many features away from the Roach studios but in this film she is the star. She wears some fabulous costumes and you even get the chance to hear her sing.



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Chronicle of a Summer (Criterion Collection)

Inventing Cinema Verite
Perhaps few other films are as important to our current cultural moment of reality tv shows as "Chronicle of a Summer." Chronicle of a Summer explicitly asks the audience to consider if it is possible to for people act sincerely in front of a camera.

The film is comprised of a series of interviews, often grabbing people off the streets and asking them "if they are happy." The interviewees often discuss politics, philosophy and war. In itself, the interviews are a fascinating slice of culture. But the filmmakers then add a fascinating layer to the film by having the subjects watch the video and make commentary on it.

As you might guess, this meta-film is the stuff of film studies classes. Chronicle of a Summer is credited with heralding a cinema verite movement. Viewers with an interest in film studies and history will be most rewarded by this blu ray.

I always appreciate Criterion's editions because they allow those of us not currently in school to...

Chronicle of a summer
A must see for everybody interested in documentary and direct camera shooting. The film innovated with small-concealed tape recorder, and hand-held 16mm camera shooting techniques that permitted improvisation in a sociological experiment by the unusual collaboration between Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin in the summer of 1960. Jean Rouch was an anthropolog who worked in Africa pioneering film and anthropology since the early 1940 and he became famous for "les Maitres Fous" in 1955 (Crazy Masters). Edgar Morin was known for his study of the star system. The collaboration is intriguing and the film that results from it is fascinating as it takes the pulse of France in the early 1960s, with the movement against torture and colonial war in Algeria, the examination of the aftermath of the horrors of World War ii and the scars it left on the young as well as the delight of being young in 1960 in Paris, France.
Jean Rouch is a pioneer of the French New Wave.

the 60s documented in Paris
The 60s changed all of western society and to see it documented in France is a special insight. Now French conservatives cry against the lazy worker but then Renault and French industrialism brutalized that same human robot. It reminds us that even as late as the 1960s France was holding a nation hostage to its whims and tyranny.

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Qwaser of Stigmata: Collection 2

I Bought All of It Because I Love It
I already reviewed boxset 1 of this. I can't add much more to it... I basically reviewed all of it over on the first boxset.

Let me give you the reasons to watch this: Bad-ass main boy who is thirteen, slightly built, and doesn't have a girly voice, a lot of the main girls kick ass as well, including a loli dominatrix who already has one slave (and about 3 or four by the end of season 2), the music in this boxset (the ending theme) is probably my favorite song from the series (although I love the season 2 ed theme too... so hard to pick between them), it has TONS of fanservice, the powers are different and the way they get them is even better (by sucking out holy breast milk), and, even though he has a lot of girls that like him, they don't all throw themselves at him, he actually CHOOSES a girl whole-heartedly by the end of this boxset, and it's funny every now and then, dramatic, and just dark enough to keep you loving it. It's refreshing to see an anime like this when...

Just as bad as the first half
I swear to god i am not trolling i just hate the series so much. This anime is the worst kind of porn you could buy and not a recommendable anime series.
The narrative is bottom of the barrel X-men like(i love X-men by the way) story. Basically it is about a school of gifted youngsters with a mystical bend but instead of fighting interesting villains or a fair representation of orthodox religion it just succumbs to be glorified rape fantasy without characterization or even a true narrative. Mediocre animation (besides the 24 frames a second boobs animation of course) and horrendous character designs seal the deal for me.
Not recommended at all. For something similar but better i recommend My Hime. Not my favorite show by a long shot but a mile better then this trash.

Qwaser of Stigmata:Collection 2
The "cure" for Sasha's amnesia ,caused by the last battle,is,of course,a trip for all the girls and him to a hot springs spa. As he awoke from battle,our favorite sadist,Katja,convinced him that he is really a girl that was transformed into a boy by an evil witch.This series opens with everyone buck naked in the pool where they try to force Sasha to remember he is a male;this first episode is as stated by the cast,fan service.It is also one of the few episodes that has very little abuse of the girls nor of their breasts,except Hana "enjoying" Katja's tormenting. A god-awfully large woman,Big Mum,or,"Hell's Dairy Cow", makes her first appearance and rates the girls' breasts. Thus,this collection starts.
The story line proceeds from where it left off and new characters are introduced,including the Qwaser of Sodium,the earnest foe of Sasha,and poor Tomo is kidnapped and transformed into the embodiment of the Qwaser of Gold.
The artwork remains first rate and the several...

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Rossini: Adelaide Di Borgogna

Youthful-Sounding "Mature" Rossini
This Rossini Opera Festival (aka "il ROF" in Italy) production taken as a whole probably is as good or better than any previous edition of this obscure opera in any format. There are two older CD versions. One is under Rossini scholar Alberto Zedda that features the outstanding Adelaide of Mariella Devia with a rather weak supporting cast and less than state of the art sound. The other is a posh Opera Rara set that is somewhat hampered by the acidic soprano of Majella Cullagh amidst an otherwise acceptable cast.

Regarding the version at hand, in the title role, coloratura soprano Jessica Pratt is more than up to the task and gives a tour du force rendition of her final tripartite aria that will leave you speechless. Interestingly, that grandiose aria is the penultimate number of the score with the mezzo-soprano getting the last word with an "aria con cabaletta" as the Finale. After hearing Adelaide's big set piece, the actual conclusion of the opera is a bit anticlimactic,...

AA Sparkling Gem of Mid Career
Yes it is strange that the 25 year old highly successful Rossini would turn out an old fashioned formulaic opera seria after such forward looking achievements as Otello, Tancredi, L'italiano in Algeri, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Armida. The last two in the same year and Armida with the same librettist G. F. Schmidt. But this return to old forms turned out to sparkle with rich writing for capable voices and the orchestration is right up there with the best. It was written for the Teatro Argentina in Rome (p. Dec 1817) where the Barber had premiered earlier that year. The opera Adelaide apparently died on the vine there and disappeared from memory (Rossini did use some material in later works as was his wont).
The Rossini Foundation commissioned a critical edition from Gabriele Gravagna and the noted Rossini scholar Alberto Zedda. It maybe old hat as far as opera development is concerned but it is in no way second rate; Rossini had written a dozen or more opera and knew what he...

Another worthwhile Rossini rarity from Pesaro
Composed in 1817 for Rome between the writing of Armida and Mosè in Egitto for Naples, Adelaide di Borgogna has all the signs of being a commission hastily filled by the composer to a classic template of war, revolution and romance, with a historical background of Italian significance. It's the kind of subject that Verdi would later make his own and, without underestimating the importance of the Rossini influence, often do it with considerably more character than it is done here in Adelaide di Borgogna. It's not the composer's greatest work then, but being Rossini it's not entirely without merit either, and the right kind of singing and staging could certainly bring out its qualities. Recorded at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro in 2011, director Pier' Alli and conductor Dmitri Jurowski certainly make the best of the work and are assisted with some fine singing performances, but overall the work still remains problematic.

The main problem with Adelaide di...

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Girls Against Boys [Blu-ray]

HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND?
Shae (Danielle Panabaker) is a student who studies male fantasies and how they view women as objects. She is hurt by an older male boyfriend who patches things up with his separated wife for the sake of his three year old daughter. Distraught, Shae is taken under the wing of a somewhat psychotic Lulu or Lu (Nicole LaLiberte) a woman straight out of a Billy Joel song..."She can carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding."

On the rebound, she goes out with Lu and gets involved in a situation where "No" doesn't carry any meaning. With the aid of Lulu, they go on a killing spree, after which you wonder where this movie will go. Unlike so many films in this genre, it smartly brings it home.

The film brought to mind "Shame" and "Compliance" two recent films sold as being "disturbing and thought provoking" which are nothing more than perv films. This one is the opposite. It is sold as a perv film, but is really more thought provoking as it looks into psyche of...

Women Kick Arse!
I really liked this movie I also loved Kill Bill so let's face it I just love to see females get their bloody revenge on the men that done 'em wrong,lol The lead actress is cool , sexy and very creepy Her sidekick is a little more shy but she gets in on the carnage too.I love the scene wear she's dressed up in a kimono type outfit with a samurai sword (a hatori honzo no doubt) and creepy geisha mask at the party.. trust me it does not end well. All in all I loved it It was totally not the run of the mill film you see everyday.

EXCELLENT
i have watched this 3x already - kept me very i nterested throughout the whole movie and on the edge of my seat

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Vinci: La Partenope

A Musical Gem with Tongue-in-cheek Production
A musical gem with tongue-in-cheek production equals great fun. Even if the composer Leonard Vinci titled his opera a "Drama per Musica", Partenope is in fact an entertaining sophisticated light weight comedic experience. For the sake of history I must add that the title of the opera by Vinci when first presented at the Teatro S. Giovanni Grisostomo at carnival 1725 was "La Rosmira fedele". It was based on a Neopolitan score by Dominico Natale Sarro "Partenope" to which Vinci had contributed. (Partenope is the patron of Naples). Vinci had only a few weeks to come up with a new score for Venice so his Rosmira contains much material from Sarro; all recitatives and most orchestral work- all arias are by Vinci. The libretto by Stampiglia had been used by several composers.
The star of this presentation is the presentation. The sets are standard classic but the costumes, gestures, balletic movements and acting are all high comedy (parody?) and combined with excellent vocalization and...

"Historically Informed" Staging
Attention, all you who have ever fretted about "Regietheater" or ranted about "Eurotrash" in a production of an 18th C opera! This production is perhaps your dream come true, as aesthetically "authentic" in visual and theatrical values as any living audience could possibly tolerate. The costumes, it's true, are bizarre ... ludicrous in fact, with the male characters wearing ballooning skirts and feathered helmets ... but they are recognizably based on costume sketches from the archives of the French theater in the Ancien Regime. The stage machinery is patently hand-operated and the sets are charmingly pre-modern. The lighting ... well, that's blessedly electrical. The gestures, posture, facial expressions, etc. of the singers are all as stylized, affected, and ballet-like as the performers can make them, though some of the singers are plainly more consistent in maintaining their poses than others. Some of the rear-stage antics of the dancers are unlikely to have been compatible with...

Opera plus intermezzo makes for a full Baroque performance
The key to appreciating this dvd is to handle it as a full theatrical experience rather than watching an opera. What do I mean by that? This entertaining performance is meant to be a full evening's show and not JUST the opera.

Taking us back in time to when this was performed (1720's), the show opens with a very funny "intermezzo" (see below), and two other intermezzos between Acts 1 and 2, and Acts 2 and 3. These were comic pieces, meant to contrast with the main opera seria work.

Here, the main opera "Partenope" is a fairly comic piece to begin with. Prior to the opera, Rosmira, betrothed of Arsace, was rejected by him as he now pursues (with others) Queen Partenope. So Rosmira, disguised as a male (this is opera remember) follows Arbace to Partenope's court where she makes life miserable for Arsace. (The original name for the libretto was "Rosmira Fidele"- Rosmira, the faithful one.)

The opera is, as I said, an unusually light opera seria...

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Plain Clothes

excellent
its awesome, a really good and funny movie. unfortunately, not too many people know about it. So watch it. its great.

VERY NICE QUALITY ON DVD. IF DVD IS VERY GOOD? THEN BLU-RAY SHOULD BE SUPER EXCELLENT....
THE TRANSFER QUALITY FOR THIS MOVIE WHICH IT WAS MADE ON THE 80'S IS VERY, VERY GOOD,
AND IT IS IN FULL SCREEN VERSION, NOT THE BLACK GAP SPACE ON THE LEFT or RIGHT.
THE SOUND IS VERY GOOD ALSO.

I WAITED A LONG, LONG TIME FOR PARAMOUNT PICTURES TO release THIS MOVIE ON DVD,
AND NOW IS HERE...

I COULDN'T WAIT FOR THE PRICE TO GET CHEAPER, SO I BOUGHT IT THE SECOND DAY IT WAS release IN DVD.
ANY ONE WHO IS WILLING TO WAIT FOR A LOWER PRICE?... IT WILL BE A GOOD IDEA, BUT I REALLY
ADVISE TO ANY WHO HAS WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THE release OF THE MOVIE TO GET IT TODAY,
SPECIALLY on BLU-RAY.

IT'S A GREAT MOVIE !!!!.



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The Red Menace [Blu-ray]

Scary Flick about the Real RED Scare
This classic was hard to fine and understandably so. The plot follows an American Vet perturbed by our benevolent big government not fullfilling the American dream of the G.I. Bill's promise of a low interest home loan. Our patriot is the target of a Communist cell who are always looking for new recruits and also offering their version of the American dream however sans God,mother,country and the apple pie. Great flick goes over every communist type. But watch out for that liberated woman she may not feel diamonds are a girl's best friend but she'll take a goosestepping communist with a baseball bat (and I don't mean the game) any time so put on those kneeguards and enjoy
the flick.

A Child of its Time
This DVD must be watched on a plasma TV. The blacks are so black, and the tonal gradients are so pronounced. Every scene looks as if it were an art photo-print. The cinematographer really knew what he were doing when he shot this film. Visually it is stunning.

There is an historic context to this film. It was made at the very outset of the anti-communist hysteria that gripped the post WWII United States. This was made around the time of the Alger Hiss scandal, at the outset of the HUAC hearings, and a few years shy of Joseph McCarthy era.

One must begin to ask if the depiction of cells of "Communists" really reflect what American Communists were really all about, and what their meetings, and agitations were really like. I have to suspect that the depiction and the reality are quite seriously divergent.

I would implore literate patrons of Amazon.com, and those wider read to suggest some memoirs or accounts by members of the American...

The only difference between the the Reds of today, is that they have changed their name to Liberal.
Told it like it was. This movie shows how the Reds worked their way into peoples lives & subverted their way of thinking.

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A Nightmare on Elm Street Collection (All 7 Original Nightmare Films + Bonus Disc) [Blu-ray]

This Nightmare On Elm St Collection is Amazing!
This Nightmare On Elm Street Collection is Amazing! I own both the DVD Collection and VHS Collection. The DVD set is way better due to the many extras found on the bonus disc titled The Nightmare Encyclopedia which has all 7 Movie Previews that were shown in theatres, it also has Music Videos including DOKKEN's "Dream Warriors". It has a interactive game called The Labyrinth which is very hard, if you have a DVD-Rom you get even more extras like all 7 Screenplays and an interactive Freddy that haunts your PC courtesy of Togglethis.com. What can I say you get so much more! All the Movies are in the best Quality ever with the exception of the bad film transfer of Nightmare 2! As far as my personal review of each film I give Nightmare 1 five stars, Nightmare 2 two stars, Nightmare 3 five stars, Nightmare 4 four stars, Nightmare 5 two stars, Nightmare 6 two stars, and than Nightmare 7 Wes Cravens New Nightmare five stars. I have to also say NANCY who is played by Heather...

Freddy's Back with a BANG
In Amazon.com's review of the Nightmare on Elm St. DVD box set, Halloween's Michael Myers is the "father," Friday the 13th's Jason is the "son," and NOES's Freddy Krueger is the "unholy spirit." In my opinion however, as best said by Freddy Krueger, "THIS IS GOD." I couldn't think of a better box set to be created. As a huge fan of the Nightmare on Elm ST. series (which can be seen on my reviews for the NOES 4 soundtrack on amazon.com), I was so excited to see the collection released on DVD that I bought it, then bought a DVD player so I could watch them. My friends thought I was a little nuts since I already own all 7 on VHS, but any true fan understands. Freddy isn't an icon, he's a part of history among all the greats (probably won't be taught in school but oh well). Many of today's top horror films run along the same lines as NOES where the killer(s) have personalities rather than going on a killing spree for who knows what...

All you need in one boxset
If you love the "A nightmare on Elm Street" movies, this is for you. EVen if one or two aren't that great, this boxset is way easier than buying the four or five dvd's you love. I mean, 7 movies , a bonus 8th disk and a booklet descussing all 7 movies for only 80 dollars is a very good price.So, instead of looking at the two or three small things it doesn't come with, you're better off looking at the positive of it. However, if you only like maybe one or two of the films, you're better off buying just those dvds. THis is only for fans whom enjoy the majoroty of the series films. ( if you don't, lets face it you're simply wasting your hard earned money) Now, for those of you who haven't seen these films I will give a short run down of them ( with NO spoilers)

A Nightmare on Elm Street part 1 - Classic film and the best of the series, Freddy is probably the most frightening in this one, a cult classic. Even if you hate the rest, i'm sure you will love this one. It starts out...

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The Falcon and the Snowman

The spy next door
Based on a true story, the film details how two young men sold U.S. secrets to the Soviets in the mid-seventies during the height of American apathy and disillusion.

Taken from the excellent non-fiction book by Robert Lindsey, director John Schlesinger's film does a fine job of creating the feeling and temperament of the time but stumbles in a couple of important areas, though the leads, Timothy Hutton as Christopher Boyce and Sean Penn as Daulton Lee, are in terrific form.

Boyce was the "falcon" as he dabbled in falconry, Daulton the "snowman" due to his dealing cocaine, or snow.

Boyce was the oldest of a large Catholic family whose father was retired FBI. Boyce was given a job too quickly with TRW, at the time working with the CIA on secret projects. Working from the "Black Vault," Boyce eventually decided to sell the information he saw to the Soviets. His drug dealing childhood friend Lee became the courier who transported the data...

Christopher Boyce
I enjoyed this movie immensely. It was fairly true to life and very well done. Hutton and Penn are terrific and Schlesinger does an excellent job in directing.
For those of you that are curious, Christopher Boyce will be released from a halfway house in San Francisco on March 15, 2003. He will be paroled after 25 years in prison, including spending time in SuperMax in Colorado, alongside Oklahoma City bombers Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry L. Nichols, and the Unabomber, Theodore J. Kaczynski. (Information taken from the LA Times story "The Falcon and the Fallout" by Richard A. Serrano, published March 2, 2003.)

still looks great
This has become one of my very favorite films. One reason is that this is when I began to see how really brilliant Sean Penn is, but I think it's more about how this film captures its time, and the dangers of naive idealism. The affluent surburban young men here both find ways to reject the perceived shallowness of their parents, the corruption of their government and the numbing reality of their circumscribed lives, but end up discovering even darker and more painful realities.

Schlesinger makes the most of his excellent cast and gets some of the most memorable performances ever from veterans like Pat Hingle and Richard Dysart. David Suchet is fantastic in his portrayal of a cold, professional KGB operative trying to deal with Sean Penn as a rapidly unravelling drug dealer.

Skip the useless scenes between Tim Hutton and a confused-looking Lori Singer and what remains is a memorable film really worth owning.

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Ice Age Trilogy [Blu-ray]

Triple Pack vs Each separately
Reason I removed this from my List, is that purchasing each separately is considerably cheaper than purchasing this triple pack. Usually its the other way around.

BUY THEM SEPARATELY!!!!!!
This triple pack is nearly twice the price of buying the movies separately. If you want these movies, buy them separately!!!!!

I'm just a big KID!
I am way old, [over 50] never had kids, but I love these movies, AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!

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Battle Girls Time Paradox: Complete Collection [Blu-ray]

Fluff, Nothing More Than Good Visuals
Hideyoshi is a lazy middle school girl. One day she is taken away to a parallel universe inhabited only by women. She meets a warrior named Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga is after the pieces of a legendary set of armor. It is said that whoever obtains the armor will conquer the world. Hideyoshi gets involved with Nobunaga and tags along with her on the quest to unite the country.

This anime was a big disappointment for me. The first thing that bothered me was the main character. She is dumb, annoying, and whiny. Brittney Karbowski voices her, and she's very hard to listen to. Normally, Brittney Karbowski does a good job most of the time, but her character in this is whiny, shrill, and barley tolerable. She's a far cry from Icaros in Heaven's Lost Property or Ayu from Kanon.

The story is pretty mush a waste. Nothing really happens in this series. There are a few decent fights, but most of this anime is just fluff. The battle at the end, that was supposed to be the climax,...

awesome
This show is so freaking awesome, i love it. Its a great new twist on nobunaga odas story. 5 stars

Anime was Good
its came in good condition with no problem it is an excellent anime and it was amazing to watch and see

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Bad Blood

Fantastically Haunting
First of all, this is absolutely stunning: Dan's voice is chillingly perfect, the melodies are fantastically haunting, and the lyrics are beautifully poetic and enchanting.

Bastille's songs are laced with simple rhythms but filled with haunting melodies that leave the listener still enveloped and entranced even after the song has ended.
Most bands are directly relatable to ones from the past, Bastille is not at all like this. It's fresh, new, and amazing as its subtle influences are many great ones. I'd also like to point out that so many of the songs are emotively based off of past events and fiction such as Icarus, Weight of Living Pt 1 (hidden track), Laura Palmer, Daniel in the Den, and Pompeii. What other artist has been able to put past stories and events to music and still reach the top of the charts?

So, all in all, best album of the year, no doubt. Five stars from me. If you're on the fence, don't be. I cannot wait for these guys to come see us in...

Ethereal Genius In A Synthy Pop Package
This album is full of beautiful harmony, soaring melodies and synthy pop goodness that isn't too over the top.

Opening with "Pompeii"-which brings to mind imagined images of the actual event with an enchanting opening chorus. It's worth noting that the band got to perform this song at The British Museum at the Pompeii exhibit!

"Overjoyed" is perhaps one of the best tracks on the record. Simple repetition of what can be described as haunting lyrics. "I hear you calling in the dead of night" invokes memories of scenarios as diverse as the lives of listeners.

Every song on the record is amazing but other personal stand-outs are "Icarus", "Oblivion", "Flaws" and "Laura Palmer" the latter named after the character on the popular TV show "Twin Peaks".

The band centers around Dan Smith and his vocal talents but the band provides great back-up vocals and simple instrumentals that make Bastille greater than what any member would be solo...

Stuck on repeat
I first heard "Oblivion" on The Vampire Diaries and wanted it so badly, but could not find it anywhere other than youtube. I kept searching, hoping it would eventually become available. Finally, I got my wish. I'm the kind of person that listens to samples from the entire CD before purchasing just one song, because a lot of the time I will like other songs on the album. When I listened to just samples off of "Bad Blood", I was extremely intrigued. I bought this for 18 dollars...quite steep for a 12 track album these days but I do NOT regret it one bit. You know how with a lot of CD's, you have your favorite tracks and you sometimes skip others to hear that one? I cannot bear to skip anything on this! I love all of them so much, I haven't taken the CD out of my car's player since the day it arrived in the mail. I also listen to it on my mp3 player while cooking or riding my bike. Basically, I cannot stand to not listen to this it is so amazing. It is unique also, which is...

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Thorne (Scaredycat / Sleepyhead)

Serial Murderers Everywhere! Great Performances Highlight These Adaptations Of A Popular Crime Series
British crime novelist Mark Billingham has created a wildly popular series (nine books so far, I believe) featuring the complicated Detective Inspector Tom Thorne. I guess it seemed inevitable, therefore, that someone would attempt to adapt them for the screen. These television interpretations of his first two novels "Sleepyhead" and "Scaredy Cat" are certainly well constructed and well acted, but they lack a bit of the surprise factor for those that follow this type of entertainment. Oh, blessed serial murderers! Where would popular entertainment be without them? Thankfully there aren't as many in real life as those that populate the pages of detective fiction as well as police procedurals in film and TV. Imagine if there were, they would now outnumber ordinary citizens by a wide margin! I know, especially with "Sleepyhead," diehard fans of the books were upset with the liberties taken with the text. I'm always somewhat pragmatic about these things. I don't require an exact...

Terrific British cop/mystery/thriller
If you are a big fan of British thrillers like George Gently,Wire in the Blood,Rebus, Luther,etal like I am, you will LOVE this Thorne Mystery series. I bought it sight unseen knowing how great the brits do cop procedural and thought it was awesome. Why? Because the characters are complex, the pace is 'slower' than American shows like CSI--but the finish is always richer in my view. Here, you get 2 installments of Detective Thorne solving serial killer murders. Each last about 90 minutes and the great thing about Acorn Media is they always provide closed caption which is very helpful with british accents. I will order the next installment of this show the minute it appears on Amazon.

Nice Surprise!!!
Thorne was a nice surprise for me as I had never seen it or even had heard of it before. I picked it up based on other reviews and I am glad I did.
The stories are well told gripping dramas. The lead detective Thorne is a great character he has more flaws than most and is his own worst enemy.
I like the TV show so much that I am now ordering the books and hope they are as good if not better than the series..

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West Point

TMG does it again with another great, nearly-forgotten anthology series
Timeless Media Group (TMG) has been on a roll lately releasing some top-notch television series of different genres from the 1950's and early 1960's. During this period American television had come to terms with itself as an art form and was making giant strides in the world of entertainment.

"The West Point Story" (also known as "West Point") was one of those great anthology series based on true events that thrived during this period of television history. Some others released by TMG of this type are two excellent series, "The Lawless Years" and "State Trooper." I own these DVD box sets, and have watched every episode of each series.

Week after week, these shows managed to squeeze a lot of fast-paced entertainment into a mere 25 minutes. I'm constantly amazed at the writing, acting, lighting, camerawork, and everything else that went into the making of these shows. And they were all done with limited budgets and very short shooting schedules.

"West...

A VERY GOOD SERIES
I NEVER SAW AN EPISODE OF WEST POINT ANOTHER GREAT ZIV SHOW, IT HAS GREAT GUEST STARS LIKE MARTIN MILNER, ROBERT VAUGHN, CLINT EASTWOOD, LEONARD NIMOY

THE BEST IS MOST EPISODES WERE WRITTEN BY GENE RODDENBERRY CREATOR OF STAR TREK A VERY AUTHENIC
SHOW AND SHOT ON LOCATION AT WEST POINT

HAVE VIEWED 5 EPISODES ALL HAVE THAT RODDENBERRY TOUCH , THE SHOW LASTED ONE SEASON . THERE ARE 40 EPISODES ON FOUR DVDS, THE PICTURE QUALITY VERY GOOD AS THE SOUND QUALITY THIS WAS PUT OUT BY TIMELESS MEDIA .I RECOMMEND IT TO ANY EX WEST POINT CADET AND ANY MILTARY FAN. BUY IT!

A window into a romantic past
First let me admit my bias. This was made while I was a cadet at West Point. There are some minor flufs in uniforms and language, but it is reasonably true to life and highly entertaining. I laughed my head off at Chuck Conners as a hard nosed but crafty Tactical officer, and was touched by the old fashioned patriotism expressed by the actors who were more or less submerged in the Corps of Cadets. That intimacy led to some funny things. As an upper classman, I saw a Plebe with his scarf improperly worn, walking where Plebes were not suposed to go. I halted him and began a forceful correction, until he said, "But I am an actor!" The scenes of the Corps of Cadets on parade have a martial beauty unequalled by any show. The quality is very good, as you would expect from acotrs who went on to starring roles, and the stories point up the power and might of the Academy's motto; Duty, Honor, Country

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8-Movie Action Pack 5

AND VALUE
_8-Movie Action Pack 5_ Release Date: 3/5/2013 Platinum Disc

Disc #1

2012-03-12 BOOSTER (73 min) - Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristen Dougherty, Brian McGrail

The career-criminal brother (McGrail) of professional shoplifter Simon (Stone) faces prison time for armed robbery of customers at Laundromats, unless someone (hello, Simon) can create an alternate suspect by committing copycat crimes. Simon fears he is not up to the task. He and his pal (Du Paul) are delivery men. He has a budding romance with a shop girl (Dougherty) who sees him shoplifting at her store. Harold (Cassel), an old ex-criminal at the nursing home where Simon visits his senile gangy, has regrets, the which caution Simon.

2000-01-19 THE STRAY (D2V - 90 min) - Michael Madsen, Angie Everhart, Stefan Lysenko

Gil Draper (Lysenko), a homeless drifter living on the streets for quite a while, is struck by a car driven by businesswoman Kate Grayson...





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Darnell Dawkins Mouth Guitar Legend

Unbelievable
It's really something to find someone like Darnell Dawkins, someone I knew hardly anything about, and realize how big of an impact he had on the world of music and the relationships he built. This was an unbelievable film, really enjoyed every minute of it

Never Know What's Going to Happen Next...
Within the first 10 minutes of this, I was completely enthralled. Darnell Dawkins? Clearly a rockstar. An insane rockstar. I'd watch this movie 10 more times and I feel like it'd never get old

This generation's Spinal Tap...
For about the 1st 15 or 20 minutes, I actually thought this was a real documentary until I recognized one of the actors. The only way I can describe this film is by saying its like watching the craziest "Behind The Music" of all time. Appearances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, etc. make this feel like it's really real. Brilliant movie.

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Diary of a Chambermaid [Blu-ray]

A social satire that is Renoir's best American film
A mystery to audiences because its equivocal moralism when it premiered in 1946, "The Diary of a Chambermaid" is now considered one of Jean Renoir's key works for unlocking his contemplation of the many facets of human nature. This film is a faithful adaptation of the spirit of Octave Mirbeau's novel, exhibiting decidedly French sensibilities because of its expatriate director, cinematographer (Lucien Andriot) and composer (Michel Michelet). For that matter the novel had been a play written by Andre Heuse, Andre de Lorde and Thielly Nores, although actor Burgess Meredith had a hand in writing the screenplay.

This film is most reminiscent of his examination of the dark, sinister and ugly side of life as in "La Bete Humaine" and "La Chienne," that manages to be both a social satire and a perverse tragedy. Renoir's moralistic tone comes through, even with the surface levity of the characters, portrayed by an international cast. Celestine (Paulette...

ECCENTRIC FUN.
A much-praised and criticised film. Goddard is an enterprising young chambermaid who wants nothing more than to wed a rich man. As love would have it, a penniless valet becomes enamoured of her; he tries to win her the only way he can....France's great director, Jean Renoir (son of the immortal impressionist painter Augustus) was known for his realism in his French films. This picture, however, done during the director's Hollywood years reeks of artificiality. Upon its release in 1946, it met with disapproval with the studio system, and it was shunned by his French patrons. Perhaps egotistically, but most likely, they insisted that his best work was done in France, which is probably true. However, Renoir was unique and his humanism and morality breaks through here; a brilliantly oddball film which blends the serious and the comic. Francis Lederer is menacing as Joseph, Burgess Merideth is amusing as the eccentric Captain Mauger and Irene "Granny" Ryan has a memorable...

Jean Renoir's dilm directing.
I had to keep reminding myself of when his films were made as I found this one a bit silly.

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Midnight Stallion

Amaturish at best
Maybe it is because I am a westerner, but this movie on top of lousy acting is so far-fetched as to almost be comedic. Obviously the writer has never had anything to do with horses and certainly not wild stallions. I have been photographing wild horses for years and this bit of fluff is nonsense.

Midnight Stallion
This is so great I have watched it over and over again.
My dad even watched it while flying on a trip, and enjoyed it very much.

Lovely shots of Canada and a beautiful Horse! Adorable movie about a family never giving up and working together
OK..completely predictable but so what. I knew exactly what was going to happen through the entire movie within the first 18 minutes from beginning to end. A family in financial trouble decide to try to save the farm by planting a new type of crop, one that makes more money on the market than their current one. They are wonderful parents who are utterly in love and supportive of each other. Their daughter is a good girl who helps out and will do whatever she can to pitch in. She also has the best manners ever.

OK...so you are wondering where the beautiful Midnight black stallion on the cover comes in right?! Well, one day the father is riding to clear his head about the financial problems and his wife's idea about the new crop when he spots a stunning horse just prancing around in the wild. He decides to try to catch the horse so he can enter a horse race and hopefully win a huge sum of money that would help his family.

So, my thoughts, Kris Kristofferson who...

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One Night With the King [Blu-ray]

Read the book of Esther 1st -- you will be glad you did!
The first time I went to see this movie, I enjoyed it (despite the obvious production flaws), but I was thoroughly overwhelmed by all the history & all the strange names & all the multiple/twisty-turny plotlines & so I walked out of the theater feeling like I didn't really grasp everything that happened ...

So then I went home & read the entire book of Esther (it doesn't take very long -- it's a small book) & then went BACK to the theater & watched the movie AGAIN ...

BIG DIFFERENCE!

At that point, I was also able to identify all the "poetic license" that was taken with the book of Esther, but I do NOT think that it detracted from the overall message & profound truth of the Biblical story -- rather, I think that it ENHANCED it.

And now, after watching "One Night With The King," the book of Esther is very REAL to me -- like it NEVER has been before.

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NOTE: IF YOU FOUND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL, THEN PLEASE GO & GIVE...

A Wonderful Love Story
Before anything else, I must say that I've read the Biblical book of Esther but NOT the book "Haddassah" by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen on which this film is based. With that said, I'll treat this film as just another love story and not an interpretation of the Biblical story of Esther, which does vary from this film quite a bit.

The story revolves around Haddassah (Tiffany Dupont), the lovely, wholesome Jewish daughter of Mordecai (the always wonderful John Rhys-Davies), a scribe for King Xerxes (Luke Goss). Early in the film, Xerxes "removes" his queen from power through the meddling of Prince Admantha (John Noble) and Haman (wickedly fun James Callis), both of which have their own delusions of grandeur in mind. Soon after, Xerxes goes on a quest to find a new queen to replace is "removed" one. Women throughout all the kingdom are taken to the king's palace and treated to all the wonders and niceties one would expect from the King of Persia. Eventually Xerxes...

An absolute hash of an epic story
I had very low expectations of this film, and the film did not live up to them. How this film has garnered an average of 4 stars from Amazon viewers is beyond me. The producers, director, and presumably the writers of the novel on which this book is based have absolutely botched it. It's such a waste of a profound and beloved Biblical story.

My main complaint is that Esther's true character doesn't get a look in here. Tiffany Dupont is woefully miscast. A nasally American voice and a modern sensibility overwrite the gravity of her situation and Esther's unusual integrity and presence of mind. I couldn't help feeling like I was watching an incarnation of Disney's Princess Yasmin. She giggled like a schoolgirl throughout, and when brought to the harem along with all of half a dozen other beautiful virgins (seriously? That was all they could find? In all the provinces of the realm? It was a pretty big realm!) she spent a lot of time twirling under invisible showers of...

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The Marine 3: Homefront

HE'S NOT A LOSER
This film is grossly formulaic with bad acting. It has the lame soundtrack and writing of a Lifetime film. Jake (Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin) is home on 2 weeks leave in the small town of Bridgetown, Washington. He stays with his two sisters, doesn't approve of their boyfriends and has a hard time controlling himself to the dismay of family and friends. For a Marine, he needs a haircut.

Meanwhile, Jonah Pope (Neal McDonough) is a bad guy who has a grudge against the system. Being raked over by the stock market, banks, and health insurance companies, Jonah devises a plan of revenge in the city of Seattle. During an arms deal, Jake's sister Lily (Ashley Bell) and her "not a loser" boyfriend (Jeffrey Ballard) get taken as hostages as they witness a crime.

The FBI is apparently helpless to save the hostages and the city of Seattle, only a Marine can do that.

The script was written very badly. I can't fault the actors for trying. The political speech made by...

Best of the series
Love him or hate him, The Miz has taken this series by storm. While Cena may have started it off and had a few good moments, and Ted Dibiase had a few of his own, Miz really takes it up another notch. Great action movie. Not something you would expect to see in the theaters of course, but perfect for a Straight-to-DVD release.

All is as expected.
Quite frankly, the way the part of The Marine is cast, I don't care. Lead actors in this series take second place to my absolute adoration of action movie high-octane scenes. Running, jumping, shooting, things exploding everywhere! Mindless, senseless, wanton destruction! Now that's what makes an action movie!

Come now, don't tell me that you actually enjoy Arnold's acting! The man has four facial expressions: Stone Face, Gleeful I'll Kick Your Ass Face, Crazy Face and Fake Fear Face. His voice has never changed tone or inflection, it's just loud and louder. He has the range of of a broken-necked guitar. We love the BOOM!

One thing about Mike Mizanin, he's got some talent. He IS in the WWE, and every Superstar/Diva is an actor/actress. Ted DiBiase and John Cena are reasonably talented as well; they don't bore me like Arnold does. I love the WWE enough to watch the Monday and Friday shows regularly, I even like the OTHER wrestling company enough to watch it...

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