La Forza Del Destino

Unique vision,a somber, subdued Forza, possibly the best in the series so far
Traditional performances from the past of this magnificent grand opera where Verdi even beat Meyerbeer in his own game,
were a mixed bag of monks walking around with lighted torches, colorful Spanish crowd scenes with dances, drinking songs and soldiers marching around. They were audience pleasers, so the average people got their money's worth.

For Verdi's 200th anniversary this certainly wasn't good enough. The very talented designer, Stefano Poda took this opera much more seriously and given it a new meaning, actually the meaning it always should have been there, but wasn't. The opera is about dark fate pursuing the seemingly helpless characters, about resentment, obsessive revenge and the ultimate destruction, such as War. There is also a strong element of Religion and people's escape into it for protection and consolation. All these elements are omnipresent in the dark hued, but monumental sets of monolithic slabs, sometimes pitch black and sometimes shining in...





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Symphony No. 4 / Pelleas & Melisande [Blu-ray]

Magical disc
The standout here is the magnificent performance of the Schoenberg early tone poem Pelleas and Melisande. Written before (depending on your point of view) Schoenberg lost the plot and went 12 tone, it is a wonderful post Wagnerian masterpiece somewhat similar to the equally magnificent first two parts of Gurrelieder. (Now THAT would be a gem on Blu-ray!) This young orchestra play like champions and both works are played and recorded magnificently. We already have several excellent Blu-ray recordings of the Mahler but this is as good as any and with the Schoenberg it is a disc not to be missed.





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Songs of the Wanderers

breathtaking DVD
This video is one of the finest examples of pure beauty. I have never seen a video like this one before. And it's not only the dance itself, there's also excellent lighting and camerawork. All in a perfect harmony. The music is quite repetitive, but also in perfect harmony with the dance. Of course this is modern dance. People expecting to see classical dance won't get what they were thinking to pay for. But by modern dance standards, this is the best. Cloud Gate Dance Theatre has won lots of prices for their performances all over the world, if you'll see this video, you'll know why.

IMpressive dance performance
Great dance performance merging elements from East and West, Georgian folk music with chinese Tai-Chi and meditative themes.
NOt for trigger ready remote control freaks or people who do not know the difference between rice and corn, or between Georgia and Romania.

Heavenly!
I was absolutely delighted to see the performance of the Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan last November in Brazil and have lost track of how many times I have watched the DVD... It is a marvellous dance show that may raise deep questions about one's purpose in life. If you're a wanderer, you just can't miss it!

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Jeanette MacDonald in Performance: Princess of Opera & Operetta-– The Voice of Firestone

A Rare Single-Performance Release and Much Fun
When the Voice of Firestone programs were being released on videos, one of the last to be put out was the one and only appearance of diva Jeanette MacDonald. Other offerings contained 3 or 4 appearances by the specific star, and producers figured few would pay full price for just a single show. However, they risked it and Jeanette's one-performance video proved to be one of their best sellers. The entire show is a delight, especially the live aspect that finds a dancer accidentally jerking Jeanette in the wrong direction and her charmingly waggling her finger at him later in the song, "naughty naughty." Also, the lighting of the show was especially flattering to the 47-year-old singer. She arrived at the broadcast studio to find they were still using the harsh, primitive TV lighting that could make a teenager look haggard. She quickly phoned her husband, Gene Raymond, and he arrived to instruct technicians in more sophisticated Hollywood methods, allowing the beautiful Ms. MacDonald...

Save your money
What a disappointment. Jeanette sings only three songs and none of them real favorites. Yes, she appears lovely as ever and graceful but the show is dominated by the orchestra playing pieces. Very little of substance from Jeanette.

Vibrant and Vivacious
This is a treat for fans of Jeanette MacDonald - her appearance on a 1950 "Voice of Firestore" television program. She is in fine form as she sings, dances and engages her audience with charm and grace. The lighting is uneven, and she is reported to have instructed the crew how and where to focus the lights, since she moves about the stage as she sings - unlike other performers who were more static. The entire program is great fun and representative of her film and stage career, but perhaps the most interesting is the "Italian Street Song" where one of the chorus boys tugs her arm as she moves away from him, jerking her. She responds by continuing the song and wagging her finger at him as she holds the final high note for an impossibly long time. MacDonald fans will be delighted to add this historical disc to their library.

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My Dog Tulip [Blu-ray]

I laughed--I cried
So much more than a book about a man and his dog--I laughed, I cried. I laughed more than I cried as the author's way with words grew on me. Several months ago I heard about this book and author for the first time. The book was out of print and I could not find a copy online. I stumbled upon this new edition while browsing online and am so glad that I "waited" for this new version. The book is very attractive and unusual and I enjoyed the introduction which is new too. I'm now reading another book in this same new collection about the author's life--My Father and Myself--it puts My Dog Tulip into a new perspective and I may have to re-read it and if I do, I think I might cry more than I laugh this time around. Although when I looked again at the cover I had a private laugh. I'd recommend this book to almost anyone of any age. Parental guidance perhaps for My Father and Myself.

"a marvel of brilliance and shockingness"
In fact that was from a review of some 45 years ago, but it will do for a title.

I think My Dog Tulip is possibly the best book about dogs I have ever read. It doesn't suprise me to see that Elizabeth Marshall Thomas (The Hidden Life of Dogs) has written the introduction to the current edition, as Ackerley opened up some of the territory she was to explore. They remind me of each other quite a lot.

In the first scene of My Dog Tulip, Ackerley meets a little old lady wheeling a little dog around the park in a pram. The dog is dressed up in a blanket and she is cooing to him like an invalid. It's obvious that this highly anthropomorphised canine is the sort of dog Ackerley wants NOT to portray. He commented at the time that he wanted to restore beastliness to beasts, and as E.M. Forster put it, Tulip is 'a dog of dogdom', not just 'an appendage of man.'

My Dog Tulip lampoons the British middle class as well as human anthropocentrism in general. Ackerley's technique of combining...

Hilarious and Touching
It's hard for me to understand how some of the reviewers could have failed to appreciate Ackerley. If you've ever owned any kind of pet at all, this book is a must. To be sure, it's not for the squeamish--Tulip's romantic life is the one of the chief topics, and the author minces no words describing the tactics deployed by Tulip, her many canine suitors, and even her owner himself in his attempts to produce true-blooded offspring. But Ackerley approaches even this sensitive subject with both humor and a strange sweetness. He once wrote that Tulip was his true love, the only creature who loved him and whom he could love unconditionally, and after you read the book, you understand why. Tulip's character--defensive, offensive, protective, delicate, beautiful, affectionate, and ever-so-vital--is as moving as any portrayal of a mere human. Unmissable.

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A Haunting at Silver Falls

A Haunting at Silver Falls
This was a pretty good movie that is geared towards kids from ages (approx.) 8-13. The acting was good and it was simplistic enough. Basically, it's a murder mystery and ghost story. The movie revolves around teens (no sex, no real drug taking, no soft porn), and the villains were the adults. It reminded me of stories my daughter used to read around the age of 10, such as R.L. Stine's Fear Street, ect. All in all a pretty good movie for the age group I mentioned.

As an adult I like films that are geared for adults, such as "MaMa" or "Bag of Bones". I rated this movie four stars for the benefit of older kids looking for something "clean cut" in the category of "haunted." That's a hard thing to find nowadays.

SHOCKINGLY NOT TOO SHABBY...
My expectations were lower than low for A Haunting at Silver Falls. I've seen too many horrible ghost movies in the past 10 years to even count, so I figured this would be nothing new. And though it's not technically anything "new", it does feel rather unique, which is asking a lot of movies nowadays. For the first half hour I was not as optimistic, however. The beginning of the movie really put me in the mind of Twilight (which is sooo NOT a good thing!) Too many hints of high school romance, too much focus on a teenage girl adjusting to her new home life, too much blandness. The decent acting was the only thing keeping my eyes on the screen, but I'm glad I continued watching because once the movie picked up I ended up really enjoying it. The twist at the end is what really peaked my interest - totally made the whole girl-growing-up-dealing-with-love-and-ghosts thing seem almost fresh once again. Sure, you've seen a lot of this story in a million other movies already, but compared to...

A Good Surprise
You see so much crap these days, and then expect the worst of the movies churned out. This was not one of those mishaps. A Haunting at Silver Falls was an unexpected surprise. I love a good ghost story and this movie didn't disappoint.

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Beatrice Di Tenda

Theodossiou sings well
Beatrice di Tenda is really a wonderful opera, and I wish it were given more performances. In terms of commercial DVD's there is little choice out there, we have the 2002 Zurich production with the lovely Edita Gruberova, and now this performance from Catania 2009. The main point of interest here is the soprano, and in the title role we have Dimitra Theodossiou although I think she manages the role fairly well, she may not be to everyone's taste. Her voice is not as flexible as Gruberova or dare I say Sutherland, and she really has some problems with intonation, she seems to take it all in stride and punches along with little sense of belcanto line hitting some thrilling if out of tune high notes along the way. I admire her for making the effort at this stage in her career, she is obviously more comfortable singing the early Verdi roles, and Bellini's long lines seem to challenge her at times. The rest of the cast support her well, if not memorably, and the production is boring and...

Beatrice Di Tenda
I'd been waiting for an "upgrade" from my DVD of Bellini's Beatrice Di Tenda for some time now ... not that the Zurich Opera/Edita Gruberova offering from TDK was bad, but ... well, my review of that DVD is only a few clicks away.

After my initial viewing of this new Blu Ray version of the opera, I am glad I didn't get around to selling my Zurich recording.

My overall first impression is that these two versions (the only two versions presently available) are basically, for different reasons, on par with each other.

Concerning this new offering from Dynamic, first among its strong points are that it is a Blu Ray release, and the audio and video quality are fine indeed. The three standard sound formats are offered, and my choice of the HD DTS sounded very good. The video image is what one has come to expect as well ... which leads me to another positive aspect of this Blu Ray disk - the colorful dresses worn by Ms. Theodossiou, Ms. Lo Monaco, the...



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The Vigilantes Are Coming

"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936)"
VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present..."The Vigilantes Are Coming" (1936) (Dolby digitally remastered), a 12 Chapter cliffhanger from an action packed Republic serial featuring an outstanding cast with Mack V. Wright and Ray Taylor at the helm....story line is in 1844, California in the last days of the Dons...it's carefree people dancing under the summer sun...and who is the masked hero they call "The Eagle" (Robert Livingston)....will he lead the ranchers of California against the Russian Cossacks who are planning to turn the territory into Russian colonies, does this mean we will become under the rule of Russia...can the evil General Burr (Fred Kohler), Russian Count Raspinoff (Robert Warwick) along with his henchman Yakima Canutt, Bob Kortman, John Merton and Bud Osborne who always follow dastardly instructions succeed in taking over California...what part does Salvation (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams), Whipsaw (Raymond Hatton), the Vigilantes and Doris Colton (Kay Hughes)...

western serial
I give this dvd 5 star rating and it is very good with every chapter
annd plenty action , the print is very good also the sound and for the price you would not get better. it is very interesting if you like serials and well worth watching and for alpha it is a very good one and worth the price all the way

"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936)"
VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present..."The Vigilantes Are Coming" (1936) (Dolby digitally remastered), a 12 Chapter cliffhanger from an action packed Republic serial featuring an outstanding cast with Mack V. Wright and Ray Taylor at the helm....story line is in 1844, California in the last days of the Dons...it's carefree people dancing under the summer sun...and who is the masked hero they call "The Eagle" (Robert Livingston)....will he lead the ranchers of California against the Russian Cossacks who are planning to turn the territory into Russian colonies, does this mean we will become under the rule of Russia...can the evil General Burr (Fred Kohler), Russian Count Raspinoff (Robert Warwick) along with his henchman Yakima Canutt, Bob Kortman, John Merton and Bud Osborne who always follow dastardly instructions succeed in taking over California...what part does Salvation (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams), Whipsaw (Raymond Hatton), the Vigilantes and Doris Colton (Kay Hughes)...

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Action Quad Feature 4

action quad feature 4
1 the problem with ordering movies, with multiple movie on one disk. is that there is a chance that not all of them well be good.
2 only 1 of the 4 movies was good. the rest was long and drown out. got boring. hade to shut off.
3 I would recommend, that to make sure you like all the movies before you order a dvd with multiple movies on it.





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Snow

Great film, short but expected for this independent.
You have to realize this is an independent project. There isn't any WB or MGM money bankrolling it
Having said that, there are no executives trying to "reach" every audience. It is a great film, I would of loved it in highschool or in an ecology class. I supported it when it was trying to come out. Acting is top notch. As an MD/MBA in healthcare management, it is a great history lesson because we still use the basic methods Snow started back at the pump. If you're not an avid lower of evidence based medicine, need not worry, the acting is more than sufficient. It left me as a viewer questioning the background of each character, there was a lot of mystery to the background of the characters. I feel that this film with more $$$ would of haven been great. It is just hard to please an audience who believes Abe Lincoln was a vampire slayer.

Amazing Public Health History!
I spent my career in public health so this short movie was great. I think it would be a great teaching tool for science classes at the middle to high school level--hopefully it will give some students the nudge to study epidemiology later. Made me proud to have chosen the career path that I did. A great book that goes further into detail about this subject and appeared to me to be the outline for this movie is The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How it Changed Sciences, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson.

"Snow" - campy - melodramatic
A very melodramatic and to some extent shallow "take" on the life of Snow. Pales in comparison to The Ghost Map by Johnson. Some of the scenes evoke a feeling for Victorian London... but that can also be found in Mayhew... or in Polanski's Oliver Twist.

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Despicable Me (3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet)

Fun Movie With a Positive Message
I went to this movie reluctantly, mostly because my ten year old talked me into it. I had only seen the trailers and I was expecting an extended version of Spy vs Spy, which I have never really loved. This movie suprised and delighted me. Far from being a sad 3D version of silly one-upmanship, this movie had a lot of heart, and a lovely message.

I especially enjoyed how the main character struggled with the growth he experiences throughout the movie. We get to see him struggling with the difficulty of giving up his old behavior patterns and goals, even though he clearly sees that he could be happier if he let them go. And the difficulty that Groo's only friend has with the changes he experiences as he lets three little girls into his life, and how his friend tries to prevent him from changing, are a great reminder that sometimes when we make positive changes in our lives the people around us aren't always as supportive as they should be.

My son loved the movie...

Surprisingly Good!!! Worth watching once.
Okay, first let me be clear. I in no way wanted to go and see this movie. Why did I go? Well that is what you have to do when you have a 10 year old brother and the parents don't want to take him to see it. Anyway, twenty minutes into the movie I started to think that the movie was okay for younger children, because it was quite a silly plot line (the main aim in the plot is that they want to shirink the moon) and was maybe lacking in some emotion. However, I have to admit by the end of the movie I quite enjoyed it, you really get to see Gru (our villian turned dad),on his journey and see the changing emotions he has to go through, not to mention the decisions he has to make. Some of the scenes our quite touching and some of the dialogue is quite humerous.
Now I just want to mention the cast, there is a very good cast including the very funny Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Julie Andrews, Russell Brand leading the cast but of course I have to give credit to the actresses who played...

He's a Villain, But He's Not a Bad Guy
While not quite as wondrous or challenging as a Disney/Pixar film, "Despicable Me" is still a lot of fun, able to make audiences laugh without having to sacrifice story or character development. It's also one of the few animated films to not entertain the idea of heroes - it merely distinguishes between evil villains and not-so-evil villains, the latter apparently capable of good deeds despite their propensity for hatching diabolical schemes. Such a person is Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), who looks like a pointy-nosed Fester Addams and speaks in a pseudo-Russian accent so delightfully phony, it only adds to his charm. His goal has always been to become the world's greatest super villain, but as the film progresses, we realize that, underneath it all, he's actually a pretty nice guy.

He certainly has the means to be a criminal mastermind; within his vast secret lair beneath his looming black house, he and the goggled Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand) have overseen the...

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One Mile High...Live

This is how you do a rock show
Having seen Garbage seven times dating back to 1995, I can honestly say I've seen an amazing transformation. The first time I saw them, it was like they weren't sure if they belonged on stage, and Shirley Manson seemed to have no confidence at all. I'm glad I stuck with them, because this, kids, is how you perform rock music.

In the first few seconds, the video nerd in me was shocked to see pretty much straight 1080/60i HD video, but it wasn't long before I guessed that maybe that was the point. This is not a video full of fast cuts and tired effects. In fact, I'd be shocked if there was a cut shorter than five seconds. It was shot in what I call "PBS style," in that the entire focus is on the performance, not some clever editing nonsense or goofy color grading. It was the right choice.

Garbage is one of the tightest live bands you'll ever see, but without being entirely perfect. You'll hear a few pitch problems or hear the players get out of sync, but the sheer...

GARBAGE - "ONE MILE HIGH...LIVE"
The last time Garbage were on a world tour in 2005 they ended up cancelling the end of their tour citing burn out as one of the reasons, the truth was of course was that tensions were a an all-time high in the band and the chances of them setting off on a world tour again were slim. Fast forward 7 years to 2012 and the band released comeback album "Not Your Kind Of People" and the band once again set off on a world tour which is now documented on the Blu-Ray release "One Mile High...Live".

Recorded in Denver in October of 2012 the band play tracks off all 5 studio albums which if you are familiar with you know sticks to their pop-rock fusion that has served them so well since 1995. The set begins with the trippy dance sounding "Automatic Systematic Habit" which is full of big poppy beats backed by guitars and loads of vocal effects. The bands mixes in the old tracks with the new and play to a packed crowd in a cramped arena. They don't rely on any fancy video screens...

A Superb Band Finally has a full concert Bluray
So nice to see these rock icons on a well made blue ray. DTS HD Encoding A nice mix of songs off the new album and the classics of their past. Great show. If you are fan this is a dream come true. Excellent!

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The City Dark [HD]

Awesome and inspiring
I saw this documentary in NYC and I'm purchasing the DVD because this is one of the most important topics this century and it simply isn't discussed enough. Darkness is a gift and we don't look up often enough. I just started getting interested in astronomy last year and when I saw this movie I was so shocked to learn what light pollution is doing to bird migration and our health as human beings (in addition to not being able to see as many stars). On the flip side, the "safety" of light needed to be addressed in this movie... and it was. We can find a common ground between "safety" and "healthy" in darkness, it just depends where you live. Very well done, bravo!

Riveting Documentary
I first saw this on PBS and was blown away by the effects of light pollution on people, birds, and other species of animals.
It is so important to view this. Lighting can be placed to shine downward to light the way of a person walking but not obstruct the view of the sky by someone else. We all can make a difference and save energy by viewing this documentary I cannot recommend it enough. I purchased several copies to give as gifts, keeping one for myself.

must see & share!
As a dark-sky activist who has viewed this documentary 3 times, I can tell you Ian Cheney did a great job introducing the issues and research of light pollution with "The City Dark". It is possible be restore starlight even over a city. The biggest obstacle is public awareness. So do your part! View and share!

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Dead Mine

WTF HAPPENED?!!!!
The ending leaves you pissed off but wanting to find out what happened. Maybe that's what the director wanted which is either leave you wanting more to catapult a sequel or just to induce shock effect into the viewer. Overall, movie was cheesy goodness and entertaining. Definitely worth a watch if you're into these type of genre.

Yamashita's Gold
A group of explorers enter a cave on an Indonesian island that was once home to a special Japanese bunker. The members of the group have their own reasons for going on the trip, ones that they don't share immediately. As it happens pirates with entrance sealing grenades are also on the island. Out explorers venture into the cave in order to find a way out. They realize this was not an ordinary bunker and one that is still occupied.

If we changed the setting, and made the Japanese into Nazis, then we would have seen this film a half dozen times before. The plot was well put together. There was good diversity within the group, but the characters came off boring. The setting was drab and military gray by design, which made it unexciting.

It is worthy of a rental. Won't be in my collection until it is on some multi-pack.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

Ok production has its moments, but no ending
Good production, so-so acting and no conclusion are a way to sum up this film. It has a plot that i thought was interesting, including lots of crawling around in tunnels on your belly to evade some creepy killers. Some might find it repetitious, but i thought it kept throwing in new twists at just the right moment. A few critics have noted that it doesn't have an ending and i felt the same. I could understand this decision, if the writers had suggested there was still more story to tell, or if they wanted the viewer to feel some sense of hope for the characters. But it's too vague to say either way.

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George Gently, Series Five

North Country Mysteries
Previews of this series don't do justice to Martin Shaw's masterful, powerful acting, or the show's high-production values. Happily, although Series 1-2 were filmed in Ireland, all the subsequent collections are actually filmed in England's North Country, in Northumberland and Durham, a beautiful old city. So those of you who enjoy Vera are in for a treat. In the late 1960s, Inspector George Gently (Shaw), who had witnessed his lovely Italian wife's murder via a hit & run (Series One), is as honest and stalwart as they come. Martin Shaw is superb, as is his sidekick, Lee Ingleby, as Detective Sergeant John Bacchus. You may recall the fine Ingleby from his inimitable turn in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , as the conductor of the Knight Bus, Stan Shunpike. Blessed with abundant talent and a memorable voice, Lee Ingleby is also...

martin shaw is simply wonderful as is his sidekick
in uk television, you simply cannot lose with martin shaw in the lead role. this is his fifth season as chief inspector george gently, who now solves murders out in the sticks in 1960s england. he was formerly of london. his sidekick out in the sticks is a young man whose heart is in the right place but who needs some maturing and seasoning, all of which george provides, five seasonís in, the episodes are every bit as good.

note: the novels are very different from the tv show, i bought one in the kindle store and the only similarity is that they are mystery novels about a uk police inspector who solves murders.

i highly recommend all five seasons of this series.

Love the Gently series
I could watch George Gently over and over again. The characters are very well done and I would watch Martin Shaw in anything. The only thing I would change about this series is that it is way past time for his partner to grow up. I'm getting tired of his whining. The crime stories are unique and I appreciate that they are not too graphic. Love this series!

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Jack the Giant Killer

AMAZON STOP MIXING REVIEWS FOR DIFFERENT FILMS AND EDITIONS!
I'm reviewing this film because the only review here is for a entirely different film 'The Giant Killer' asylum films!

Jack The Giant Killer is a pretty neat little fairy tale that was released in 1962. Trying to capture the magic of the 1958 Harryhausen classic 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad', Jack the Giant Killer is inferior in every way, but still most enjoyable to the child in all stop motion fans.

I owned two pervious editions of this film but I had heard rumors that this version released was the horrid version that was dubbed into a ersatz musical! I only wanted that version to have a laugh from time to time.

Unfortunately, it is not the case and even worse it is by far the worst looking of the three releases of the film. If you must own the film look for the good times version released in 1:33 as it is the closest to the proper aspect ratio, even though all releases have some cropping issues.

I saw Jack the Giant Killer in a theater as a...

Jack the Giant Killer
This review is for Jack the Giant Killer (1962), not Jack the Giant Slayer (2013). Kerwin Mathews did a few fantasy movies in the 50s and 60s. They were geared for kids to see at the movie matinee, but most adults enjoyed them as well. The special effects for the time were decent, many done by the master of stop motion animation Ray Harryhausen. This movie wasn't done by Harryhausen, but the special effects are decent considering it was made over forty years ago.

Recommendations: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (50th Anniversary Edition), The 3 Worlds Of Gulliver, and Jason And The Argonauts

CA Luster

this is one hellof movie
i can't really rate this cause i hadn't as yet open it up yet but when i do
i'm sure it will get a great review from this customer
ira friedman

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Dino King [HD]

Great Movie
A story driven documentary like film. It is narrated by the lead character Speckles. Very sad at times yet a feel good movie.

Spectacular different Dinosaur Story
The movie is quite different, great to watch but I will be little bit concerned when it counts for kids age. This movie is "Not Rated" as of yet. The storyline is great, take you from start point to the end of a Dino that we are coming to know. The movie is geared more towards the younger generation, it's fairly intense and violent action scenes though the movie, some of the younger kids might have trouble going to sleep after viewing a few of those scenes. Of course, that is how brutal nature is and how vicious some dinosaurs were.

I'm a big fan of Dinosaur movies, I do prefer "Dinosaur" movie been made in 2000 for kids than this one if you would like to compare the action, storyline as an essence. There are similarity in storyline but more of scientific aspects of the animals, plants, and era of time we are in current.

Heartfelt
While the producers went way out of the way to make a history lesson out of this, I enjoyed the liberties taken and the story that was placed in.

In brief, the story revolves around a dinosaur by the name of Speckles (probably not spelled correctly). Lot's of a stuff happens, not going to spoil it, but most of it is *not* suitable for a younger audience. Then again, if your kids love dinosaurs and you as a parent don't mind exposing the gritty reality of life back then, by all means. They'll all come out loving this.

I did. Five stars.

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Finding Love Again

Tears, laughter, joy, profundity...what more do you want?
What I took away from this movie, and will always remember, is that if a homeless man with such a traumatic past can find love, meaning and even hope in his life WITHOUT changing circumstances, what's my excuse for misery? It caused me to reflect on the real nature of lasting happiness, and to wonder about how that is achieved. Most remarkably, it did all this while entertaining me, and giving me laughter, tears, and moments of joy. I recommend it to anyone wanting real value from their entertainment!





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Touch [HD]

Make a point of seeing this
This is an extremely engaging film, and an utter joy to watch. It's clever, gentle, quietly witty, brushed with melancholy, and lovingly shot. A really excellent piece of artistic story-telling, executed with great talent, and beautifully paced. I salute the director and actors.

Enjoyable and moving
Every now and then I run across a film that moves me to the point where I get a lump in my throat and my eyes tear up...but I also laugh out loud at parts. That film is TOUCH. It is a perfect blend of drama with humor kicked in at appropriate times. This film is a real joy to watch! I highly recommend watching TOUCH. It is expertly directed and the cast is terrific. You won't be disappointed.

A cure for the summer doldrums
Most sensual Indie film of the summer. Directed by Vietnamese-American director Minh Duc Nguyen and starring Porter Lynn. No politics, no kung fu, no bs, just good acting and an unpredictable storyline. Keeps you entertained from the get-go. Just what the doctor ordered for the summer doldrums.

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The Cat and the Fiddle

Not Terrific But Wonderful
It's admirable of Warner Classics to keep making these less well-known titles
available. This adaptation of a Kern-Harbach stage show uses very little of the
original storyline but manages to cram in most of the main melodies. And the
last five minutes are in color. Basically, Ramon Novarro is an operetta composer
and Jeanette MacDonald is a composer, too. In the stage show, she was a pop
tunesmith, and the two were in a culture war. The movie loses most of this, and,
frankly, the story loses power. Still, the music is wonderful and there's lots
of it, and MacDonald gets another chance to play a woman sensible and artistic
who is constantly perplexed by the craziness of men. It's a great part for her,
and she plays it very well. Novarro is a passable singer, but of course MacDonald
is one of Hollywood's great vocalists. Her fans will have to have this, and
students of the Broadway-Hollywood interchange will want this movie as...





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Dying Young

Heart-breaking Melodrama
What got me into this movie was actually the theme "I'll Never Leave You" written by Kenny G and James Newton Howard. The beautiful yet melancholy melody delineates a heart-breaking story about a wealthy young lukemia patient, Victor's (Campbell Scott) final stage of life with a surrogate nurse Hillary (Julia Roberts).

Recognized of his soon demise, Victor makes the most out of limited lifetime through teaching art and making himself happy. Woven with nurse Hillary, Victor realizes being strong and living life to the full is what really matters. The movie is filled with touching life struggle battling the disease, and also bittersweet conversations among the tormented couple.

Scenes and music are both incredible and well-matched. It will touch your soul and prompt you re-evaluate your own life.

Dying Young
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is one to watch over and over again. If you are in the mood to laugh and cry at the same time, this is the movie for you.

An Absolutely Beautiful Love Story!
"Dying Young" is one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever seen on film! The story centers around a woman (Julia Roberts) who is hired to take care of a cancer patient (Campbell Scott). When they first meet, they don't have the greatest respect for each other. Through time they both teach each other incredible things and eventually fall in love. What makes this movie so heart-breaking is Campbell Scott's refusal to continue his cancer treatment towards the end of the movie. I won't tell you what happens at the end, but believe me, you'll need plenty of kleenex - remember, crying doesn't necessarily mean a bad ending. :)

I would highly recommend this film. The characters are great, the casting is wonderful, especially the incomparable Colleen Dewhurst (Campbell Scott's real mother), and the film leaves you with a true feeling of hope and that all things are possible. Watch this film, you won't be disappointed!!!!!!!

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The Numbers Station

3.5 stars... Pleasant thriller worth it for the performances
"The Numbers Station" (2013 release; 90 min.) brings the story of Emerson (played by John Cusack), a CIA operative in the field. As the movie opens, we see Emerson involved in an assassination of several targets but it all goes horribly wrong when the daughter of one of the targets comes onto the scene. Unable to "retire" her, Emerson's boss Gray (played by Liam Cunningham) does so instead, but he promptly demotes Emerson away from the field. Next we see that Emerson has been assigned to guard the broadcaster, a woman named Katherine (played by Malin

iShine KNECT Season 2, Episode 11: Just Be Different

We love IShine!!
I am the parent of a 13 yr old and a 10 yr old. As a parent today it is difficult to find appropriate programming for my children to watch at times. I love IShine and highly recommend it to anyone that has pre-teen and teenage kids. The show has music and skits. They focus on morals and values and how kids have to handle situations in daily life. They have had episodes dealing with a variety of issues including having too many things going on, technology issues (too much cell phone use!), and a ton of other items. We have been watching the show from the beginning and am thrilled to see it hit Amazon Prime!! Yeah!!

The cast and producers love what they do. THis is not just a job for them. I have communicated with the producers of the show and always get a timely answer to my questions. The Rubyz are so down to earth and just great role models for our girls. I hope to see the entire series make it to Amazon Prime!!!

Great for Tweens
My girls love it! Well made with a positive message. Great for the tween / preteen crowd. Not bad for the parents to watch also



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Road to Glory, The

Terrific old classic WWI film - what a cast and what a story.
I've been a film buff since the late fifties. My Dad always liked this one and I saw it one afternoon and then it vanished for decades. It appeared recently and I purchased the DVD and the good old days returned. A powerful cast set in a French sector of the western front. Some terrific battle sequences but the plot carries two stories: a steamy romantic triangle and a father and son struggle amid the brutality of trench warfare. Warner Baxter is terrific in his role as the commander of the French infantry unit that faces the Germans and let me say, June Lang is stunning in her role as the love interest. She looks fabulous and for some reason, she bailed out of the film world shortly after this classic was released.
If you like classic old films with some great character actors and decent amounts of combat and excellent set production then this is one you must watch. And the ending, the rolling artillery barrage and... well you gotta see it.
As they say, they sure don't...

Another Lesser Known Hawks Masterpiece
This was one of the few Hawks films I hadn't seen previously. I should no longer be surprised when I see a lesser known Hawks film that the lack of attention it has received is not because of any want in quality. It was the second script Faulkner worked on for Hawks, who was responsible for bringing him to Hollywood in the first place. Legendary cinematographer Gregg Toland bring his mastery to the film as well. The acting is uniformly gripping. I can't talk about some of the best aspects of the film's construction without spoiling it for those watching for the first time. It is set in World War I and tells the story of a French troop with a long, distinguished record and especially about the three principle characters. As with most Hawks films, the individual scenes are so engrossing that it is not until you've seen the film at least once that you discover how meticuluously everything fits together. A very moving story with a few surprises. One thing I can tell without...

Great World Wr I film.
This movie helps bring to the screen the horrors of war, this time in the trenches during World War I. Warner Baxter, Fredric March & Lionel Barrymore excel in their roles and this is one of the classics from old Hollywood when they used to know how to make good, dramatic films instead of today's fast paced, CGI movies. Recommend this one.

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A Haunting at Silver Falls [HD]

A Haunting at Silver Falls
This was a pretty good movie that is geared towards kids from ages (approx.) 8-13. The acting was good and it was simplistic enough. Basically, it's a murder mystery and ghost story. The movie revolves around teens (no sex, no real drug taking, no soft porn), and the villains were the adults. It reminded me of stories my daughter used to read around the age of 10, such as R.L. Stine's Fear Street, ect. All in all a pretty good movie for the age group I mentioned.

As an adult I like films that are geared for adults, such as "MaMa" or "Bag of Bones". I rated this movie four stars for the benefit of older kids looking for something "clean cut" in the category of "haunted." That's a hard thing to find nowadays.

SHOCKINGLY NOT TOO SHABBY...
My expectations were lower than low for A Haunting at Silver Falls. I've seen too many horrible ghost movies in the past 10 years to even count, so I figured this would be nothing new. And though it's not technically anything "new", it does feel rather unique, which is asking a lot of movies nowadays. For the first half hour I was not as optimistic, however. The beginning of the movie really put me in the mind of Twilight (which is sooo NOT a good thing!) Too many hints of high school romance, too much focus on a teenage girl adjusting to her new home life, too much blandness. The decent acting was the only thing keeping my eyes on the screen, but I'm glad I continued watching because once the movie picked up I ended up really enjoying it. The twist at the end is what really peaked my interest - totally made the whole girl-growing-up-dealing-with-love-and-ghosts thing seem almost fresh once again. Sure, you've seen a lot of this story in a million other movies already, but compared to...

A Good Surprise
You see so much crap these days, and then expect the worst of the movies churned out. This was not one of those mishaps. A Haunting at Silver Falls was an unexpected surprise. I love a good ghost story and this movie didn't disappoint.

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Shanks

Wow...at last!
This must surely be one of the most neglected fantasy films of all time. By all accounts a flop at the time of it's release, it has become the hardest to see of all William Castle's movies - until this BluRay and DVD finally come out it has been impossible to get hold of. It's also in colour, which is another rarity from this director.

French mime/actor Marcel Marceau plays the title role of Malcolm Shanks, a deaf mute puppeteer who scratches out a living putting on shows for children, while bearing the brunt of a miserable home life with his money grabbing brother and sister-in-law, who take all the money he earns for themselves. One day, an elderly professor (also played by Marceau in a dual role) sees his puppet show and offers Shanks a job - to come to his home to assist him is some experiments involving the artificial stimulation of dead animals via electricity, or something...why or how it actually works is not expanded on, but it involves small implants being...

very cool film
This film has got to be one of the strangest films ever made. It combines elements of many different genres. To say more would
spoil the fun.

William Castle's One-of-a-kind Final Masterpiece!
The legendary director's final film has to be seen to be believed. Filmed in the classic silent-film style with title cards and a haunting score by the great Alex North. The world-renowned mime Marcel Marceau as a mute puppeteer who discovers that he can re-animate the dead with electrodes and manipulate them like marionettes. Featuring wonderful performances by mimic greats Tsilla Chelton and Philippe Clay as Mrs. and Mr. Barton, Marceau's evil sister and brother-in-law. Marceau also plays an elderly scientist and inventor who befriends the mute puppeteer. A MUST SEE!

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A Life of Her Own

Melodramatic Moral Decisions
Contrary to what some other reviewers have written, I happen to find this movie quite enjoyable and a prime example of the "Happiness At What Cost?" theme that was explored in many outstanding films of the 30's, 40's and 50's. A few that come to mind are DODSWORTH (Walter Huston), ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO (Bette Davis) and THE SHINING HOUR (Joan Crawford), all of which dealt with people having to ask the question: Do I grab my one and only chance for true love, even though others may suffer for it, or do I follow the noble course of action and sacrifice my own happiness so that the feelings of others will be spared? This film certainly doesn't measure up to any of those classics, but it's still a very entertaining drama. The moral/ethical decision, in this case, involves lonely Lana Turner trying to choose whether to force her lover Ray Milland to leave his wife (an invalid confined to a wheelchair) or to let him go and leave his marriage intact. Soap opera? Maybe, but it's great...

Must see if you like Ann Dvorak
Didn't expect much from this movie as Lana Turner isn't really my cup of tea. More of a Joan Crawford/Bette Davis fan. But really enjoyed the movie and thought Turner quite good and believable when she'd show her hard edge. And yes, a girl like this would be attracted to Milland's goodness/unavailability.

Liked ALOT her moral dilemna and really found myself on the edge of my seat whether she's succomb to the evil guy....who really was also good. And Ann Dvorak! She is a tragic hoot. A great performance by her.

Yeah, the story is pretty dumb...but the performances are really good.

Clothes, my particular passion....ok....Lana was a bit thick in the waste to carry them off.

Turner and Milland in a Fine George Cukor soaper
This 1950 soap opera is not one of Lana Turner's best-known films but it is one of her best movies. This glossy king-sized film literally opened a new era and new career for Lana, no longer the sweater girl of the forties but now a mature but still glamorous woman specializing in lush morality plays, reaching her apex in the genre at the end of the decade with PEYTON PLACE and IMITATION OF LIFE. A LIFE OF HER OWN is very much in the tradition of those films but had the added bonus of having the legendary director George Cukor at the helm who gives this story more taste and discretion than the somewhat overrated Douglas Sirk in similiar, more celebrated films. Lana stars as a small-town girl who comes to New York with a letter of introduction to a major modeling agency, there she befriends fading model Ann Dvorak who briefly (VERY briefly) takes Lana under her wing. Lana rises quickly to the top of the modeling game and finds herself in a fling with married businessman Ray Milland...

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Cleopatra (50th Anniversary Limited Edition 2-Disc + Book) [Blu-ray]

Likely To Be the Blu Ray Event of the Year
It is likely that the US edition of CLEOPATRA on Blu Ray will be identical in most respects to the "All Region" edition released in the UK last year. (I'm guessing that this will apply to the bonus features as well.)

Assuming that the US edition mirrors what's available in the UK, viewers are in for a terrific experience. This particular transfer yields what is quite simply the most spectacular Blu Ray I have ever seen. More than any other studio, Fox has lavished a great deal of time and money on preserving its widescreen films of the 50's, 60's and 70's. Nowhere is the success of that campaign more evident than on CLEOPATRA.

I would note that, as part of the restoration process on its widescreen epics, Fox has struck new 35mm and 70mm film prints. Here in New York, and elsewhere, these prints have been screened theatrically in retrospectives of various sorts. As wonderful as the new CLEOPATRA Blu Ray is, I can only hope that everybody with an interest...

Cleopatra Blu-ray 1963 An Opulent Classic
Cleopatra may be the most opulent motion picture of all time and is a testament to Elizabeth Taylor and the other actors and artisans from this pre-computer generated image era. It was a high point for the magnificence of Todd-AO 70mm and the unique richness of De Luxe Color - all beautifully and faithfully transferred by 20th Century Fox to this new Blu-ray edition. I saw Cleopatra in its first run and recognized it's short-comings possibly caused by the severe cuts made to Joseph Mankiewicz's original vision to release Cleopatra, it is said, as two films telling the Caesar story in one film and the Anthony story in the second. One can only imagine how much of the story and character development got left on the cutting room floor. Cleopatra's legacy has moved far beyond earning the label as the most expensive film ever made - due to waste and mismanagement that nearly caused the demise of Fox Studios. There are "extras" on the Blu-ray version that expose many of such myths. I...

Jaw-dropping restoration for opulent Hollywood epic
Like other reviewers here, I've purchased the Blu-ray which has been widely-available in the United Kingdom and Australia for many, many months. I've no idea why it's taken so long to be released in the States, but for those who've been reluctant to import, it will be well worth the wait.

Quite simply this is the best CLEOPATRA has ever looked on home video - and that is no small feat considering that the title also received raves 10 years ago when it debuted on standard-definition DVD. Restored from original 70mm Todd-AO elements, the High Definition picture brings out all the hidden detailing in sets and costumes, and Alex North's haunting score glistens in full DTS Master audio.

The one thing I criticise is the placement of the film's Entr'acte. Just like the earlier DVD presentation, it has been placed at the end of Disc 1, when it should ideally be on the second disc before launching into the final portion of the film. Whether or not this will be...

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Por Ella Soy Eva

Best telenovela ever
GREAT TELENOVELA. VERY FUNNY. GREAT DVD! LOVED IT. JAIME CAMIL'S BEST PERFORMANCE SO FAR!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED DVD, GOOD EDITING ALSO!

Love My Novelas
"Por Ella Soy Eva" was cute and extremely funny. I'm grateful to fhe fixed pricing on new releases and so grateful that the Spanish TV novelas are made available - I really can't get enough of them. Thank you.

Terrible editing job
I loved watching this telenovela with my mom and thought this would be a great Mother's day gift. After watching the first DVD, I was very disappointed in the editing. The storyline was hard to follow and they edited important transitions to help develop the story.

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Classic TV All-Time Favorites Collection

Classic B&W TV!
Six DVDs of all your childhood favorites. Some WITH the original theme songs, some without.
SOME shows like THE RIFLEMAN are just not available except at outrageous prices.
You GET what you GET... and pretend you're watching it on a 19" B&W set. It's RETRO man!
Rad!





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Lo Frate Nnamorato

Charming !
Lo Frate 'Nnamorato is Pergolesi's first comic opera. The music is fresh and enchanting throughout and the use of Neapolitan dialect adds pleasure. In particular, the aria with flute obbligato that opens the third act is stunning beautiful.

The musical performance is superb. The orchestra conducted by Fabio Biondi, plays with energy and enthusiasm. All the singers are wonderful.

The opera's plot was transferred to the 20th century, but it was done in a very graceful and effective way and looks completely natural.

Highly recommended !





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Brainiac

The Original Masterpiece!...
BRAINIAC is the Mexican classic from the 50s. The creature consists of some poor guy in a rubber mask and rubber claw-gloves! You will sit agog as the mask pulsates w/ his every labored breath! He pierces the skulls of his victims, and sucks out their brains like pimentos pulled out of olives! No cheeeze fanatic's life can possibly be complete without having seen BRAINIAC! I urge you to drop whatever else you may be doing, and watch this glorious film immediately...





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Sommore: Chandelier Status

Bawdy Comedienne Sommore Headlines This Showtime Concert Special, And It's Good To See Her Again
Straight talking comedienne Sommore makes a welcome return with the 2013 Showtime Comedy Concert "Chandelier Status." I hadn't seen much of Sommore lately, so I was happy to have the opportunity to catch up with her. Her real break-out was the immensely popular "Queens of Comedy" tour in 2000 that showcased her unique brand of biting commentary. As part of a quartet of funny ladies (Mo'Nique, Adele Givens, and Laura Hayes were the others), she was fresh out of jail and ready to serve up her bawdy world view. It wasn't until 2007 that she unveiled her first full length concert tour with "The Queen Stands Alone" and its subsequent Comedy Central Special and DVD have become wildly popular. Since then, she has been a part of other comedy ensembles (Royal Comedy Tour), but "Chandelier Status" again puts Sommore front and center as the headliner of her own show. Filmed before an enthusiastic Miami audience, Sommore is older and wiser and ready to dish.

An easy...

Not as Funny
I love Sommore but was a little disapointed in this special. She wasn't as funny as the previous ones and her cursing distracts from alot of her comedic work.

Best Performance By Sommore
She's a real woman talking about real life issues. Now I know why she calls herself a chandelier. Wouldn't you like to know too?

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Becoming Redwood

BECOMING REDWOOD
A WONDERFUL FILM FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY. A PRECOCIOUS 11-YEAR OLD WITH AN OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION HAS HIS LIFE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN WHEN HE IS FORCED TO LEAVE HIS HIPPY FATHER AND MOVE IN WITH HIS STRAIGHR LACED MOTHER. NOW HE MUST FIQURE OUT HOW TO FIT IN WITH HIS COLORFUL NEW FAMILY, ALL WHILE BEATING JACK NICKLAUS AT THE 1975 CHAMPIONSHIP.

A fascinating story about a child's imagination!
I enjoyed this film from the standpoint of watching a young boy face adversity and his parents splitting up, yet using a VERY active imagination to work past many of his troubles and adversaries. I would recommend "Becoming Redwood" for teens and older. It was a little different that what I had expected, but it IS a great flick!



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The Lost Stone [HD]

Toddler approved!
My little one likes the show. It makes her very happy to have an episode to tote around on my kindle. We love to hear Twigs' (David Tennant) Scottish accent. The quality is very good, nice and clear, sound is wonderful.





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Foreverland [HD]

Awesome, awesome, awesome!
So I was one of the lucky ones who rented this title and actually got to watch before Amazon started having problems with it. And seriously I loved it! An accurate view of Cystic Fibrosis and an awesome movie. It made me giggle and tear up more than once. I loved the theme of hope in the midst of such a terrible disease. So to sum up, when you get the chance watch it!

Great Story, Great Message
Maybe this story is more poignant if you know someone with Cystic Fibrosis, but I thought it did a wonderful job of actually showing people what it's like to live with CF, while telling a great story with a message relevant to anyone. Sure, maybe it's been done before, maybe there are similar movies out there, but it's a message that we can all be reminded of again and again. I would recommend it anytime!

Heartfelt realty
Chose to watch during the afternoon when the children weren't home as our nine year old has Cystic Fibrosis and I didn't know what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very well done and I recommend it to anyone.

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Let Freedom Ring

Nelson Eddy Will Surprise You In This Film!
It's great to see Nelson Eddy, cast in his first "solo" role, looking so comfortable and sure: no singing co-star, no tight uniforms, no white wigs, not even a Mountie hat! The handsome, booming baritone sings plenty of songs, all woven beautifully into the story. Eddy returns home from an Eastern college to save his frontier town from the clutches of greedy railroad barons. He masquerades as a toady to Edward Arnold's villainous landgrabber but sets up a hidden printing press to incite the underdogs to rebel against their oppressors. The big burly Irish actor, Victor McLaglen, is hilarious as a ham-fisted foreman of a crew of immigrant laborers who cries real tears when Eddy, at McLaglen's prodding, sings old Irish songs. Lionel Barrymore is Eddy's leathery rancher father, and pretty Virginia Bruce is perfect as the love interest and doesn't even have to sing. Combining handsome, virile Nelson Eddy's gorgeous, strong voice with its message of religious and ethnic...

Nelson Eddy at His Best
First, a word of caution. If you are looking for the Nelson Eddy movie, Let Freedom Ring, make sure that is what you are ordering. There is an unrelated documentary with the exact same title available on DVD, but as of this writing, the Eddy movie is NOT available on DVD. When ordering the movie, look for a VHS tape case with Nelson Eddy and Virginia Bruce on the cover.

The plot of the movie is one of patriotism and tolerance, a message threaded throughout many movies of the WWII era. The entire cast is excellent, but Nelson Eddy stands out as the clear star of the movie.

Eddy plays the prodigal son returning home from college to find his family and the rest of the town being bullied and terrorized by a crooked railroad boss. In a masquerade reminiscent of Zorro, Nelson's character Steve Logan alienates Maggie Adams (Virginia Bruce) the woman he loves as well as his father Tom Logan (Lionel Barrymore) and the rest of his neighbors by assuming a public stance...

Movie
What a treasure of a movie with Nelson Eddy this is hard to get. Nelson Eddy is great a hero that can fight and sing. Wonderful voice a joy to see.

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Qi-Gong For Everyone Part 1

lovely and authentic
Someone gave me a copy of this DVD (maybe the giver knew I needed to start doing Qi gong again) and though normally I'm not that great at following videos, this one I really like. Edna's movements are clear, unambiguous, and flow like water. It's obvious she's a master at Qi gong, and from what I've read elsewhere, many other styles of internal exercises as well. Her concentration and focus are communicated well to the viewer and have inspired me to re-start my own practice, after many years. I also love the sound track. A good sound track can enhance these kinds of videos and a poor one can wreck them! The music is lovely and just fits. I look forward to more Qi gong instruction from her. I would highly recommend this video to those who are already familiar with Qi gong and beginners.

Her teaching style reminded me of when I first learned Tai Chi many years ago from an old Chinese man in a Honolulu park. He didn't speak a word, just did the sequences over and over...

Simple but Effective Approach...
I enjoy practicing this qigong exercises. Its simple but its has tremendous effect!
Its now part of my daily routine and easy to follow. I loved the soundtrack too, this qigong
exercises has more than what you expect. You can see the genuine approach she conveying permitting
the qi as a healing tools to everyone. For sure, I'll recommend this to everyone!

QI-Gong exercise
Qi-Gong exercise is healing to the body. I've been looking for a video in Qi-Gong for a long time and i found that Edna's style is very easy to follow and it's effective. I've been practicing it for quite a while now. It helps me with a lot of health issues in my body, i had pain in my back and disappeared after doing Qi-kung for a few days. Qi-Gong For Everyone Part 1

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Freaky Circus Guy

Cool, unusual
Very unusual film. STrange art collector who has a sideshow. Enigma was great. Katzen & Danyell from GWAR. WIll Darke is unbelievably talented. Recommend





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Diane

Actually, Better Than I Thought It Would Be!
Years ago, my friend David had a book about history as told thru Hollywood movies, and that was how I first learned of the movie, "Diane". Seemed a silly movie, advertised by a dueling shot of French prince Roger Moore matching his epee with courtesan Lana Turner in her sixteenth-century Tudor style wimple. Fast forward to 2002, and put us in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where that venerable institution decides that a good movie to link to its current tapestry exhibit would be--yep--"Diane", of all things. The week before, it had been "A Man for All Seasons". Well, I just had to check this out; I mean, I've NEVER even seen it listed in a tv guide. Saw it with Edith just last night.

Not bad! Not a classic, but not bad.

For one thing, the costumes are just wonderful, the creations of Walter Plunkett of "Gone with the Wind" fame. No, they're not authentic, but this was a Lana Turner movie, you know, not a BBC documentary. So, if you like gorgeous women in velvet and pearls, this...

some of the msot beautiful music ever composed........
The most unforgettable element in this average costumer is the extraordinary score by Miklos Rozsa, which ranks among his most magnificent compositions. The central theme, a lilting melody, is presented with varying segments of the orchestra. This score reduces the rest of this adequate film to cinders, but such is often the case with this seminal film composer. A comprehensive two-disc set of the essential score with extensive liner notes is available from Film Score Monthly. For film score fans, it is frankly a must-own.

Great Drama Movie in Epic Style of the 1950's
I watched this excellent drama movie on TV, having never heard of it. As other reviewers have done an excellent job of summarizing the content, I will merely state my reaction.

I'm not a James Bond fan, but I quite liked Roger Moore's performance and character here. Lana Turner was likeable and glamorous. I was caught up in the story from the first moment, and watched it rivited, until the end. This was a period and place in history that I previously knew nothing about. It was an emotional movie with a very satisfying ending.

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Welcome Home Soldier Boys

Okay transfer of very rare film
This film was supposed to be released in 1972, and I even saw a trailer preview for it at a local Seattle drive-in, saying "Coming next week." Unfortunately, the film never did open in Seattle. Perhaps 20th-Century Fox got cold feet? After all, Nixon was still in the white house.

The film itself is a generally excellent drama about Viet Nam veterans returning home from the war. They're not treated like heroes at all, leading to very bitter emotions. As good as most of the film is, the climax seems more like a standard action flick battle than a more socially-conscious drama. The irony is that the soldier boys are battling other Americans once they've returned home.

In terms of video quality, this release probably rates a three-star rating. The image is full-frame and a bit hazy. I never saw the film theatrically, due to its spotty distribution, so I can't say what the original cinematography looked like. The four-star rating is because the film is...





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Daddy Issues [HD]

huge changes in cast and focus but quality still up there
not only was peter removed from this show but also the two cops who worked with Megan, the lead character, a medical examiner. brought in as a major new character is a cop who Megan previously knew and with whom she was involved. They do have chemistry in the show and he is infinitely more appealing than anyone this show has used as a male to date. The two doofus, comic MEs are back as are the daughter, the boss and to a limited extent, the mother. the only thing that is somewhat unbelievable is that a medical examiner in a big city would be spending a ton of time with the cops other than at the scene of the crime to study the body and then with the cops during the autopsy, if they attended. But no, Megan is right out there with the cops solving the cases. this reminds me more of the partnership of Bones and Booth in BONES than of a forensic medical show. I do keep watching though because of Dana Delaney. She was the best thing on the end portion of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and has...

i highly recommend it!
i LOVE the cast change. a show well done and worth the hour to watch! the chemistry with the cast is fluid and sometimes funny. plots are no replicas of other crime shows out there so its very original as well. enjoy!!!

ABC F'd up again. Body of Proof Xled.
For years now I've taken to ABC series and it seems to me as soon as the show is doing REALLY well they dump it. Loved Body of Proof. I've completely dumped ABC. Deleted the channel from appearing on my TV. If they actually put on a series that is decent I'll wait a few years and see if my friends have liked it. If so I'll watch it on Amazon or something. But ABC is done in my house.

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The Merry Widow

MUCH better than the Brazilian release
I bought this DVD with trepidation after seeing the reviews on the Brazilian release of this film. However, I was wonderfully surprised: The sound and picture quality, while not perfect (come on, it was filmed in the 30s!), are passable, and you can actually hear the whole film.

If you are a purist when it comes to original stories, this is not for you. If you think Jeannette MacDonald is shrill, or can't sing, this is definitely not for you! However, for those of us who love Miss MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, and the campy, smarmy musicals of filmdom's early days, this is a keeper.

The story revolves around Count Danilo and Madam Sonia. Sonia, the richest woman in Marshovia (She's into every cow in the country for 52%!), tires of dower widowhood and decides to go to Paris. In order to avoid national bankruptcy should the lovely widow marry a foreigner, the king of Marshovia sends Danilo to Paris to woo and win Sonia and bring her back home. From there,...

One of the last, great Pre-Code musical comedy gems
This utterly delightful film stands as the ultimate condemnation for the shameful censorship that the Hays office would soon inflict on the movies. THE MERRY WIDOW was one of the very last Pre-Code films to be released before Hollywood was forced to mute all sexuality, prove in every film that crime didn't pay, and purify all on screen language of all improprieties. After 1934, all sex was decidedly nonsexual, married couples always slept in twin beds (full sized beds were banned as being too suggestive), criminals died or were arrested by the end of each gangster film, and all forms of naughtiness were ejected from the movies.

THE MERRY WIDOW would never have passed muster for the Hays office. Edward Everett Horton and Maurice Chevalier embrace and are assumed to be a gay couple by a police officer. One of the most important scenes in the film takes place in a brothel (Maxim's), and Jeanette MacDonald pretends to be a courtesan. The movie is laced with suggestive jokes and sexual...

A charmer that holds up well
This is the very best filmed version of Franz Lehar's delighful operetta. The cast is perfectly matched, the music and songs wonderfully rendered. Though black and white, one rapidly begins to see all the true color. This is a charmer from Hollywood's Golden Age that holds up well. Forget the 1952 version, it does not have the vitality of Ernst Lubitch direction, nor does it have a peak Maurice Chevalier nor the lovely Jeanette MacDonald. You will want to watch it many times, as a picker-upper.

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Akwantu: the Journey

Akwantu is a Must See!
Akwantu:The Journey is a scholarly, entertaining, and inspiring film that delivers a message beyond the personal experience of one Jamaican in search of his roots to a compelling and empowering history of an exemplary people.





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The Silver Chalice

Paul Newman and the Holy Grail
This faux-Biblical epic marked Paul Newman's screen debut in the role of Basil, defender of the Holy Grail. His performance is, well, just imagine dropping Paul Newman in the middle of a Fifties religious spectacle, and that's pretty much what you get. You have evil wizards and hooch dancers for villains, solemn patriarchs and saintly good girls as heroes, and a silly plot made sillier by the pious hokum.

But all the stars are upstaged by the curious set designs. Imagine ancient Palestine as an igloo camp designed by Buckminster Fuller. Peculiar, science fiction domes are everywhere, and with the several scenes from the rooftops, including an interessting sword-fight, the scenery is quite distracting.

This film would be enjoyed by those who are in the right state of mind.

A bizarre religious epic!
Based on a best-seller by Thomas B. Costain, and directed by Victor Saville, "The Silver Chalice" was one of the studio's early CinemaScope films, and was really a variation on Fox's "The Robe," the first CinemaScope movie that had been a huge success in 1953... The action follows a group of Christians who are dedicated to preserving Christ's Holy Cup twenty years after the Last Supper...

Since Newman had the lead as a young Greek silversmith, sold into slavery, then chosen by the Christians to design a chalice for the Cup, becomes involved in battles and orgies, and must decide between the pagan world represented by a courtesan (Virginia Mayo) and the Christian world represented by his young, innocent wife (Pier Angeli). There is also a mad pagan magician (Jack Palance), who wants to destroy the chalice and establish his own religion, replacing Christ's miracles with black magic...

Newman was ideally cast as a Greek, because of his classic features, but he makes...

Flawed but interesting epic with a great score
This is the movie which became notorious due to an advertisement Paul Newman took out in an L.A. newspaper in the '60's in which he apologized for it before its U.S. TV premiere.(Other castmembers were apparently not so thrilled with this gesture!) From a modern perspective the movie can be seen as one of the most visually interesting wide-screen films from this early era of the "giant screen epics" with generally good performances and a truly magnificent score by Franz Waxman ( a genuis who also scored REBECCA,A PLACE IN THE SUN, SUNSET BLVD.,PEYTON PLACE,SAYONARA,TARAS BULBA etc.). An archeological find in Antioch (one of the crossroads of the ancient world and the home of the church which the Apostle Paul attended) of a beautifully sculptured silver chalice with Christ and the apostles on it led author Thomas B. Costain to write an "historical fiction" which became a best-seller in the early '50's. Like Lloyd C. Douglas' THE ROBE and General Lew...

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Yana's Friends

Friends of film, take note
It is 1991 in Tel Aviv, and with the threat of Saddam Hussein's poison gas missiles forcing Israeli citizens into sealed rooms in the middle of the night, an interconnected set of stories manages to put warmth into a most controversial of topics: Immigration and Israel...

For once, the film manages to set aside the politics a bit and a human face is seen first.

Yana's Friends is a lovely story. Everything in this film is charming and perfectly moderate. The music is beautiful, the comedy is genuine, the story has it all: finely interwoven stories and surprises, beleivable charm. I wish for the appropriate word; it seems to me this film is, beautifully and charmingly, moderate; and that is what makes it so successful in reaching its aims: to warm, to charm, to make one laugh. Its details, its atmosphere, its characters all are created with a feeling that is not precisely "magic," but "real," and it is genuinely and warmly funny. I think this director, Arik Kaplun, has something to...

Entertaining, quirky immigrant comedy
"Yana's Friends" is a light movie about a young pregnant Russian woman left alone in Israel by her husband, with only her philandering roommate and rude landlady to watch over her. The exploits of poor Russian immigrant are humorized, with the Gulf War as an often-comic backdrop. The film never loses its charm; the characters are always entertaining. Although funnier if you speak Russian, anyone can enjoy a sweet movie like this one.

Yofi! (that means great!)
The movie was what they call a good "tragicomedy" in Russia. It had its almost hopeless moments, yet showed what the perseverance and hope one has can do and what fruit they will bear. The movie had a very unexpected and charming ending :)

Those who watch it, will not be disappointed (unless they only want to cry like the reviewer before me). And I am from Russia too, and lived there in the 90's, so don't listen to the disenchanted. This movie will give you a reason to hope and to smile :)

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Silver Whip, The

Smooth, pleasant Western
A beautiful print of an interesting and very pleasant Western. The sequence where the three friends close in on the villian (played by John Kellogg) remains one of the best of its kind.

Good old fashion western
The early 1950's produced those wonderful entertaining westerns we don't see anymore. The good guys vs the bad guys and all that shoot-em-up. An early Robert Wagner is enjoyable and appealing and shows promise. Dale Robertson and Rory Calhoun, not the best actors in Hollywood, always provide the typical western hero image. It's fun.

A Good Film
We hadn't seen Dale Robertson before and found him to be a good actor. The film was a good western, very predictable and a little cheesy but a fun film.

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iShine KNECT Season 2, Episode 5: God's Word [HD]

We love IShine!!
I am the parent of a 13 yr old and a 10 yr old. As a parent today it is difficult to find appropriate programming for my children to watch at times. I love IShine and highly recommend it to anyone that has pre-teen and teenage kids. The show has music and skits. They focus on morals and values and how kids have to handle situations in daily life. They have had episodes dealing with a variety of issues including having too many things going on, technology issues (too much cell phone use!), and a ton of other items. We have been watching the show from the beginning and am thrilled to see it hit Amazon Prime!! Yeah!!

The cast and producers love what they do. THis is not just a job for them. I have communicated with the producers of the show and always get a timely answer to my questions. The Rubyz are so down to earth and just great role models for our girls. I hope to see the entire series make it to Amazon Prime!!!

Great for Tweens
My girls love it! Well made with a positive message. Great for the tween / preteen crowd. Not bad for the parents to watch also



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Bill Maher: New Rules

I WANT MORE!
Bill Maher I love his new rules they always make me laugh. He always makes good points and would love it if he would release more on dvd.





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Billy Joel: A Matter of Rust

Photo Booth
Loved the video and perfect timing we are doing a wedding with a vintage carnival theme and a photo booth. Great ideas and the restoration was great!

Love the show!
This show is great. Rick restores item that customers want done and in most cases he brings back their memories!

Must watch
Great information, excellent documentation for restortion of vintage Americana. Plus lots of funny stories and characters. I give it a triple AAA rating.

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