The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (English Dubbed Version)

Not a Hollywood Film!
Thank heavens, and it doesn't suffer from the predictability and cliches of Hollywood that almost every movie from that town does nowadays. One never knows where The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec will end up next, and that's half of the fun. Pterydactyls, mummies, and raising from the dead have never been as fun, or as fashionable. Louise Bourgois, as Adele, is wonderful. And for those of you, like myself, who don't speak French, the English dubbing is well voiced (although not necessarily always well synchronized). It's nothing more than a silly, fun romp, but it is a very good silly fun romp.

Wait for the Director's Cut
This movie is very fun, but unfortunately Shout! Factory has decided to release a censored version that removes the briefest of nudity scenes from the movie. A scene actually shown in the theaters. What's worse is they're releasing a "Director's Cut" version in just a few months. That's a rather poor decision considering this version was not advertised as being censored and people who bought it had no idea of a Director's Cut coming out in October.

So before you say this review wasn't helpful because I gave it 1-star, I'm giving 1 star solely for the release and not for the movie. Shout! is being greedy and trying to get people to buy it twice. If you support that then go ahead and say I'm not helpful.

I hope others who read this also post similar reviews so that they realize they can't treat their customers like this.

Region 0 version English & French 5.1 Dolby Digital
In addition to what little information that Amazon provides for this title;

it has:

BOTH the original French audio in 5.1 Dolby Digital

AND English 5.1 Dolby Digital

as well as ONLY English subtitles

It's also 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen

and runs 112 minutes and is NTSC video format

And it is Region 0, not Region 1. This DVD is Region Free and will play worldwide.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Raising Izzie

What makes a family?
This is such a sweet movie. In a time when everyone seems to have become "hardened" and self absorbed, this movie comes along and puts a smile on your face. Two homeless girls are in desperate need of a home. Its been almost a year since they lost their mother and the oldest sister is trying her best to take care of her young sister and keep them both out of the legal system. Then there is a husband and wife that seems happy on the outside, but are somewhat unhappy behind closed doors. What's missing? Children. A conventional family is nothing new, although a good conventional family is what most of us strive to have. Sometimes we take the smallest things for granted. A good marriage is wonderful and adding children to the mix is a blessing. This is what makes this movie special. A man, woman, and two orphan girls are brought together under difficult circumstances. Through a lot of soul searching and some help from the child social services, a family is made. There are...

A great movie
A lovely movie in which 4 people in 2 separate families come together to meet each others needs. It portrays the power of faith and family in facing life's challenges and reassures everyone that God is on the throne, no matter what you are feeling or going through. A must buy!

Encore
This is a terrific movie about faith. Do we really have faith in God. This movie is not to be missed. Rent or buy it today.

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Big Wedding

Oh come on, it wasn't THAT bad
The reviews here are pretty funny, I think these people thought they were looking at the next big award winning comedy or something. It is just a grab some popcorn and relax for a couple hours type of movie. Nothing amazing, nothing terrible. Should it have been better with all the stars in the cast? Perhaps. But at least if you know this going in maybe you can enjoy it more and not be set up for failure like these other folks.

It had its funny, it had some heart tugs, it had some raunchy, and a few yawning moments. All in all it was a decent comedy and I did not think I wasted my time with it. It is a slow paced comedy, won't have you jumping out of your seat in laughter but you should smile throughout most of it.

If you need a lighthearted movie night flick and nothing else is jumping out at you, this will do.

So much worse than I even feared
This movie was terrible-start to finish. I read some of the reviews and thought- "Oh, it's a romantic comedy, how bad could it be." Really, really, really bad! That's how bad. If you have a moral fiber in your being it will repulse you and if you don't it is just a really dumb movie. Such a waste of money and time.

Family dysfunction at its finest at 'The Big Wedding'
There isn't one specific comedy in the history of film that everyone can agree on as being a good (let along funny) film. With that being said, you can only expect so much when you hear about the release of another movie centering on a wedding, which happens to have some of the biggest names in Hollywood on its guest list. It's disturbing to see such harsh criticism for a film that was always going to have the majority of critics attacking it from the get-go - either because they aren't smart enough to see the humor in the situations of a purely over-the-top melodrama, or they're just a huge crank that can't appreciate absurdly hilarious family interactions. The goal of this genre of film is to make you laugh, clearly by any means necessary. But, for all of the critical writers out there that thrive on attacking a simple R-rated wedding comedy for the sake of being negative - well, I'm sorry, but you need to lighten up on the elitism and embrace the chaos. Please, do yourself a...

Click to Editorial Reviews

I Killed My Mother [HD]

Hard
Wow, what a powerful film, a bombardment of strong emotions and frustrations.
I cried, felt sadness and emptyness and though I absolutey adore Xavier Dolan with every inch of my body and soul, he was an unlikeable brat in this one, but relateable at the same time.
Superbly acted, beautifully edited (the painting/love scene!!) and excellently scored, this is a movie for filmlovers and not just gay ones at that.

Colud watch it over and over
Xavier Dolan has the making of a very artistic and sensative director/director...a modern day Bergman? And besides he's so cute.

Interesting first film by Xavier Dolan
I had been wanting to see this semi-autobiographical film for 2 years (since it was never distributed nationally in the U.S.) I really enjoyed his second film ("Heartbeats") and was curious to see the one that proceeded it.

I enjoyed the plot and the acting is very good. If you like foreign films (this is made in Quebecois with English subtitles) you will probably enjoy it. Dolan's character is a bit of a brat and is a little over-bearing. It can be really distracting at times... that's the main reason I didn't give it 5 stars, but YMMV.

I recommend it, as well as his second feature, "Hearbeats."

Click to Editorial Reviews

TV Junkie [HD]

Brutally honest
RIck Kirkham had it all. He traveled 3 Million miles covering the most exciting stories, had a beautiful wife and two children waiting at home for him in Plano, Texas and everything looked like the bright side of the American Dream. Everything was not as it seemed and Rick's own camera captured it all. There is no denying the film's brutal power. It's an addictive self-examination of a man ruled by his obsessions that challenges audiences to look away, knowing it's it is near impossible to resist the harrowing professional and personal meltdown on screen.

Given the recent rash of celebrity deaths recently to drugs, it should be must viewing for anyone with a family or children who idolize these figures. As the Producer/Director of the piece, we hope it not only entertains you but that it enlightens you. Please let us know what you think.

The educational version FACES OF ADDICTION created in conjunction with the New York TImes Anti-drug curriculum will be released...





Click to Editorial Reviews

Thomas & Friends Hooray For Thomas & Other Adventures

Great New Stories
You're invited to the celebration on the Island of Sodor! Watch as Thomas wins a medal for saving the day. Will Edward rescue the brass band in time? Can Peter Sam help find a new refreshment stand for the refreshment lady? There's lots of fun new stories in this DVD, including Rheneas giving the school children a roller coaster ride on the tracks and Gordon winning a best-dressed competition.

The stories themselves run about 35 minutes and include:

Hooray For Thomas

Edward's Brass Band

The Refreshment Lady's Stand

Rheneas and the Roller Coaster

The Grand Opening

Best Dressed Engine

The Bonus Features include:

Character Gallery

Read Along Story: The Great Race

Sing Along Song: The Red Balloon

3 Games: Counting Celebration, Paint Party, and Fun With Shapes

Computer Fun: Web Fun and 2 Coloring Sheets

While the stories will appeal to...

I keep forgetting to read the back of the box...
before I purchase a new Thomas video/DVD to check out the narrator. This particular DVD is narrated by Michael Brandon. I do not care for his voice. Of course, I am nostalgic for Ringo Starr, George Carlin, or, surprisingly, Alec Baldwin. Also, I prefer Michael Angelis (from "New Friends For Thomas") as a new narrator. I find Michael Brandon to be horribly inconsistent (and somewhat inappropriate and uninventive) with the character's voices. They vary from story to story and sometimes within the stories themselves. His voice is also too harsh in my opinion. My five-year-old who loves Thomas doesn't have much interest in the videos he narrates. This has not been the case with the other narrators.

The stories themselves are somewhat lacking as well. "Edward's Brass Band" features the sweetest engine on the railway, but you would never know it watching this story. Thomas and Bertie's race seemed half-hearted, and the stories about Rheneas, Skarloey, and Peter Sam...

Narrator is hard to follow
my 1 year old loves the Ringo Narrations, he will not watch this one with this Narrator. The Narrator is all over the place, and his voices are dumb. I cant even watch it because it makes me go insane. I love the Ringo ones and so does my 1 year old. This DVD is going right up on Ebay.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Fast Sofa [HD]

Crispin Glover saves Fast Sofa from being unwatchable
Fast Sofa starts out very unpromisingly. An agonizingly long sequence of Jake Busey and Natasha Lyonne sexing it up intercut with shots of Jennifer Tilly as a porn star moaning in one of her videos. All of it with some mediocre rock playing over it. Talk about bad beginnings.

The first 45 minutes of Fast Sofa are filled with poorly acted scenes and seem to lack any sense of meaning or purpose. Adam Goldberg's character is almost entirely unnecessary. What saves this move right at the "time to switch it off" breaking point is the entrance of Crispin Glover.

With short, red, '50's styled hair, a slightly sun-burned face, a lazy eye, and a wool suit, Crispin Glover enters the picture and the whole atmosphere changes. It literally feels like a different movie. The rest of the actors step up their own game just acting alongside him.

At this point the film becomes somewhat of a "so opposite they just click" buddy movie, in which Jake Busey is the...

not to bad
I waited a long time for this book to become a movie and it stays somewhat true to the book,Jennifer Tilly is dead on as the porn star, and the ending's a classic in the vein of way of the gun or u-turn. Recommend it

Interesting, to say the least
Jake Busey and Crispin Glover are among a cast that all take part in this wierd little movie. Rick and Jules go on a road trip to palm springs after Rick decides to pack up and leave his old life behind. Oh, by the way, they are complete strangers. What an adventure, with a lot of interesting characters along the way, which makes this film just plain entertaining. Great cinematography to boot. Worth renting or even buying used.

Click to Editorial Reviews

On The Road

A film that captures that elusive spirit of Jack Kerouac's novel
There is bound to be a generational gap in the audience response to Walter Salles' and Jose Rivera's adaptation of Jack Kerouac's immensely important book ON THE ROAD, a story about the 'first beatnik' who in the aftermath of WW II found the world not only confusing but senseless, and his way of trying to find his place as a writer spawned his book that is in many ways a diary of three years of living on the lam, penniless except for occasional odd jobs to finance gas, food and crash pads. It is a Whitmanesque song of independence and yearning for meaning and love and acceptance and Salles and Rivera, with considerable assistance from the musical score by Gustavo Santaolalla and the cinematography of Eric Gautier.

The young unfocused writer Sal Paradise/Jack Kerouac (Sam Riley)is joined by free-spirited Dean Moriarty/Neal Cassady (Garrett Hedlund in a magnificently realised portrayal) and his girl, Marylou/Luanne Henderson (Kristen Stewart) and Carlo Marx/Allen Ginsberg...

It Was a Beautifully Filmed, Well-acted, Classic in the Making
Let's just get this out of the way - the movie is not the book. Now that we've established that truism for most book-to-movie adaptations, let's move on.

Just to give a little background on my mindset before I viewed this movie, I am not a Kerouac fan. Reading Kerouac as a black woman, is like repeatedly sticking a fork in my eye in some parts. It's painful to read the misogyny and the romanticism of picking cotton (When I read he thought he could make it his "life's work," I almost threw the book out of the window). But, I continued and actually understood his mindset by the end of the book. However, I really never wanted to be in his head again. It was a scary place.

So, as you could probably tell, I had my reservations about the movie. However, the cast won me over. When you have Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Buscemi, Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, and Kirsten Dunst all in one movie, you can practically guarantee some fine...

CENSORED VERSION
What a let down. This is some sort of re-cut version, not the theatrical version that I seen. Censored and re-cut. Hopefully there will be an unrated version released. I feel cheated. Not recommended.

Click to Editorial Reviews

The World's Oldest Living Bridesmaid

Wonderful uplifting movie!
Great storyline! It was very uplifting and refreshing to watch. I laughed many times out loud. Very funny parts throughout.

The World's Oldest Living Bridesmaid
I really enjoyed this movie! I was feeling kind of depressed, and it cheered me up. It is a cute story, good acting, and just plain fun. It's worth watching!

One of my favorites
I had seen this movie on TV several years ago and have searched for the film. It is funny and romantic. I happen to love this type of movie. I was delighted when I found this on Amazon.

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Five of Me

From the Back of the Box:
Henry Hawksworth (David Birney) is a man menaced by a multiple personality. There is Dana, the conservative family man; Johnny, violent and sociopathic; Peter, creative and childish; Phil, protective and unemotional. "Phil" fights in Korea. "Dana" falls in love with Ann (Dee Wallace) and marries her. Their relationship is characterized by Dana's changing personalities- from "Johnny", who burns her with a cigarette to "Peter", who recites poetry. Following a crime, "Johnny" is arrested and tried. In court Henry's multiple personalities are painfully revealed. This is a compassionate drama based on a true story.

The five of me
This movie is so great it's one the no it's the first drama movie that I saw that I have never forgotten. I would love to have it in my collections

David Birney is a wonderful actor and this is my favorite movie from him of all times. please can you find a copy so I can enjoy it any time my son would like to see this for I have spoke on this movie alot of times.

please contact me by email as soon as possiable thank you.

The Five of Me
Watched this movie late nite TV many years ago brought back memories just like it did then. Played good, excellent acting and insight into the condition and recovery of mental health. I've been waiting a long time to get this movie - it was worth the purchase.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Betrayed: A Story of Three Women

Oh Another Affair / Hah
This Movie should say Two Women and a Husband - I'm not going to give away the story here - but I'll say this - I believe most adults will enjoy this film - There is no foul language / no nudity and if I was going to rate it - I'd give it a PG13 only because under 16 I don't believe would understand the friendships involved / the parenthood's involved. Four 1/2 Stars is my real rating and that's because the first 15 minutes are very slow to the real true grit of this film.
Buy it or rent it - you won't be disappointed

Excellent Movie!
A great movie about a girl who becomes involved with the husband of her mother's best friend. Wonderful acting, and a great resolution proving that true frienship cannot be broken!

True Story
I love true stories and this DVD was really good. The price was great also. I have shared with my sister.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Finding Joy [HD]

Hilarious film!
This movie made me laugh and cry too. It was so funny. I loved the characters and the quirkiness of the family. A gem of an indie comedy!

Finding Joy
Fun & heart warming. A great date night movie. The summary really doesn't do it justice. Be prepared to laugh and crying.

So allright i like chick flicks
Sentimental, check, cute lady with terminal disease, check, male in great need of getting in touch with his 'feelings?; check.
Predictable, but still enjoyable. ron wallach www.wholetoothmaui.com

Click to Editorial Reviews

Ned Blessing

Where's the ending?
Great movie, but (spoiler alert) where is the ending? Is this to be continued? does the bad guy show up? Does Ned exact revenge?

Great Film
This was actually a pretty good movie. None of the acting was too bad. And the story was pretty good. The sets and costumes were all top notch as well. My only real fault with the film is that there is no ending! Except that if you have been watching along, you kind of already know how it will end. It just leaves you curios how it gets there. So the film begs for a sequel. The film is still fairly new so we may actually get one.

good movie
I would sure like to see a followup on this movie, it was well made and interesing to watch, I was very surprised when I watched it.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Minotaur [HD]

Wow. A splatter flick ripped (off) from classical Greek mythology
Theseus is pretty much a forgotten figure when it comes to Hollywood movies based on Greek mythology. You are more likely to find Theseus in a television series, especially if Hercules is the main character, or in a production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." There is a 1961 Italian film, "Teseo contro il minotauro," but that is just another forgotten "sword and sandals" beefcake film. Theseus is considered the greatest hero in Athenian history and while someday his story will be given the same treatment the Perseus ("Clash of the Titans"), Achilles ("Troy"), Odysseus ("The Odyssey"), and even Jason ("Jason and the Argonauts") have received, I am here to tell you that "Minotaur" is not that film. In the final analysis, this is not so much a bad film as one that is just not good.

First of all, if you were expecting this to be the story of Theseus, the young prince of Athens, who slew the Minotaur in the Labyrinth that Daedalus built for King Minos beneath his...

Tragic Waste of Film
Upon finishing this movie, 2 questions come to mind: 1)WHY did they bother to make this?? and 2)HOW did the 2 idiots that wrote this moronic screenplay get any employment in the film industry?? For starters, why did they not make this closer to the legend and set it in ancient Greece instead of "the iron age"? I mean, "Theo" from the village of "Thena", sheesh! I know people today aren't as educated as they should be, but the writers display an absolute contempt for their audience that is unforgiveable. And did they think we would care about a bunch of annoying, 25 yr old "teenagers" who are apparently too mentally challenged to shut the hell up after the first one or two get killed because they wouldn't, well, shut the hell up? Did they think we were stupid enough to believe that? Not half as stupid as the writers who couldn't come up with anything better. And the saddest part is that this flick doesn't even have enough heart to be unintentionally funny. One would think the...

The Bull, the Brother, and the Maze of Demise.
A city worships the visage of the bull until they decide to birth a living god for themselves. so they take a female and feed her to the desires of their self-made god, and out comes a beast that hungers and that needs. In order to sate their creation, people are forced into the lair of the beast in order to make sure it stays happy and doesn't have to turn to Hot Pockets. It also has a sadism to it, and this is reflected in the chase it gives as it takes its hatred out on the people that come in little chains of food. One person decides to challenge this, however, and enters the maze of the minotaur in order to both find his missing loved one and to slay the beast. And so the horror begins.

First and foremost, if you watched this on television you have negated a lot of the movie. It becomes nothing but a chopped up variant of itself, and it will make you want to turn the channel. Next, forget for a second that there is a legend with a minotaur attached to it and that...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Conspiracy

As Advertised
I watched the trailer for the film and was intrigued and saw that it would be released on the internet within a few weeks so I made note of it and moved on. Today I saw an ad on another site for the trailer again and after watching the trailer again I was still interested so I decided to give it a watch.

First off I will say I enjoyed the film, and I think if you watched the trailer and you were interested in the movie based on the trailer you will enjoy it. If you watch the trailer and it does nothing for you then skip it, because it is exactly what it promises to be. I even thought that the trailer would be a bit misleading and it would be bad, but it wasn't. If you want over the top action, a roller coaster ride of thrills, or out and out suspense this isn't going to quench your thirst for those things.

Do not get me wrong, it has it's moments. There are a few twists and turns, but overall it is what you want it to be after seeing the trailer. It is well made,...

A for effort
While this movie was cheap, cheesy and predictable, I still found it entertaining. It missed the mark in many ways, but it hit a bulls eye on some of the cool documentary-like scenes when the two young film makers crashed a retreat from the elite one-world ruling class.

I liked the betrayal -- you have to watch to understand. All in all, it was worth a look.

One Of the Better of the Genera
Found footage and faux documentary films are over done and seem like an easy way out for lazy filmmakers who can't tell a compelling story or develop interesting characters, still some are better than others. "The Conspiracy" is one of the better ones. Like "Lunopolis" the found footage is interspersed with interviews from "experts," and, disturbingly, real footage from world events we'll all recognize, giving the documentary an authentic feel. It feels like a documentary. It's also disturbing and creepy, and feels like a slow burn thriller.

The filming was expertly done and the music... WOW! The music was impressive, especially the music for the ceremony scenes. I was surprised to read on IMDB that the composer hadn't scored many films. Well, his music captured the mood and character of this film well.

The Canucks can mark one in the "win" column over this movie. If you enjoy found footage or conspiracy themed thrillers then you will probably enjoy The...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Hot Flashes

the hot flashes
I thought this would be funnier. but not bad, it was intertaining. Thought with Wanda Sikes it would be a hoot, her character did not fit her usual roles.

GO WITH THE FLO
Burning Bush (both a biblical and sexual meaning- I get it) is an ideal Hollywood small Texan town with no visual Hispanics and apparently one token African-American family. The town's mobile mammogram has run out of funds, so Beth (Brooke Shields) has devised an unconventional way to raise money to save it by having some 50 somethings challenge the girl's basketball team.

In addition to Beth the team has:

Ginger (Daryl Hannah) who is still in the closet in the small Texas town.
Florine (Wanda Sykes) who is running for mayor.
Roxie (Camryn Manheim) a pot head.
Clementine (Virginia Madsen) the town floozie. Her ex-husband in the opposing team coach.

Beth's husband (Eric Roberts) is the town's postmaster who has been making special deliveries...and not to her.

The film is not very funny. It briefly touches on hot flashes in one comedy scene, but that was it. At times it was old vs. young, men vs. women, and church vs. everyone,...

Great Movie
Loved this movie about small town life, growing older, changing, family, friends...Loved all the performances. Funny. Saw it twice. Recommend it.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Rashomon

Truth & Illusion.
If you have never seen this film, you will come to it and find it very familiar. That's because Rashomon has become part of the world's consciousness & lexicon. It's story of an action involving several participants, each with their own differing version of the truth, has been elaborated and riffed-on by many others since it appeared on the world's stage in the 50's.

So, it is an old movie, often imitated. And yet, I found it fresh and involving and well worth a look. As Robert Altman says on the DVD extras, many of the camera techniques, particularly shooting directly at the sun and allowing lens flare, were taboo-breaking and radically new when this film appeared. Now, that is put in as a joke in Shrek.

So you come to Rashomon not to be overwhelmed with its "newness" and the refreshing change of first encountering Japanese cinema and acting styles. No, you come to Rashomon as to an old master, to appreciate its lasting impression of the universality of human foibles and...

Review of Criterion 2012 Blu-ray, 2012 DVD, 2002 DVD


Alternative Expressions Of Fact: A Puzzle Without Solution
Somewhat curiously, Japanese critics were not enthusiastic about RASHOMON when it was released in 1950 Japan. Today, however, RASHOMON is generally considered to be the film that introduced both master director Akira Kurosawa and Japanese cinema to the west; it is also often cited as the film that prompted The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to create an award for Best Foreign Language film. It is widely regarded as a masterwork of world cinema.

Set in 12th Century Japan, the film's premise is at once both very simple and very complex. A man is found dead in a forrest, and several people are brought forward to give testimony in the matter. In some respects their accounts agree--but in numerous others, some obvious and some very subtle, their stories differ. As each character gives his or her version of events, the various differences pile higher and higher, leaving the viewer to wonder at the motivations involved.

Has each person simply...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Guillotines [Blu-ray]

The Guillotines
Very good storyline, typical chinese movie where the the hero dies. I enjoyed it all even while taking an intermission.

Not What I Expected
It seems that packaging and marketing now decide what people will watch. I don't know; maybe it has always been that way. However, I remember a time when a person looked for story BEFORE effects. Apparently that time has come and gone.

"The Guillotines" is a story of the Quing dynasty in China. These were specially trained assassins for the Emporer's protection, as well as doing away with anyone who threated him. According to this story, after the Emporer discovered something known as guns, he no longer needed his personal killing squad, and they were now deemed a horrible stain on his reign. In fact, they are now deemed traitors to the throne and have bounties put on their heads.

If you are intending to rent or buy this film and think you are going to get a slap-dash, over-the-top (almost silly) redo of "Crouching Tiger," you need to rethink your purchase. This is a very deep, moving tale about brotherhood, survival, revenge, love, betrayal, and dealing...

THE GUILLOTINES Cuts Its Own Head Off At The Outset
Period actioners can be a very tough vehicle to sell, especially when they're loaded with characters. Typically, the bigger the cast the longer the film has to be in order to have enough time for (a) establishing everyone's identity, (b) giving each notable the necessary screen time to establish presence, and (c) allowing each of the principles to allow their respective thematic functions to be fulfilled. One fine example of this is THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (an American retread of the Japanese 1954 original SEVEN SAMURAI): each character gets an introduction respective of the role he'll play in the entire affair, and each character is given ample opportunity to develop a personality and some impactful `conclusion' to his participation in it.

To the contrary, THE GUILLOTINES kinda/sorta tinkers in similar territory, but director Andrew Lau (whose career proves he knows better) traffics in all the wrong directorial choices.

(NOTE: The following review will contain...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Super Eruption

Super Eruption: A Solid B-Movie Made Possible By (and for) SyFy
Super Eruption: A Solid B-Movie Funded By SyFy

There are few phrases that inspire so much fear in people. "Direct-to-DVD" is one of them. "SyFy Presents" is another. Sadly, both of those monikers can apply to SUPER ERUPTION, and that's a shame because, as a flick, it works just fine. No, not all of it makes perfect sense. No, not all of it is original - many of the story's central tenets are borrowed wholesale from other films that have served them greater justice. But there's something to be said for a telefilm that knows what it is - a telefilm - just doing the best it can to set up, execute, and deliver a story for Saturday night folks with their butts parked firmly on the couch.

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and character. If you're the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment...

Interesting but slow
This story had an interesting twist to it and the actors really tried to make it work. But, honestly, for a disaster movie it is pretty slow moving.

Do not waste your money on this joke of a sci-fy film!
This film featured poor acting, a rediculous plot, and amateur graphics. It appeared to have been written in an afternoon and shot in one day. Don't bother with this one!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Lovelace (Watch Now While It's in Theaters)

Outstanding performances carry this movie
Let me state upfront that I, like most people, have heard of Linda Lovelace, but I knew next to nothing about her, other than she starred in "Deep Throat" (which I haven't seen) over 40 years ago. But this movie made quite a splash when it was first screened earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and I couldn't wait to see it. Now the movie is finally out, both in theatres and on VOD.

"Lovelace" (2013 release; 93 min.) starts in 1970 when we get to meet Linda (played by Amanda Seyfried), living at home with her ultra-strict parents (played by Robert Patrick and Sharon Stone). Linda gets to know Chuck (played by Peter Sarsgaard) and they hit it off. It's not long before Linda moves in with him (and eventually marries him), but it's equally not long before Chuck, in desperate need of money, is getting Linda involved in shady things, leading to what eventually would become "Deep Throat" (for which she was paid $1,250). But the problems with Chuck run much deeper than...

Amazing Amanda Seyfried
This dark tale about the horrific life of Linda Lovelace is hypnotizing. The cinematography is gritty. While I cant tell if the fashion(70's) is what made it so dark, or if it was a choice of the directors to bath the story in dimness. Peter Sarsgaard portrayal of Lovelace's husband is remarkable. While historically he plays dark characters well he is particularly heinous, and subhuman in this part. His talent to paint himself as this truly despicable character will leave a bad taste in your mouth, but none the less will keep you glued to the screen as he descents.

Other honorable mention includes Robert Patrick. His scenes seemed to touch me the most. He portrayed Lovelace's father and seemed the only one who captured what the audience is left feeling. Complete sympathy for Linda.

With that being said if there is no other reason to watch the movie than do it for Amanda Seyfried's performance. She totally disappears in this role. She takes you through Linda's...

Powerful
Well-done! The actors were fantastic and the story was compelling, although painful to watch at moments. It was nice to actually learn about the actress behind the $600 million-grossing "Deep Throat" and not just marginalized her as "that actress who did THAT movie."

Click to Editorial Reviews

Trevor Noah: African American [HD]

Brilliant and Fresh Comedy
Brilliant. Fresh. Intelligent. Insightful. Hilarious. For me, the best comedians are those that can extract or point out the funny in everyday life and interactions, whether its pop culture, news, etc. Combined with spot-on impressions. That is what real comedic talent is all about. This kid has it.

stand up
This is awesome. He's so funny and doesn't curse to make it FUNNY!
Kids appropriate comedy.
Never a dull moments with him.

Hilarious
A man who is not afraid to tell it like it is in the funniest way possible. A very good buy.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Ghosts of Door County

A Great look into Wisconsin's Ghosts
I was very happy when I received my copy of "Ghost of Door County" in the mail the other day. It came swiftly and the quality of the packaging/DVD far exceeded my expectations. None of that cheap plastic and/or imperfect discs that can sometime be the case with these types of purchases.

As for the movie itself, I was really impressed with the it.
Not only does it provide the viewer with excellent scenery and history on Wisconsin's Door County Area, the investigations conducted by the paranormal investigators are extremely informative, entertaining and often times humorous.

I am very satisfied with my purchase and would recommend the "Ghost of Door County" to anyone interested in ghosts, paranormal activity, and the beautiful state of Wisconsin.





Click to Editorial Reviews

Nacho Mountain [HD]

Shane
I usually don't go for anything but big blockbuster type comedies that I've already heard about, so this was a gamble for me. It paid off! It was freaking AWESOME. I've loaned it out like four times already

Hilarious!
This was hilarious. Campy comedy...I bought it because I love comedies that aren't so mainstream. This one was actually better than I expected. I suggest you watch with a big bucket of movie theater style nachos.

super funny
This was hilarious. Campy comedy...I bought it because I love comedies that aren't so mainstream. This one was actually better than I expected. I suggest you watch with a big bucket of movie theater style nachos.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Bad Parents [HD]

We all know people like this!!!
I was lucky enough to see a preview of this very funny relevant movie sponsored by a local soccer club. It is a must see for all parents involved in organized sports or any gathering or parents these days. Its funny, the acting is very real - you may think you know these people and see them in your local coffee store!!

Hopefully those who display this bad behavior will think next time they yell from the sidelines

A MUST SEE!!!!

Kicking and Screaming is Comedy of the Century Compared to Thus Junk
Very irrelevant and totally ridiculous exaggerated comparisons to real soccer extremism by youth soccer parents and coaches made this movie painful and laughable (not in a comedic way but laughable by the screenwriter and actors. Seemed as though this was Jeaninne Garafalo's acting debut she was so bad. Not in the least bit funny or relevant for the subject. Made Will Farrell's 'Kicking and Screaming' seem like movie of the decade. Btw. My kid's have had really bad coaches in soccer, so I know the subject.

STOP YELLING AT MY KID!
Kathy (Janeane Garofalo) moves into a new town where soccer and soccer politics is the norm. She goes from a normal mom to an obsessed soccer mom where all that matters is her eight year old's game, one that she is bored with and doesn't want to play. The team is coached by Nick (Christopher Titus), an overly repulsive man who makes sure his own daughter gets plenty of playing time.

The film is humorous with its mock MTM opening and had me laughing at certain scenes. The writing failed to capitalize on the situations, many times going stray of the plot and resorting to formula, with scenes being hit and miss. There were some scenes that were best left on the cutting room floor, such as the cyber sex scene that never tied back into the film.

On a side note, in real life Janeane is a devout atheist. In the film she is moved to pray to God for her girl's soccer.

The film had good characters and is worth a rental.

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

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Greatest Movie Ever Rolled [HD]

Its Doug
And Doug loves movies... so this one is like those that he loves, 7 more words needed to be done

legalize it
Dopest dope I ever smoked. HAPPY 8/3/13! Doug sure does love apples. Abazaba yer my only friend. Robo cops name was murphy.

DB IS IMDB and he's funny to boot.
Do you like movies? Do you like pot? Do you like stand-up comedians who also have the same feelings as you regarding movies and pot? Then watch this movie.

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Damned

A French Post-War Thriller From 1947: Had the Potential To Be A Claustrophobic Classic, But Left Me Largely Uninvolved
Of all the recent releases on the DVD/Blu-ray market, I was particularly excited to catch the debut of "The Damned" by French filmmaker René Clément. Clément was one of the strongest post-WWII era directors to emerge from France with a resume that included such fantastic classics as "Forbidden Games" and "Purple Noon" (both of which I own). I had never heard of the "The Damned," but I was eager to experience the 1947 wartime thriller. Despite my enthusiasm, however, the movie never really connected with me. It is a serviceable entertainment, to be sure, but I found its shifting narrative perspective a bit awkward. Ostensibly the story is told from the vantage point of a French doctor co-opted onto an enemy sub. At times, he is the film's narrator which can provide a claustrophobic and harrowing effect as he tries to figure out what is going on. Many more times, though, the screenplay simply abandons this viewpoint whenever convenient for the story. More...

What Happens When "Das Boot" Collides with "Huis Clos"
This film grows on you...or possibly more accurately, closes in on you. It is the intense claustrophobia in the quarters of a submarine - brilliantly filmed in black and white, that is unforgettable. So the more I think about it, the more I like the movie.

The movie is clearly influenced by the short masterpiece of Jean Paul Sartre's "No Exit" (French translation - Huis Clos) in which a group of people who can't stand each other are forced to live in close quarters with no exit. They are in Hell. This unsavory collection of Nazis and Nazi sympathizers boards the U-Boat in Olso to escape from the Allies as the war is just about to be lost. Some of the characters are a sadistic SS officer, his young homosexual lover and petty criminal, an Italian industrialist, a Swedish nuclear scientist (and his unwilling 17 year old daughter), a Nazi general, his mistress, and a French businessman. However, each individual has his or her own selfish agenda. When the submarine boat...

Fine piece of film history
Beautifully photographed in black and white. Not Bergman or Wells, but quite a pleasure. The story is very interesting and the acting is sufficient. If you like old black and white films by excellent directors, this may be for you. Also I happen to like films that explore Nazi thinking and the interplay between the fanatics and the people who just get dragged into the mess. So this one hit the spot, though there are others that I prefer.

The extra features were very interesting. The discussions about the director gave a take on French cinema and the director's problems with the New Wave enthusiasms were especially interesting and certainly for anyone interested in film history. The narration by film experts over the film itself was light, but much, much better than the average insulting c**p of stars and directors joking around and reminiscing.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Clip [HD]

Inspired Film-making
"Klip" (aka "Clip") probably will not appeal to a wide-ranging audience...
Likely reasons for that are; it is made in 'documentary' style and may be considered somewhat 'slow' because it essentially just depicts a few weeks in the life of a Serbian teenage girl. Also, it is in Serbian language with English subtitles. And finally, because it may cause concern or offense with it's hard-hitting depictions of teenage drinking, drug use, and sexual promiscuity.
However, beyond those potential parameters, "Klip" is a very well made and very well acted movie. The kind of movie which is capable of leaving the viewer pondering what they have seen long after the credits have finished rolling.

"Klip" gives us a brief glimpse into the life of Jasna. She is a 14-year-old girl, living in a somewhat decayed Serbia. She has a dysfunctional relationship with her family; she seems to have contempt for her mother, and essentially ignores her father and younger sister. Jasna enjoys...

Actually a pretty good movie..
If you mixed KIDS with the movie THIRTEEN - you would pretty much get KLIP!

Awesome acting, some explicit scenes and the lead girl is incredibly hott.

If you like either of the movies mentioned above then you will probably like KLIP.

Def worth a watch.

I recommend...!!!!!!!!!!
Yasna - a beautiful teenage girl. Not wanting to come to terms with life in a provincial backwater with Serbian tortured work mama and constantly sick father, she is in conflict with everyone behaves wildly, experimenting with sex, drugs, and just killing time. But gradually her desperate protest helps her come to terms with the painful reality....

Click to Editorial Reviews

Beer Wars

Great show!
Very informative and highly interesting. Makes me only want to support micro brewers from now on. Look what they did to Rolling Rock's people. Terrible!!

Interesting perspective on the beer industry
If you can get over the voice of the narrator, this is an interesting look at some if the history and current dynamics of the beer industry. Not sure if anyone who doesn't really like beer would enjoy this movie, but I did.

The Big Two control the beer business
There is a lot that I already knew about the major breweries holding a monopoly of the beer that's sold across the country. Just talk to any experienced bartender, bar owner or liquor store manager and they will tell you pretty much the same thing this documentary did: Anheuser-Busch and Miller control who sells what beers and where they are displayed in stores. A-B and Miller control 70% of the beer market and the smaller and better craft brewers are struggling.

So to gain the other 30 percent of the market, marketers for A-B try to buy up the smaller brewers, such as Rolling Rock. As one brewer said, they buy up the smaller companies not so much for the beer, but for the brand recognition.

A few brands featured are Dogfish Beer and Yuengling, all eastern beers, but the story is pretty much the same across the country. When Congress allowed craft beers to be sold in the late 1980s, that is when A-B, Miller and Coors started paying attention to the growing...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Moonie and the Spider Queen

Moonie delivers!
Nicola Cuti brings his adaptation of his cheeky,sexy, Starbabe to the screen in this first serialized chapter. Moonie first appeared in 1968 as a self-published underground comic by Mr Cuti, and has been delighting fans with her voluptuous form ever since.The subject of many comics, and even novels, seeing Cuti bring her to the screen is wonderful indeed. Chaptered in serialized form at approximately 25 minutes each installment, it moves at a brisk pace and keeps your attention through out. Make no mistake, there's plenty of T&A involved here, and dirty jokes abound, so it's definitely not for everyone. But for those of us who love a good dose of the wink-wink-nudge-nudge it has it in spades.

Working with a small budget has created a bit of a blessing for Cuti (who wrote and directed the movie) as the film relies on the clever use of the often-times hilarious (on purpose!) dialog. Oh, there's special FX of course, and Cuti manages to make the best of the limited resources...





Click to Editorial Reviews

Reverb

boring
Geez this movie was so boring. I'm surprised we made it half an hour before we finally decided to bail. Suckage.

In a band? Wanna Be? Learn the lingo here for free!
REVERB a/k/a REVERERATE a/k/a REVERBERATION. Is it the echo that happens from your speakers and sometimes the sounds are literally running around the room? I should have looked it up in the dictionary. As no doubt, it's the key to the universe as far as this film is concerned.

That said, I'm giving this film a SOLID 3 stars, I did like it. I got lost a couple times when the recording studio "lingo" was flying. I'm sure it was crucial to me figuring out what the hell is happening, happened and is going to happen. Grab your boyfriend, I'm sure he'll know that jargon..."stereo talk". Still, even still, quite good reverberates in my head. It has it's moments and kept me awake. The lead actor is decent, the lead actress - noone is THAT brave, c'mon...she would NOT and you know it - you're asking me to live in fantasyland with that one.

It's a freebie if you're in the amazon club so give it a shot - i did, it's ok.

Excellent production, annoyingly overdone.....OK story
The Good: The acting is much higher quality than you would expect. These actors could go far!
The Bad: The story is OK.
The Too much: The film is produced with very high sound and picture quality. The problem is that the effects are so overdone that you just get a little tired of the super silent followed by the inevitable load scream, slam or whatever irritating noise that was inevitably appropriate yet annoying. It just seems like the guys making the movie were having too much fun playing with their high-end equipment instead of focusing on producing a movie than people will want to watch.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Elementary My Dear Watson: The Man Behind Sherlock Holmes

Was Conan Doyle actually Watson?
It's a bit odd to watch a biography of a fictional character, but that's exactly what this is, a bio of Sherlock Holmes' side-kick, Doctor Watson. I'm also not sure how important or even interesting it is to try to figure out who the inspiration for the character was in real life.

But that aside, this DVD is a joy to watch, with ample clips from a wide variety of Sherlock Holmes movies. There's Nigel Bruce as a stiff, bumbling Watson, and later attempts by other actors to rehabilitate the character.

Conan Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories about Holmes and Watson and most are narrated by Watson, so it's not surprising that Conan Doyle and Watson are closely related in the reader's mind.

The similarity between Watson and Conan Doyle himself is remarkable. They were both physicians and both served in the far corners of the Empire. To some degree all of the characters in a novel are the author's alter-ego, so I'm not sure Watson is Conan...

For Sherlock Holmes Fans This Is A Must
When I really like a subject I try to learn all about it, which is why I watched Elementary, My Dear Watson: The Man Behind Sherlock Holmes. I've always loved watching Sherlock Holmes films on TV. This great detective could probably find a dead flea and find out exactly how it died, who did it, and what weapon was used! But...he wouldn't have been nearly as interesting without his sidekick Watson. Without Watson to ask questions or be there to bounce ideas off, Sherlock Holmes would have been only half as great. Watson always reminded me of the little voice inside everyone's head that urges them to think deeper, find other answers, and uncover the truth.

Although Watson is a fictional character, for Holmes lovers he's as real as the next person. The film also goes into the possibility of Watson being Conan Doyle's alter-ego, Holmes' use of mood altering drugs, and other interesting facts, along with a lot of great footage and clips.

Elementary, but Indispensable
This is a really cool, well-produced look at the lesser known but ever-present character of the Conan Doyle novels. Lots of film clips and detail culled from the novels and short stories.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Who's Watching the Kids?

Save your money and precious time!
This was a low budget movie with poor acting, bad sound, lighting, directing and a horrible storyline and script. Even Elise Neal who is an experienced actress did not perform well in this movie. The only acting worth semi watching was uncle Larry, Maribelle and the friend Olivia (I think). The best part of this travesty was the music video at the end performed by Silkk the Shocker's son Lil King Miller..Paparazzi Fresh. My kids enjoyed that but begged me to turn it off during the entire movie. We watched for laughs at how terrible it is. The other two reviews must have some special interest or investment in this movie

Big Family Fun !!
The kiddos and I watched this over the weekend! Lavell Crawford is hilarious! This movie is highly recommended! Great family night movie!

Hilarious!
My family thought this was a cute movie about blended families. I'm a big Lavelle Crawford fan, so I also cracked up at just about everything he said. A nice family movie night flick!

Click to Editorial Reviews

A Teacher

Disappointing movie!
The only good thing about this movie was the preview! Just an overall disappointing movie. The story line was ridiculous, the characters had no depth. The ending was horrible. Apart from a few gratuitous mild sex scenes, this movie was totally boring and did not live up to the promise of the preview. I would pay $0.99 for it on a good day but paying $3.99 was a total waste of my money. I should not have to spend money to come up with an appropriate ending for this movie...but I sure could have come up with a hundred different ways other than the one they came up with in this movie! Save your money or rent/buy something else!

disapointing
The best word I have to describe this movie is disappointing. It,s called a thriller but there was not one suspenseful scene in the movIe. Teacher and student have affair, break up, and she gets caught...that's it.

Boring!
This movie was absolutely boring! I thought it was going to be more of a murder psyco type movie and it was not! The acting was horrible. Don't waste your time or money!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright

Record High
All Scooby-Doo episodes and movies contain promise, but some are better than others; hence, Zombie Island and Witch's Ghost are better remembered than Aloha or Chill Out. Well, when I heard this one looked adventurous and parodied both Phantom of the Opera and American Idol I made the mistake of renting it. By mistake, I mean that I should have bought it to rewatch the multifaceted plot details. Just when you think they solved the mystery, there turns out to be more. Also, the gang shows their talent: Shaggy and Scooby act goofier than ever, Velma coins better one-liners, and Daphne and Fred sing their first duets. The characters are dynamic, especially "Fraphne." They even ponder the self-mimicking question, "Are we the only ones who run into masked crooks?"

It includes a sewer slide, a stakeout, several chase scenes, and a perilous driving scene. But the biggest surprise is how it ends. Some shows have one bad guy in a mask, some have two, some have a...

Scooby Doo
I thought this was a good Scooby Doo movie, more than one villain, Daphne and Fred singing, it was over all enjoyable. I would like to remind people that this is a Scooby Doo movie, made for enjoyment.

great movie!
My five year old lives this movie and my eight year old girl! They say "it's funny because Scooby says Scooby Dooby Doo!"

Click to Editorial Reviews

So Much So Fast [HD]

Motivates you to re-align priorities
Well put-together and though-provoking. Every scene confronts the family with decisions that challenge their perspective--as well as the viewer's--about what comes first in life. Even the seemingly mundane daily tasks resonates with significance when it may be one of the last time you get to share that experience with the afflicted family member. How many of us could be jolted from the incessant "work-only" mentality that this society place on us to lift our hands off the keyboard and spend a quiet afternoon with someone--even if they were not in imminent danger of a life-terminating disease--just because it is the more important thing to do? This is a heart-warming movie that the audience--whether they have any member of their family with a life-threatening affliction or not--will gain a lot of perspective.

Powerful and moving
Very well made, touching, involving documentary about a man dying of
ALS.

It's inspiring and profoundly moving to watch him keep his sense of
humor and humanity throughout, and watch his brother, who became
obsessed with saving him, finding a way to start a whole foundation in
a renegade way.

It deserves kudos for the unusually honest and heartfelt way it explores the
stresses the whole experience puts on the family, along with the deep
sense of connection it brings them.

Great learning tool
Very good resource for those wanting to learn more about ALS and it's affects on patients and families as a whole. Great Hospice tool.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Progressive Power Yoga: Pregnancy

Thank you Mark Blanchard
Finally! Thank you Mark Blanchard! A prenantal Yoga workout geared towards keeping us in shape with a dynamic, flowing routine. Finding a true pregnancy yoga workout has proven challenging with many instructors simply walking you through unstructured easy stretches with a "yoga" branding. The rapport Mark shows with his three pregnant students will make you chuckle and you'll find a very similar flow as his regular progressive workouts with a few modifications. Mom and Baby thank you!
Houston, Texas





Click to Editorial Reviews

Nancy's Cardio Circuit Level 1

Great Senior Workout
In rating this product, it is important to rate it according to what is expected to be accomplished based on the advertised write-up: "Nancy's Cardio Circuit Level 1 is a gentle, safe workout that is excellent for beginners or those who have not been exercising regularly. All of the exercises are performed either standing or sitting on a chair - no getting down on the floor." One of the reviews was very unfair, giving a 1 star, because she thought it was a chair workout and was disappointed. You shouldn't be giving low ratings when the product does what was described in the product description.

I bought this DVD so that my wife and I could do a gentle workout at our home on the weekends using our HD TV. We already love the 1 hour Silver Sneakers class that Nancy teaches weekly at our local fitness center. She has a super fun personality with her instructional choreography and dance moves.

When starting the DVD, there are the normal FBI warning and injury...

Fun Senior Workout
Cardio Circuit Level 1 is the best DVD I have ever seen for beginners, seniors, baby boomers, etc. The Latin Salsa workout is a fun way of burning calories while you move to the music. There's also some upper body toning exercises with oldies and island music. All you need is a sturdy chair and you’re on your way to fitness with Nancy. I previously bought her Powerful Stretches DVD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007J7METM and when I found out about this one I decided to try it and I am extremely happy with it. I love the way she leads the program and her choreography. I am a senior with reduced mobility and I think this workout is wonderful for other seniors too.

she stands!!
I got this because I broke my foot and I thought it was a chair workout. She starts out standing. What a total waste

Click to Editorial Reviews

Emperor [HD]

Great historical war drama
"Emperor" (2013 release; 98 min.) brings the true story of how General/Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces MacArthur (played here by Tommy Lee Jones) was sent to Japan following Japan's surrender to end WWII, to assess which top ranking officials from Japan, including possibly Emperor Hirohito, should be brought to justice and stand trial. MacArthur enlistens the help of General Fellers (played by Matthew Fox) for the actual investigations, focusing on the Emperor, the Prime Minister and a few other top Ministers. The problem is that Washington demands a conclusion in only 10 days. The movie's script (based on the book 'His Majesty's Salvation' by Shiro Okamoto) intertwines the political and military aspects with a romantic involvement by Fellers with a Japanese woman whom he gets to know in the 1930s in the US, but who eventually returns to Japan without telling Fellers. Fellers is determined to find her now that he is back in Japan. Will Fellers find his former flame? Will...

Thought-Provoking Historical Drama
At the conclusion of the War in the Pacific ("V J Day," for those of us old enough to remember), the Allied forces had a dilemma: Should the Emperor of Japan (the Emperor of the Chrysanthemum Throne) be tried (and hung) for war crimes? Few of us gave it a moment's consideration at the time, but here is a thought-provoking drama that examines the issue.

It stars:
* Tommy Lee Jones ("Lincoln") as General Douglas MacArthur, tasked with reconstructing Japan, writing a constitution and restoring the economy. (Plus MacArthur really wants to run for President of the United States.) Is Jones getting all the good parts lately, or does he just make his parts seem that good?
* Matthew Fox ("Alex Cross") as General Bonner Fellers, the guy who understands that if Emperor Hirohito is hung, an insurrection will be inevitable and the war will NOT be over. Fox does great suppressed rage. Watch for it!
* Eriko Hatsune ("Norwegian Wood") as Aya, the sweetheart Fellers met...

Masatoshi Nakamura
I saw emperor shortly after it was released. I went to see it not only because I am interested in Japanese culture and history, but because I wanted to see the renowned Japanese actor and singer Masatoshi Nakamura in one of his rare appearances in an, American movie. He had a small part in it, but in my opinion he did a wonderful job. He had about a 5 minute speech which was quite powerful and moving. Mr. Nakamura has a long list of accomplishments and is very well known in Japan, so I am very happy that he had the opportunity to play an important role in an American movie.

Overall I think the movie was very well done. I would recommend it to anyone especially those who are interested in American and/or Japanese history.

Click to Editorial Reviews

This is Martin Bonner [HD]

4.5 stars... quiet but captivating drama could've been called "This Is Travis Holloway"
"This Is Martin Bonner" (2913 release; 83 min.) brings the story of Martin Bonner (played by Paul Eenhorn), an Australian native but long-time US resident who recently has taken a job in Reno, NV, helping inmates at the Northern Nevada Correctional Facility to prepare for life back on the outside. By happenstance, Bonner gets to know Travis Holloway (played by Richmond Arquette), who was just released after a 12 year stint (we only learn much later what for). Both men being new to the area, they come to rely on each other for moral support. As the movie unfolds, we learn more of the personal background of each. To tell you more of the plot would ruin your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is one of those "little movies that could", and delivers a deeply moving story of two men trying to adjust to new circumstances. "This Is Martin Bonner" moves at snail's pace, and I mean that as a compliment. Check out...

An introspective look at two men trying to find themselves
For some, this may be a slow-moving film, but that's really the whole idea, as Martin Bonner and a just-released prisoner find a friendship based on discovering that they have more than a few things in common. You'll believe that the actors are, indeed, the characters they are playing! For older teens and above, since this is rated "R" for language and sexuality.

A quietly perfect story
The story involves an older, gray haired man starting a new job in a correctional institute in Reno. We see him unpacking his few belongings in a modest apartment and endure a difficult first day at the job. Then he picks up a fellow on the road who has just been released. What unfolds is the friendship between the two and the way each of them copes with the challenges of his new life.

The actors are first rate. I was particularly impressed by Richmond Arquette as Travis Holloway, the ex-con. From the first moment when we see him hunched down to protect himself from the cold, he portrays a very believable person. As wonderful as all the actors were it is Travis' face that stuck with me long after seeing the show. He's just so ordinary...he isn't handsome, sexy, charismatic or smart. And yet there's more to him than that, too. In a way it's really Travis' movie and I have to wonder why it's titled after Martin. Sam Buchanan as Diana, Travis' daughter gives a killer...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The 99%: Occupy Everywhere

The only movie you need to see regarding the OWS movement
Living outside of where a lot of mainstream media tends to target, I never found myself coming into contact with very much information regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement--and that's a shame because I really wanted to know more about it. This documentary kept me entertained throughout, and it really informed about the OWS movement from both sides of the spectrum. I highly recommend this film to anyone who wishes to find out more about OWS!





Click to Editorial Reviews

Ip Man [HD]

The Wilson Yip-Donnie Yen Tag Team Delivers the Saga of Bruce Lee's Kung Fu Teacher
In the tradition of Jet Li's "Fearless" and "Fist of Legend", comes the fourth collaboration between the Wilson Yip-Donnie Yen tag team who also brought us the phenomenal "Shah Po Lang" in 2005. "IP MAN" is based on the life of the man responsible for making the Chinese kung fu style of "Wing Chun" (invented by a woman), which is up to this day, is among China's most revered style. Yes, Ip Man is also the man who has a huge number of talented disciples--most notably, the late great Bruce Lee.

In the 1930's, the Chinese province of Fo Shan is a thriving place of martial arts schools, with various sects of different styles. Fo Shan is said to be the place where the famous Wong Fei Hung learned his art and therefore this place has a reputation. Ip Man (Donnie Yen) is a very accomplished martial artist but he keeps to himself, maintains a low profile and quietly spars with friends at home. But after an acknowledged victory over a fighter from the Northern quarter, Master Jin...

Holy Smokes!
Donnie Yen's crowning achievement? Very possibly. I've always thought Donnie was the paragon of martial artistry on film... I've also admired how he remains relatively true to the style of the hero in question, if that is relevant (See Iron Monkey, for example.). The story of Ip Man is similar to that of Jet Li's "Fearless", but to be honest, Ip Man the movie is better.

The action scenes are works of art. Donnie portrays Wing Chun with a good degree of authenticity to the style (considering, of course, the unavoidable dramatic, cinematic flair). Donnie's technique is crisp, rapid, accurate, potent. The choreography is splendid. There is no significant wire work here, just economical, brutally efficient combat-- which is what Wing Chun is about. Truly homage to the spirit of Wing Chun. As a practitioner of Wing Chun, I can truly point to this movie, show it to my friends who don't know, and say: "That's Wing Chun, that's what it's about."

The story of Ip...

An Instant Classic
As a fan of Chinese cinema for over 30 years, I've seen (and own) a lot of movies. However, whilst there have been dozens of memorable ones, few stand out as masterpieces in the Wuxia genre - 'Ip Man' is one such film, an instant classic that sets a new benchmark for action cinema. Wilson Yip, Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen have totally hit the mark in this outstanding motion picture, crafting a story that, although not sticking entirely to the facts (well, after all, it IS about entertainment!), works perfectly to tell the story of a real life Chinese hero, the late Grandmaster of Wing Chun Gung-fu, Ip Man. The camera work, direction and the performances of the entire crew make this a film that grabs the audience and holds them in its clutches from start to final gut-wrenching finish (all very good reasons why this film won the 'Best Picture' and "Best Action Choreography' awards in the 2009 Hong Kong Film Awards). Donnie Yen gives what I feel is his finest performance ever, whilst Sammo...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Star Trek Into Darkness [HD]

Special features are all split up between vendor exclusive
The official Blu-ray has seven mini-featurettes. If this seems like it is a half-assed release, it's because Paramount has divvied up all the other features, including the commentary tracks with the cast and director J.J. Abrams, and several additional featurettes. The list of missing content on the U.S. wide-release Blu-ray (which is what is being sold on Amazon) includes 5 more featurettes (The Journey Continues... Again, Rebuilding the Enterprise, Full of Wrath, Kirk & Spock and Visual Preferences), plus the commentary with J.J. Abrams and the crew and a theatrical trailer. The featurettes and trailer are likely what's on the Bonus Discs at Target and Best Buy and the CinemaNow downloads (Best Buy U.S. appears to have its content via CinemaNow download while the same content is on a Bonus Disc in Canada), and the commentary is obviously with iTunes. All this means, if you buy the "normal version" here on Amazon, you're getting less than half the special features created for the...

Paramount is ripping YOU off!
I know you want to. I want to. BUT DON'T DO IT!
Don't buy this blu-ray. Paramount markers thought it would be a good idea to make retailers feel special (not amazon though) and split up all the special features, created by the filmmakers, for the fans. So no commentary (even though it exists). And only a small portion of special features.

What does this mean? If you want all the special features created for this release, you have to buy 3 different versions of the blu-ray plus the itunes version (for the director's commentary).

This is not a good practice to support. Don't let these idiots take advantage of you. While it sucks to not be able to own this sci-fi gem, look at the release calendar for paramount following this. Expect similar practices for World War Z.

The best way to show these jerks they're wrong is to not buy this movie.

Live long and prosper

A Must See (from a huge Star Trek fan)
From my wife Sarah: I've been a fan of Star Trek since the first series. This movie was excellent.

Here's why:

- The story was engaging, exciting, and had plenty of edge of your seat moments.

- The way it wove the new story together using prior movie and TV themes to build on was kind of genius. Those who know Star Trek will enjoy that.

- It had humor with a few good laughs and chuckles, but it also brought tears to my eyes.

- I loved the way they developed the relationships between the main characters, especially between Spock and Kirk. I very much disagree with the poster who said there wasn't enough character development. I felt it was quite the opposite.

- There were surprises. Especially one big one, which I won't reveal. I enjoyed that this movie wasn't predictable.

- The casting was spot on. It's so believable that these are the young versions of Spock, Kirk, etc.

- The acting was...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Set 2 [Blu-ray]

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

Review for the Blu-ray release.
This review will be for the Blu-ray release meaning I cannot speak for what is on the DVD version. Although it is usually the same exact release. - May contain spoilers so read at your own risk!

Just like with the first part of this series I feel like it had very slow pacing. It took a good amount of episodes to get to where it had to be, a lot of talking and even an episode that felt like a filler episode. I feel like this part took a little bit longer to get down to the action and really good content than the first part did. With the Gyuuki arc in Part 1, it only took about 5-6 episodes max to really get into the Gyuuki arc. Although we did have the introduction episode to getting to know some of the yokai, Rikuo and his human friends, etc. before the Gyuuki arc fully began something about the pacing in Part 1 was much better than this final part. What I'm trying to get across is that this final part has a lot of talking, potentially boring moments, and even a meaningless...

Really good!
It is a good and wonderful anime. Cute characters, and a wonderful storyline. Now i'll have to see if they continue to season two.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Evidence

Completely inane
After multiple bodies are found burned at an abandoned garage police sit around in a room and watch all of the victims' home movies from their cameras and phones, looking for clues. The set-up is bad to begin with--it doesn't make sense that every police officer investigating the case would be wasting their time watching home movies instead of investigating the crime. One or two cops, yes, but not a roomful of them. The set-up gives the filmmakers the opportunity to make two completely different terrible movies in one--it's a found footage thriller, where the characters talk to the camera, shriek and argue a lot and are generally so annoying that you want them to get killed already and also a thoroughly inept police procedural, where the filmmakers reveal that everything they learned about police work came from watching bad television shows. Then there's the ending--I don't doubt that the filmmakers think their twist ending was super clever but, seriously, a smart murderer isn't...

Entertaining film
Yes, the "shaky cam" is now a well-ridden genre but, still there are films like this one that try to take things in a unique direction. While character development was a bit subpar, the action was enough to keep things moving along.

Evidence was very Original
Very good! As soon as you think you've figured it out; you haven't...so many twists and turns. Definitely would recommend.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Amour [HD]

An absolutely brilliant movie about old age
AMOUR is one of those films that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. The plot is straightforward: an elderly man looks after his wife after a stroke and finds that he just cannot cope. Director Michael Haneke constructs the film as a character-study of old age; looking at how people of that vintage think in a different way, as opposed to their offspring. Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) decides at the end of her life to check out; her husband (Jean-Louis Tritingnant, in a memorable performance) tries in vain to keep her alive. For anyone who had had the experience of being a carer, the film has painful resonances. Director Michael Haneke's filming is just brilliant; the use of long takes, wordless sequences (in which the only sounds we hear are the creak of floorboards, or the flapping of bird-wings) sums up the elderly couple's lives. The film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival; it is easily the best I've seen in 2012.

Incredible Film About Old Age and Dying
note: Emmanuelle Riva was nominated for the Oscar shortly after I wrote this review. She is the female lead, pictured, and as a young woman was the lead in HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR, a foreign film classic.

I can't say this depressed me. However, I must warn you that this may happen to a viewer. This is not an easy film to watch. It involves a married couple in old age. She has a stroke which is very disabling. She lives at home with him and he tries to handle it. But she keeps getting worse. This movie is about the end for them. They are a couple who have been in love their whole lives. They had a complete life together. They have a grown daughter. You see early pictures of them and they were beautiful. Plus we know they are talented and affluent. All of that makes no difference when old age and last illnesses set in. It is a long spiral down and as the husband says to the daughter,"it is very bad, it will only get worse and then it will be over." that is the...

Trapped by Amour
"Amour" opens with the police discovery of the decomposed body of an elderly French woman in her bed, surrounded by flower petals. We then get a brief flashback to the life of a cultured, sophisticated French couple, enjoying their golden years - an evening at a concert, stimulating conversation - before she suffers a stroke.

When Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) returns home from the hospital, wheelchair-bound but mentally intact, she makes her husband, Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant), promise to never send her back. She says there is no reason to go on living in her current state, and she does not want to be a burden on Georges. His attentiveness and solicitousness, while necessary, rankle her. A second stroke leaves Anne in much worse shape, both physically and mentally. His vow to her leaves him almost as trapped as she is, while she sinks deeper into depression and despair over her body's betrayal.

Viewers, particularly those who have experienced the heartbreak...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Rapture-Palooza

WHO'S YOUR BEAST?
This story centers around Lindsey (Anna Kendrick) who has caught the eye of the portly foul-mouthed Anti-Christ (Craig Robinson) who prefers to be called "The Beast." Her complaining mother has returned from heaven, having been kicked out of the rapture.

The idea was clever, especially how man learns to calmly deal with the various plagues thrown his way. I enjoyed the Maddow joke as well as the "fowl-mouthed" crows. The humor was spotty. The jokes were rather lame and juvenile. The writers came up with a half decent plot but couldn't execute on dialouge, which made the actors look bad. It has the stupidity and language of a teen sex comedy that misses the mark.

Might make it as a low brow rental.

Parental Guide: F-bombs. No sex or nudity. Sex talk.

For people looking to be comically entertained not enlightened
Okay, I can tell from different comical reviews of other films and works that someone is gonna get mad about the plot or the inappropriate jokes. I am here to say if you are looking to get enlightened or find some sort deep meaning behind this film; go back now.

Anyway, I thought this movie was hilarious! I like it when comedic movies own up to their "R" rating. (I'm weird. I know.) It was funny, but also visually stunning and I thought that was great. Also, I have to give props to the music department for the music choice. It most definitely didn't hurt that it had a few comedic actors in the film as well. I think every actor/actress as well as the team for this film did a great job. I would put more of a review here, but I don't like telling people about spoilers, sorry.

Snooze Palooza
There are exactly two laughs in this movie and both of them are talking crows. Danny McBride should have played the beast/antichrist. He could ad lib funnier lines all day every day. Craig Robinson can be funny, but here he's trying way too hard, as if he knows he's stuck in a straight jacket forces him to hit the same note and wasn't given time or freedom to expand the role.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Shadow Dancer

`Is this just because she has a pretty face?'
SHADOW DANCER (definition: a dance presented by casting shadows of dancers on a screen) is another film about the conflicts of the IRA during the 1990s. Despite the fact that the theme is a recurring one in films, the core meaning of the conflict remains a bewildering mystery to those not living in Ireland or in England, and that is what makes this film fall short of being excellent - there is much significant information that is not shared with the audience as though we all understand fully both sides of the conflict well enough to muddle through the outlines of the plot that are presented. Tom Brady wrote screenplay based on his own novel and even director James Marsh can't seem to iron it out into a comprehensible story.

The film opens in 1973 in Belfast when young Collette (Maria Laird) is asked by her father to run an errand but she is far more interested in making bead necklaces so she sends her younger brother Sean (Ben Smyth) who is killed outside their home. Jump...

Good spy film
I was reluctant to watch one more movie on IRA. Trust me, almost movies based on Irish revolt were good. But, I think I've had enough.

Personally, I prefer "Five Minutes of Heaven".

This movie, like Five Minutes of Heaven, uses the North Ireland civil war only as a background to convey a much more darker story.

The film is shot with simple means without any frills and above all without ANY product placements.

Which is in itself very noble of the director.

REAL MOVIE NEWS REVIEW
I am always pleasantly surprised to find a film take the unexpected narrative route, especially with the large number of films I have seen in my decreasingly brief existence. Shadow Dancer had me thinking I knew what was going to happen at several points, only to take me in another direction. The result was not quite as satisfying as I had hoped, however. This is largely due to the fact that the audience is not permitted to know what the characters are thinking, and often it appears as though they are also uncertain. The result is some spectacular acting from leads Andrea Riseborough and Clive Owen, who are forced to convey much without words beings said, and a coldly distant narrative which never fully allows the audience to care for them.

Set in 1990s, Shadow Dancer opens in London with an aborted IRA terrorist attack by our troubled protagonist, Collette (Riseborough). Although Collette intentionally neglects to activate the bomb and seems more entangled in the IRA...

Click to Editorial Reviews