Cul-de-sac (The Criterion Collection) (1966)

Judge Clark Douglas, DVD Verdict-There are some creepy moments (especially early on, as we don't quite have a handle on who the characters are or what they're attempting to accomplish--Polanski fills in the blanks in a deliberate, methodical manner), but after a while it becomes clear that Cul-de-sac works best when Polanski is being playful.

Perhaps this is due to the fact that it's easier to switch from chills to laughs than vice versa. There are some squirm-inducing yet entertaining moments during the first hour of the film, as the flustered husband and his sneering wife engage in a series of amusing interactions with the American. It's tempting to feel that Polanski is making a larger cultural point, as he seems to have infused each of these three characters with the worst stereotypical traits of the countries they represent: the rude, boorish, violent American; the stammering, spineless, indecisive Englishman and the devious, cruel, self-serving Frenchwoman. The actors push and pull off each other in some intriguing ways (with Pleasance doing particularly good work as a man ever-so-slowly reaching his boiling point).

However, the film shifts from engaging to brilliant with the arrival of several unexpected guests. Over the course of twenty-five minutes or so, we're treated to an increasingly hilarious comic set piece in which the players are spun around in a variety of interesting ways until Pleasance finally explodes in cathartic rage. Polanski builds up to this moment in giddy fashion, transforming the gruff gangster into a faux butler, introducing a particularly overbearing gentleman with a tendency for sticking his nose into everyone's business, delivering an immensely enjoyable skewering of pretentious dinner guests and allowing the world's snottiest little kid to run rampant through the mansion wreaking all manner of havoc. It's a fantastic stretch of direction which blends subtle satire with enthusiastically broad physical comedy, and it allows Polanski to use his strengths in wonderfully atypical fashion.

Unfortunately, the film's ambitious conclusion isn't able to stick the landing. After the aforementioned portion of comic delight, Cul-de-sac plunges into dark territory in supposedly horrific fashion. The ending works nicely on a symbolic level (and some of the comedic commentary continues in this section), but it's too forced and overwrought to really send a chill up the spine. The film seeks to blend the intensely personal terrors of Repulsion with the pleasures of a great farce, but it really only succeeds in the latter department. Still, that's enough to make it well worth your time.

Cul-de-sac arrives on Blu-ray sporting a decent 1080p/1.66:1 transfer. While the level of detail is solid enough, this is a good deal shabbier than many of the black-and-white releases Criterion has delivered thus far (Repulsion included). The exceptional cinematography is hampered slightly by the general flatness of the image, and there's some print damage which can be a little distracting at times. Audio is similarly acceptable yet underwhelming, as some lines of dialogue sound very muffled and the music is occasionally a bit shrill and pinched. While I'm sure Criterion has done what they can with what they had to work with, this isn't a movie to use as a showcase for your fancy home theatre equipment. Supplements include an excellent making-of featurette called "Two Gangster and an Island" (23 minutes) featuring interviews with Polanski and other crew members, an archival interview with Polanski (27 minutes), a couple of trailers and a booklet featuring an essay by David Thompson.

-Full review at dvdverdict.com

1966's Roman Polanski film, "Cul de sac" just got recognized by Criterion and the result is as well as expected. Donald Pleasence, Lionel Stander and Francoise Dorleac star in a film of unstable people. The film was made at just the right time in Polanski's career when it had been on the shelf and after "Repulsion" (1965) Polanski was able to pull it together. Written by Polanski and long-time collaborator Gerard Brach who worked with Dario Argento on his "Phantom of the Opera", one can not help but admire the creative talent at work, much better than "Repulsion"'s limited means, more perplexing than entertaining, but quite a good film nonetheless. Criterion did a good job as usual. I hope no one forgets the creativity that went into early Polanski films as they admire his later work. Though Polanski's world is a dark world and "Cul de sac" is no exception.

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This Roman Polanski film, made right after Repulsion, was a shelf-project of the director and writer Gérard Brach. After the success of Repulsion they could resurrect this comedy the producers had rejected. Watch the film may strike the usual Polanski viewer (like myself) for the lack of sinister mood and plot so common in the works of the director. The film basically depict three completely different people stuck together in a old isolated castle, somewhere I read the film is a upside-down story of a knight saved from the princess by the dragon. A good definition of the film.

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Criterion quality on image and sound. Pity the film does not have the substance to justify this production.

Made while in England, after the money making Repulsion and before Hollywood's promise of being a multi-millionnaire called him away from England. If you like Knife in the Water, The Pianist, Rosemary's Baby, Ghost Writer,

you probably will be very disappointed with this low budget contrivance.

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Do we all have a breaking point? Cul-de-sac is a film from the early Roman Polanski cannon. It is a unique film and Polanski all the way.

It came out in 1966 and features a prime time Donald Pleasence. If you are a Pleasence fan, this is most certainty for you. Pleasence is one of the all time greatest movie madmen. In the story George (Donald Pleasence) and his wife Teresa (Françoise Dorléac) live on a remote island farm. It could potentially be the most peaceful place in the world if it wasn't for the constant bickering between the newly wed residents. Their house is stormed by a team of wounded criminals passing through post botched heist. One is seriously wounded and the other is seriously demanding. One of the criminals is a brutish American criminal named Richard (Lionel Stander). Richard takes the couple hostage and they clash in questionable, threatening, and often time humorous ways. The wife is so board she barely even cares. The husband is already on the edge of sanity and this situation does nothing to help his dire situation. The comedy in this film is blackened to a crisp in the charming 60s style.

Pleasence is submissive and humiliated throughout the film. He is trying to find the courage to fight back. His performance is striking, fearless, and human. One of the main features of Cul-de-sac is the beautiful locale. Overall, the film is really pretty simple and very effective. It is a human situation that spirals into madness. This is a deeper Polanski cut. This film may remind you that we are all not far from craziness. Polanski, Plesence, and the rest of the cast in Cul-de-sac were not afraid to remind us of this uncomfortable fact.

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A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Overall this two-set disc DVD is great. It includes many deleted scenes and the sound and picture is great as well.

Although this is certainly not definitive/complete. There are out takes, extended scenes, FX shots, TV spots, etc., that are not included. Such as a dialog between Lt. Thompson and Sgt. Garcia in the police station, more scenes of Nancy getting ready to battle Freddy (like pouring gasoline in that glass bottle she threw at him in the basement), another take of Glen's body rising out of the bed, an extended dialog between Marge and Mr. Thompson at the cemetery, a dialog between Lt. Thompson and Mr. Lantz (Glen's father), etc. These others were released in 1996 on laserdisc by Elite Entertainment and a two-cassette VHS by Anchor Bay. There is also trivia missing from the movie like, for example, the guy who was reading Hamlet aloud in English class is Daryl Hannah's brother. Although there is a discussion of the different types and ways of doing Freddy's makeup, there's no mention of what Wes Craven originally wanted (such as the teeth showing through the flesh above the jaws, which ironically was used on the "demon" version of Freddy when he jumps out of the lake in Jason vs. Freddy). Nor mention of all the actresses Heather Langenkamp beat out such as Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing), Demi Moore, Courteney Cox (Ave Ventura, Scream, Friends), and Tracey Gold (Growing Pains).

But this is as close to complete as currently available on DVD. Now that we have the infinifilm special edition, hopefully a special edition director's cut/uncut will appear one day with (if possible) the extended scenes placed back in the movie itself and not as special features to be viewed separately along with all the goodies in this and the VHS/laserdisc versions.

It was nice to finally have Amanda Wyss and Ronee Blakey (boy she changed!) interviewed. But it would have been also nice to get Mr. ever-so-famous Johnny Depp, Jsu Garcia, and John Saxon (71 yrs old now!) interviews.

Overall, I give it 4 and a half stars.

It is a true testament to writer-director Wes Craven's genius that many people now first think of Scream rather than A Nightmare on Elm Street upon hearing his name. While Scream certainly re-energized the horror movie genre, A Nightmare on Elm Street revolutionized it entirely when it was released in 1984. Twenty years after the fact, the movie doesn't seem quite as scary as it did originally, but this movie has truly shocked and frightened many a moviegoer over the years, resonated with untold numbers of men and women in a new and undeniably powerful way, drawn in many viewers that had never cared about horror before, and introduced one of the greatest, most popular horror icons of past, present, and future in Freddy Krueger.

When you really look at the genesis of this movie, its incredible success is truly mind-boggling. Wes Craven had already made waves in the business with such horror classics as Last House on the Left, but the script for A Nightmare on Elm Street made the rounds of Hollywood for three years before the relatively unknown New Line Cinema stepped up to make the movie a reality. The total budget for the film was well under two million dollars, and the filmmakers basically worked miracles to make the film as viscerally shocking and beautifully gory as it is. A tremendous cast was assembled: veteran actor John Saxon and newcomer Johnny Depp (in his very first role) are terrific, Robert Englund needs no introduction for his unforgettable portrayal of Freddy Krueger, and a young and innocent Heather Langenkamp delivers a dazzling performance as Nancy Thompson. (Ronee Blakley's performance as Nancy's mother is over-the-top and rather poor in general, but this is essentially the movie's only weakness.) Many people think that Englund carries this film with his brilliant portrayal of the nightmarish killer, and in a sense he does, but for me it is Langenkamp's performance that absolutely makes this movie something way beyond special. I have always been a big Langenkamp fan; she brings to Nancy a mesmerizing sense of innocence, charm, and natural beauty that wins the audience over completely. Freddy is a dark and menacing presence, but he really doesn't get that much camera time in this first film; Nancy is the essential conduit that connects the audience to the horror.

I don't think much is required in terms of explanations or plot summaries here. Freddy Krueger was a murderer of children who was hunted down and burned to death by local parents. He still exists, though, in the world of dreams, and now the teenaged children of the men and women who destroyed him are his targets. Nancy and her friends all begin to see this strange burnt man in an old fedora and a dirty red and olive green sweater in their dreams; Nancy soon learns that whatever happens in these awful dreams also happens in real life. The first victim dies a spectacular death, one that surely poured heaps of shock value on 1984 audiences and which still works wonderfully today. Several other notable deaths follow, and Nancy knows that she alone must face Freddy and somehow engineer a trap with which to snag him. It's not easy killing a dead man who lives in dreams, of course, but Wes Craven built a really beautiful logic into the story that makes it work convincingly.

The special effects of this film are remarkable, especially given the tight budget restraints. The death scenes are powerful and bloody, the atmosphere and look of the boiler room sets in particular are dark and malevolent, everything about Freddy's look and performance are perfect, and even really cheap effects such as the phone tongue and melted stairs work beautifully. The special features included on the DVD are nothing short of superb, especially the commentary by Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and director of photography Jacques Haitkin I learned so much from this commentary (including the fascinating true-life facts that helped give birth to the original idea in Craven's mind), all of which made me all the more impressed with this seminal horror classic. A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most enjoyable, powerful, and influential horror films ever made, and the transfer to DVD makes this film look better than ever.

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I just got the new nightmare on elm street bluray and after watching it I must admit this looks great! The video transfer looks amazing! Considering this movie is 26 years old, I am amazed this looks so good! And if your asking, yes this is a big improvement visually and audio wise to the previous DVD editions. The bonus features are good and stick to the original movie, instead of focusing on the new remake. The bonus features are mostly making of and creation of the Freddy saga! But another sweet addition included is the alternative endings all in 1080p HD! I hope the rest of the sequels are released aswell as the Jason goes to he'll and Jason x movies on bluray! Anyways the verdict, the video transfer looks crisp and shows little grain or film damage, the HD transfer looks amazing! The audio is 7.1dts and sounds amazing from my Bose entertainment center! The bonus features are awesome!

Video: 9 out of 10

audio : 8 out of 10

bonus features : 8 out of 10

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Freddy Krueger is something else. Robert Englund plays the slasher/boogeyman with the relish of a Batman villian without sacrificing his menace. Compared to Jason or Michael Meyers, Freddy is the life of the party...or the death of it if he catches you asleep. Not that this first installment of the Nightmare series is full of laughs. In his first appearance Freddy is truly scary. But he enjoys being scary and as audience members we enjoy being scared by him. As a horror personality Freddy is unequaled and seeing how he was introduced to audiences you can see that he was both a charismatic monster and a terrifying threat from the start.

But I need to admit something: I generally think less is more where blood is concerned. It's a matter of taste, I know, but that said I decided I really like this movie.

This is an unabashadly bloody slasher movie but one cannot deny that it is an imaginative one. I have been more terrified by other horror movies But few horror movies stay with you like A Nightmare on Elm Street. You'll likely be dreaming of Freddy Krueger yourself afterwards.

I recall one horror movie historian saying that horror movies are our way of making friends with the monsters of our imagination. I think he's right. And I think therein lies the appeal of Freddy. He's a sick killer but we also want to make friends with him.

Finally, I think the extras on this two disc set are what really make it special. If it were the movie by itself I might subtract a star or two, but I really liked the making of video and extra documentaries. Wes Craven tells you about the origins of Freddy down to the reasons for the color selections for his stripped sweater. (That particular shade of red and green were said to be the most distressing color combination to the human psyche).

So if your a horror fan, get A Nightmare on Elm Street (if you don't already have it).

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A Nightmare on Elmstreet is a horror movie classic and its antagonist, Freddy Krueger, the ever charismatic son of a thousand maniacs is one of the best movie villians to ever be created. When I saw this new remastered version on Amazon I just had to buy it, and I am not disappointed. It is true that some of the horror masterpieces of yesterday may be somewhat neutered with its grainy roughness cleaned away, but not so with Nightmare. This crispness only highlights and brings new depth to the dreamlike surreality. Some of the its most legendary scenes (the demonic wall stalker, body-bag Tina,etc,..)are even enhanced giving them a almost painting like quality, reminiscent of a Fuseli painting.

The special features are pretty interesting and informative as well if not just a little redundant after awhile. Let me explain. Disc one has the movie and a few options as to how to view the film. First, and I foremost recommend for all nightmare fans, is the infinifilm version, which is just a fancy way of saying interactive movie. You watch the flick a prompt will come up telling you to push a button and get more info about the scene, the actors, inspirations for the movie, and even alternate footage. Next is the commentary, which to me is the worst aspect about this version of the movie. You'v go two versions to choose from (I have not heard the archival version, this is about the new one) the problem is that this commentary really doesn't follow the movie but kind of just retreads the information given during the infinifilm version, with alittle bit more added here and there.

The second disc basically collects all the infinifilms together as a series of featurettes. There are also trailers and alternate endings, which also look to be remastered, and a trivia game that should be pretty easy to master after watching all the features.

Overall, with its new remastered sound and picure quality, this feature pack installment of A Nightmare On Elmstreet is a great buy for both fans of Freddy or for those who like horror (real horror, not the modern day CGI fluff) but may not have indulged this series as of yet, this is a good version to initiate yourself into the nightmares of elmstreet and become a victim of Freddy's evil charm.

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Austin Powers Collection (International Man of Mystery / The Spy Who Shagged Me / Goldmember) (2008)

I enjoyed this series of films very much. The "Goldmember" film a bit less but overall a very creative and funny pop culture feast! One of the big bonus's for me anyway is to finally have the original Austin Powers movie in the proper 2:4 aspect ratio after years of having to watch it on 1:85 on normal DVD. This may not mean much to some viewers but to those interested in seeing what they did at the theater it does. The other two films came out in proper 2:4 aspect ratio on DVD previously so why the original was formatted a bit off was always a mystery to me. The films look great on Blu-ray ...and while they don't have any NEW bonus features to my notice..at least they did import all the old ones and music videos (some blu-rays are coming out WITHOUT the previous bonus features).

I picked the set up for a price that came to about $15 per film so I think its a very good value.

Finally, there are subtitles for "Austin Powers In Goldmember" as I could not get Closed-captioning to work on the DVD version.

Note: Be careful opening the package as the set is shrink wrapped very tight and might cut the loose page on the outside that you might want to keep. (The real box has Austin Powers & Dr. Evil on each side.)

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It's hard to believe almost 10 years have gone by since we first saw Mike Myers' Austin Powers character for the first time. These are among the funniest films made at the close of the 20th Century. For the most part, they are chock full of sightgags and silly puns and give Mike Myers ample opportunity to wear funny costumes and try out as many joke accents as possible. Myers rises to the occassion each time out, eventually playing 4 characters at once ala Peter Sellers.

As introduced in the first film (International Man of Mystery), Austin is swinging 60s' superspy who thinks he's a lot hipper than he really is. Think Sammy Davis Jr trapped in Davy Jones' body and you'll have an idea of what Austin is like before seeing him. Also introduced in the first film is Dr Evil (also played by Myers), a cross between Blofeld and Ed Sullivan. If anything, Dr. Evil has even better lines and gags than Austin himself.

The three films primarily spoof the James Bond series. The first film has strong overtones of both 'Diamonds are Forever' and 'Casino Royale' but Myers goes totally bonkers in the second film (Spy Who Shagged Me), in which 'Star Wars' and 'Moonraker' are yanked in for a well-deserved ribbing. The second film doesn't break as much ground as the first, but is arguably the funniest of the three as leading lady Heather Graham is the perfect partner in crime to Mike Myers' Austin character. Graham is the funniest of Austin's three leading ladies. Unfortunately, the third film (Goldmember) declines after a very strong start, coming across as a stitched-together effort to wring the last bucks out of the Powers franchise. If the series has a flaw, it's that few of the characters seem drawn from life, rather than pieced together as parodies.

If you like one Austin Powers movie, you'll like all three to various degrees. At this price, this is a good time to replace your battered VHS copies with nice, fresh DVDs.

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This trilogy is worth your money and will give you one hell of a good time. There isn't really much for me to say about them though. The plots are very simple and pointless but the movies are absolutely hilarious.

Mike Myers is genius and makes the movies funny because he plays Austin Powers, Dr. Evil and Fat Bast***. That's lots of talent!

Beware because if you didn't know, these movies are very silly and dumb but will definitely make you laugh your head off.

This is how I rate the three:

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery4 stars

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me4 and 1/2 stars

Austin Powers: Goldmember3 and 1/2 stars

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I purchased the "1-3 Collection" on DVD. I know enough about the other versions that I can compare/contrast. If you're looking for information about the movies themselves, look elsewhere I'm not going to mention the plots, the cast, etc. in this review.

First, the "Austin Powers 1-3 Collection" on DVD. You get two DVD's. The first and third movies are on a 'flipper' disc, with the second movie on its own disc. A little strange, perhaps, but no biggie.

Comparing it the the Blu Ray collection, other than packaging difference (3 blu rays in their own slim cases instead of two dvd's) the contents are identical. All movies are in 2.4:1 aspect ratio. Each movie features commentary, deleted scenes, etc. And while the DVD transfer is perfectly acceptable, I can see how these movies would really "pop" in HD. If you like these movies enough, spend the extra $ for blu ray.

Comparing it to the first release of individual DVD's, note that (1) the first movie is presented in its proper 2.4:1 aspect ratio here, but not on the individual DVD (I don't know what aspect ratio was used, but it was wrong) and (2) that the extras on the individual discs are less. Since you can easily find the "1-3 Collection" for about $8 shipped, I recommend purchasing the "1-3 Collection" if you choose to buy on the DVD format.

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The Vampire Lovers (1970)

I can't remember the author of that quote, but it fits this film well. A classic of latter-day Hammer Horror, The Vampire Lovers is a very good adaption of LeFanu's pre-Dracula vampire story, Carmilla (1870s). The aristocratic and drop-dead hot Ingrid Pitt plays the tortured vampire who not only lusts for blood, but for the love of young women--both forbidden to her, of course.

Peter Cushing adds his usual stoic, stiff-upper-class persona to the proceedings as he marshalls the fathers and male suitors of the victims against the power of the lovely undead. The wide-eyed innocent that falls under Carmilla's sway is played by Madeleine Smith--Mmmmm. Hammer gets the seduction scenes just right, mingling horror and eros with unexpected skill and taste. The sexual tension is high, and the scenes of bosomy women in bodices bearing huge fangs has always been a Hammer staple. I love it, myself.

The Vampire Lovers is competently acted, with a nice turn by Pitt especially, showing how unhappy she is and how she what she wants--love--will always elude her; what she needs--blood--will always cause death. Not that the movie gets too heavy into Anne Rice territory, but Pitt definitely brings some shading to her character. The atmosphere and sets are top-notch, and the story moves along at a leisurely pace, obviously holding to the original story.

I recommend this film highly to fans of softcore erotica, vampire films, and of course the tiny subgenre of lesbian vampires. You really could spend an hour-and-a-half watching far worse films. For $12, this is a real treat. Ingrid Pitt, Ingrid Pitt, where art thou?

This edition of the movie contains two scenes that have been previously deleted from other releases. The first scene is in the prologue with the decapitation of the vampire woman. The second scene is at the climax with several cuts reinstated between Peter Cushing and the demise of Carmilla. With these scenes finally added and a reproduction at standard play, this video is a must for any serious Hammer horror film fan.

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"The Vampire Lovers," directed by Roy Ward Baker in 1970, is the first in the Karnstein trilogy of Hammer films, all based quite loosely on Joseph Sheridan LeFanu's story "Carmilla." The Karnsteins are a clan of vampires, represented in this version by a bunch of scantily clad women. Ingrid Pitt stars as Carmilla, who also goes under the anagram names of Mircalla and Marcilla at various points in the story (yes, there is a story). The last of her clan, Carmilla is trying to rebuild, turning first to Laura (Pippa Steele), the daughter of General Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing) and then Emma (Madeleine Smith), the daughter of Roger Morton (George Cole). Along the way she turns Mademoiselle Perrodon (Kate O'Mara) into a sexual slave. In the great tradition of Dracula and most other vampire films, Laura dies before anyone recognizes the marks of the vampire and then the goal is to save poor Emma from the same fate.

There is a lot in "The Vampire Lovers" that never makes much sense. Who is the countess (Dawn Addams) who travels with Mircalla? What is up with the black-clad vampire (John Forbes Robertson) who keeps hanging around? Supposedly Mircalla is the last of her clan, but maybe not. Mircalla keeps saying she loves her victims, but they all end up dead, which certainly does not help out her clan much. In the end it is clear that Hammer, aided and abetted by American International in this instance, was making a flat-out lesbian vampire film. As such, I can honestly say that you are not going to find a better one out there. Ironically, "The Vampire Lovers" ends up being more erotic than the vast majority of films featuring heterosexual relationships between the undead and their victims.

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This film is based on Sheridan LeFanu's "Carmilla", which had noticeable sapphic and surrealist elements. The lesbian theme is here reproduced, going as far as a PG (I presume it was released with that rating) would allow in 1970. It is in that and other aspects fairly typical Hammer: enjoyable, slightly exagerated,with some sense of atmosphere and fairly busty females. The interiors are colourful verging on lushness, with some of exteriors obvious sets. Peter Cushing gives his usual professional performance. Hammer films were derided by purists when they appeared in the 50s and 60s, but had a certain standard now appreciable.

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The Vampire Lovers

'The Vampire Lovers' is the first of the Karnstein Trilogy, and in my opinion the best. The film captures love, unhappiness and evil, which makes the film brilliant.

'The Vampire Lovers' is based on Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Brilliant Vampire story 'Carmilla'. The Novel, and the film, is set in the Austrian Province of Styria.

The 'Evil' of this story comes in the form of Ingrid Pitt, who plays Mircalla Karnstein, a centuries old Vampire. Mircalla travels around Styria looking for 'fresh meat' (e.g Beautiful young females!) under Pseudonyms

of her real name, Marcilla and Carmilla.

She seems very lonely in the film. She wants Emma to be with her, I am not saying she isn't evil but there is a certain sadness about her character. I think Ingrid Pitt played the part well, some people say she was just good in 'nude' scenes but I think she is a good actress and especially good at facial expressions and showing emotions.

The cast of this film include Peter Cushing as General Spielsdorf, Madelyne Smith as Emma Morton, Pippa Steele as Laura Spielsdorf, George Cole as Mr Morton, Douglas Wilmar as Baron Hartog and a virtually mute John Forbes-Robertson as The Man in Black aka Count Karnstein.

'The Vampire Lovers' is a surprisingly close adaptation of Le Fanu's 'Carmilla and a ground breaking film for Hammer, as it was the first Hammer film to have nudity and first to get an X rating. After this film Vampire Films were very erotic and female Vampires made appearances in more and more films, including films by Jess Franco and other 'Euro-trash' film directors. This film did very well in the theatres and even spawned two sequels.

This film has a lot to offer the main character, as stated before, is very interesting. Though Mircalla is clearly 'Evil', you (the viewer) do sympathise with her. I love the funeral scene it is very effective and once again, as I have commented on before of times Ms Pitt uses her facial talents to good effect. I also liked the Bath scene (not just for the nudity) because there is a great chemistry between Carmilla and Emma, and until the end of that scene, Carmilla seems just like an ordinary girl.

Peter Cushing acts brilliantly, as usual, his General Spielsdorf is a very interesting character. Cushing portrays a devastated man very well.

There isn't a lot of gore but, in my opinion, too much gore would ruin the plot. Fans of Vampire films will not be disappointed.

Thank you for reading my review, I hope you find it helpful.

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War Wagon

Gunfighter Taw Jackson (John Wayne) recruits a motley crew of sidekicks to rob ruthless mine owner, Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot). Pierce routinely transports a fortune in gold dust in an armored stagecoach called "The War Wagon." Complete with a small army of guards and a Gatling gun, The War Wagon is formidable. Taw figures to settle old scores by devising a complex plan to steal the gold. John Wayne was good at big budget B pictures. This flick is very different from a John Ford masterpiece, but so what? This movie is a typical Batjac action-adventure flick with comic overtones. Wayne trades verbal barbs with Lomax (Kirk Douglas), a too-cool hired gun. Howard Keel is Levi Walking Bear, a comic and politically incorrect Indian. Robert Walker is a drunken explosives expert. Keenan Wynn is a sadistic teamster. They each play a role in the carefully timed execution of the robbery. Unaware of their thieving alliance, Pierce hires Lomax to kill Taw, setting up several tense situations. The supporting cast includes members of Wayne's Batjac production company family. Look for Bruce Dern, Gene Evans, and Sheb Wooley in small roles. Throw in colorful outdoor locations, a saloon brawl, lots of hard-riding action, and it's great fun for Western movie fans. It's well worth the price. ;-)

Well, if you're into double-dipping for DVDs, this RE-PACKAGED/RE-RELEASED downer dvd is for you. Universal did the big SIN all right, they took their original dvd release of The War Wagon, and gave us the same non-animorphic release as they did the first time, only with a different packaging so us suckers hoping for a better, cleaner, or at least animorphic widescreen version, would be duped into buying the same thing twice.

If you've come here, then like myself you love this entertaining pairing of two of Hollywoods greatest leading men, John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. Their on-screen chemistry is perfect in this not-so-buddy Western, where Taw Jackson (Wayne) gets out of prison after serving only 3 years for a crime he was framed for, and gets together a misfit group of men to rob the man that robbed him of half-a-million in gold. If they can stop The War Wagon.

If you already have the original white and red colored widescreen release, don't spend your money again on this newly package "Universal Western Collection" release (brown in color). It is EXACTLY the same print, with the same poor extras as that first release. Some scant production notes, cast and filmakers (again scant) film highlights, theatrical trailor. Exactly the same. I'll give the extra copy I now own to a friend of mine who also loves John Wayne. And someday, maybe a good studio will give The War Wagon the dvd release it deserves-we don't need 5.1 surround(this was originally a mono-stereo release); just animorphic widescreen with a restored print which does not show the speckles of age.

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This is a movie about revenge. It's about the quest of one man, Taw Jackson (Wayne), to get even with the man who set him up and stole his ranch. To get his vengeance, Taw puts together a small group of men, including a gunfighter who's been hired to kill him (Douglas), to help him rob the "War Wagon," so named because it is an iron stagecoach complete with a gattling gun and a large complement of mounted guards. The five men scheme, plan, and concoct a plan to steal the wagon, and Taw and Lomax (Douglas) try to refrain from killing each other in the process.

This is not meant to be a completely serious Western, and in fact it is quite lighthearted. It is also funny, with just enough comic relief to keep things lively. Douglas and Wayne are absolutely fabulous together, and the rest of the cast works well too. This is a great all-around Western.

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I didn't like the "War Wagon" when it was first released, I found it rather silly and vaguely offensive. The problem was me, I was not ready to recognize, let alone relate to, a subtle parody of the western genre. I should have been more receptive because in the mid-60s a huge amount of genre parody began to appear on television ("Batman", 'Wild Wild West", "F-Troop", "Get Smart"), which could be traced back to gently tongue-in-cheek series like "Maverick" and "Zorro".

"Cat Ballou" (1965) was the first feature length parody of Western generic clichés. But its parody elements were obvious, even if you were not that familiar with the conventions of the Western genre you could recognize exaggerations and revisions. In addition, up to this point John Wayne films had given the Western genre only very traditional treatments.

But "The War Wagon" was only the first example of director Burt Kennedy's tweaking of the genre. He would follow it up with "Support Your Local Sheriff" (1969), "Hannie Caulder" (1971), and "Support Your Local Gunfighter" (1971). Wayne would toy with parodic elements two years later with "True Grit", and would stay much less traditional with the remainder of his westerns.

"The War Wagon" is also a genre hybrid as western is mixed with buddy picture and big heist movie. Taw (John Wayne) recruits an old enemy Lomax (Kirk Douglas) as he seeks revenge on a ruthless mine owner (Bruce Cabot) who not only framed and sent to him prison, but appropriated his ranch and personal possessions after a huge gold strike was discovered on ranch property (here we go with the exaggeration-the only things missing are stealing Taw's wife, adopting his children, and leaving his toilet seat up). Cabot transports his gold in a "Wild Wild West" inspired armored wagon.

The interplay between Wayne and Douglas (who always seems right on the verge of accepting Cabot's standing offer of $12,000 to kill Wayne) is clever and sarcastic, working with the many exaggerated elements to provide the film's considerable humor.

"The War Wagon" finds Wayne on the wrong side of established authority, for at least the third time as his Ethan Edwards character in "The Searchers" also operated well outside the law and Quirt Evans in "Angel and the Badman" had to be bad enough that he could be reformed by Gail Russell.

Howard Keel plays the civilized Indian sidekick mostly for comic relief and the characters actually demonstrate an awareness of the movie context when they self-reflexively (deliberately drawing attention to their playing characters in a movie) refer to a tactic as an old Indian trick. Ultimately the joke (and the irony) is on Wayne and Douglas, as their seemingly one-sided deal with the Indians (a few blankets in exchange for their participation) causes the Indians to end up with most the rewards.

"The War Wagon's" understated parody style would inspire John Huston ("The Life & Times Of Judge Roy Bean") and George Roy Hill ("The Sting"); and of course many others.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

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The War Wagon is a good comedy western starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglass as two men attempting to steal a shipment of gold. Wayne stars as Taw Jackson, a man recently released from prison after being framed, who wants to get revenge on the man who put him in jail(Bruce Cabot). Kirk Douglass is Lomax, Wayne's greedy, cocky partner. These two are perfect together as they try and figure out how to rob the "war wagon." Their dialogue is sharp and cutting with insults being handed back and forth.

The movie is very entertaining to watch. Excellent cast backing up Wayne and Douglass including Howard Keel as Levi Walking Bear. There is enough action and humor for everybody in this western. DVD presentation is good in widescreen with a trailer included even though it is a little pricey. Well worth it for Duke fans!

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Red Planet / 2010 / Contact (Triple-Feature) (2012)

Warner has done a number of these "Triple-Feature" releases on Blu-ray and it's a good bargain for a trio of films that range from exceptional to good.

"The Red Planet" features Val Kilmer and Carrie Moss as part of a team sent to Mars to find out what happened to a previous expedition that vanished without any final message. Complicating things their robot assistant has gone rogue when it's damaged reverting to its original combat mode. While "Red Planet" certainly has its flaws, it's an entertaining, diverting science fiction adventure. Tom Sizemore, Terence Stamp and Benjamin Bratt fill out the other spacesuits in this adventure.

"2010" based on Arthur C. Clarke's first sequel novel of the same name to "2001" has a somewhat similair plot to "The Red Planet". Heywood Floyd (Roy Scheider in the sequel) who sent the Discovery on its voyage to Jupiter hooks a ride to Jupiter on a Russian ship commanded by Tanya Kirbuk (an anagram for Kubrick and played by Helen Mirren)when the Discovery is spotted. HAL's creator Dr. R. Chandra (Bob Balaban)comes along for the ride in hopes that they can boot up HAL and when they suspect that he caused the demise of the crew. Featuring John Lithgow and a host of terrific character actors, it can't quite measure up to the original film but it's still a worthwhile adventure from director Peter Hyams ("Outland", "Capricorn One", "The Presido", "Narrow Margin").

"Contact" based on Carl Sagan's novel of the same name takes the most risks tackling questions of faith and has a truly stunning opening sequence. Directed by Robert Zemeckis ("Who's Afraid of Roger Rabbit?", "Back to the Future", "Forest Gump")and starring Jodie Foster the film tackles the first contact story form a very different perspective--what if the aliens return a message to us with instructions on how to build a device so we can meet? How will that change the balance of power, impact our sense of our place in the universe and our faith? It's a well made science fiction film although the casting is a bit wonky at times (I felt that Matthew McConaughey was miscast). Featuring some stunning visual effects and great casting (James Woods, Tom Skerritt, William Fichnter, David Morse, Angela Bassett), the film is only dated by the use of footage of President Clinton and Larry King (which gave the film a sense of reality at the time)but holds up remarkably well. The film is a bit talky at times but still manages to be engrossing.

All three films look quite good--there were some complaints that "Contact" had a bit too much digital noise reduction when it was released but it looks quite good regardless. "2010" also looks quite nice although a restoration wasn't done on the film (which was produced in 1984). "Red Planet" looks pretty good with nice strong detail throughout the presentation. There are some occasional compression artifacts but, on the whole, the film looks quite nice with bold colors and, while not reference quality blacks, they are still fairly strong.

Audio is quite strong for all three films.

The special features vary a bit ranging from weak (deleted scenes for "Red Planet" along with the theatrical trailer)to decent (the original production promotional featurette which is presented in standard definition, the theatrical trailer)to very good (commentary tracks by one from actor Jodie Foster, one from director Robert Zemekis and producer Steve Starkey, and one from senior visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston and visual effects supervisor Stephen Rosenbaum; we get three animated shot/set design that were done in CGI; "The Making of the Opening Shot" a very good featurette about the shot of the Eagle Nebula; the destruction of the NASA machine, as well as, "The Making of the Harriett Landing" and a composite reel. As I recall all three were carried over from the original DVD release) for the three films.

This is a nice, good set of three enjoyable science fiction films all on their own discs and just repackaged.

Three sci-fi movies that were nicely packed at a great price. The video and audio quality are superb, the best transfer I've seen since I saw them at the movies. The colors are vibrant and the sound is rich. If you enjoyed these films, this triple feature blu-ray is for you.

Buy Red Planet / 2010 / Contact (Triple-Feature) (2012) Now

Three great movies that go well together. Only thing I don't like about the 3-fer DVD's is missing special features, but the price is truly right for 3 movies as good as these.

Read Best Reviews of Red Planet / 2010 / Contact (Triple-Feature) (2012) Here

If you love sci-fi like my Wife and I do then this is a worthwhile purchase! We've already seen Contact which is a great story and dvd, but to have these in bluray makes it even more whorthwhile for less than 7 bucks a bluray!? Wow! Again, we've seen Contact on DVD, but can't wait to see it on bluray. After purchasing and arriving, we both watched Red Planet already and all i can say is, whoa! The sound in 5.1 is A+, picture another A+, and all around great story! The space scenes are awesome on a hifi hd bigscreen 60"! Can't wait to see 2010 and Contact! If you don't have these in your collection what are you waiting for? Very Affordable!

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Doghouse (2009)

The zombie resurgence continues (really now, the undead are everywhere!) in the delightfully silly British import "Doghouse." The horror/comedy zombie mine has been drilled so many times lately, I was afraid this film might be dead on arrival. But with a playful wink at sexual politics, "Doghouse" adds a new man versus woman angle that keeps things lively. Director Jake West manages to infuse the film with plenty of appropriately gruesome moments, gross visuals, hilarious sight gags, and then tops it off with a biting social satire on sexism. With no pretensions, "Doghouse" qualifies as a rollicking good time and I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had.

The film starts out as a bit of male wish fulfillment. To support a friend going through a divorce, a group of guys decides to take a "boys only" vacation. The joke is that they decide to go to a remote town where women reportedly outnumber men four to one. Even though the logic of this escapade is a bit sketchy, the guys are eager to take a break from their everyday lives (it helps that all their introductions present cloying spouses and unpleasant situations). So maybe this vision of a town with randy and willing ladies seems perfectly reasonable. Traveling via bus (in scenes eerily reminiscent of "Severance"--check it out as well), the guys eventually discover things all but deserted--until they start finding body parts and bloody remnants. But that's not all--the women have been turned into ravenous zombies!

A military/government experiment has gone awry and the resultant virus affects only the fairer sex. The zombies are hysterically attired in various garish outfits--sexy bride and maniacal beautician are my favorites, at least until an unlikely encounter occurs with one of our heroes (Danny Dyer) and a very large negligee-wearing seductress. Once the guys hit town, "Doghouse" becomes a frantic and non-stop adventure. Dyer (who co-incidentally was also in "Severance," about the ultimate corporate retreat) is spot-on as the biggest dog in the pack, but all the guys fill their roles nicely.

"Doghouse" is first and foremost a comedy. While the attacks and splatter scenes are well choreographed, there will be more laughs accompanying the slapstick antics than jolts from pure fright. "Doghouse" is very successful at achieving its modest goals. Entertaining and strangely endearing, you might find yourself liking the film and its heroes more than you might want to admit. So, I'll go ahead and make my confession--I loved "Doghouse!" KGHarris, 10/10.

I saw that this had one of the actors from Kidulthood so I looked at the preview. The preview cracked me up. The movie itself walks a line between thriller and comedy and I think they did a great job. It's not an all-out comedy like Shawn of the Dead, but it has some very funny parts. It is definitely worth a watch.

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This movie is a zomedy from the U.K. and it looks great on blu ray for sure. It features a group of average brit blokes who take their divorced friend on a vacation tour trip and end up in a village filled with female women infected with a virus that makes them zombie like. But they are not zombies really , instead mutated would be a better word for them. The music in this movie is really cool rock and that helps the feel of the movie. The cast itself are all veterans of british tv and film and NOT first timers, in fact this is way above some amuteur film made by beginners. So you get a low budget flick done by seasoned professionals all the way here. The negative reviews on amazon about acting are not accurate at all I believe, the sets looked fine to me as well. It was a small village set and that's that. The story is not pollitically correct at all and of course we get silliness some. The whole idea that the brit government would test a virus on a village in their own country is lame but who else would this movie work? well it could have been a meteor and that would have been less distasteful but it's now become part of filmland to always blame governments for everything so this is what you get. However it doesn't matter as this is a zomedy anyways. I thought the movie moved fast and was funny and even offensive which is what it aimed to be anyways. However the idea of men finding themselves in this horrible situation seems far fetched.

Instead regardless if you knew these cannibal women you'd be filled with horror and not take this lightly. But this does have the actors act that way to a degree which lets us all know that this is a comedy to a degree. Still it's a fast moving flick and if you don't take it seriously you'll have fun watching it. The blu ray has deleted scenes and extras as well. the blu ray is all region but the extras are not though. you'd need a all region blu ray to watch the extras but the feature film is fine on your american blu ray player. The uk has lots of horror blus that aren't making it out over here and most of them are all region so it's a good idea to grab them if you want a hd version of a movie like this.

Read Best Reviews of Doghouse (2009) Here

I wont bore you with too much back story cause it's all been done here, lets just say male friends on a male weekend and they so go to the wrong town. This movie was just funny, and I actually liked the guys, I was sad to see bad things happen to some of them. The crazy psycho women are just over the top. But it was one thing after another with these poor guys so it's certainly not boring on any level. And it will make the gore lovers happy as well. But this movie will make you laugh if you have any kind of sense of humor.

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The movie is fun, hilarious and just gory. Highly recommend this film to anyone looking for an awesome zombie movie or if you're a huge fan of Shaun of the Dead.

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Aliens (1986)

Revised for Blu-ray:The Blu-ray edition of "Aliens" features a stunning looking transfer. Yes, it does still have film grain (well, it should-it was shot on film and removing the grain using digital noise reduction would also remove much of the fine detail). Fox has done a masterful job of transferring this for its Blu-ray debut.

The Blu-ray includes both versions of the film--the original theatrical cut as well as the extended version.

The Blu-ray looks exceptionally good in its presentation here. Audio sounds positively stunning at times with a nice immersive mix of the soundtrack (for a film of its time).

Cameron did the smart thing with Aliens--go in a completely different direction from Ridley Scott's film and create something unique that still had his signature on it. In fact, Cameron already had a story he had written with the same basic premise--it just didn't have Ripley nor did it have the Aliens from the film series. He adapted it and made it work for this terrific 5 star sequel.

Special Features:

The big difference is the commentary track from Cameron and various cast and crew members. This is kind of a slice and dice commentary. You get Cameron one minute, the main cast (with the curious exception of Paul Reisner and Weaver), producer Gale Anne Hurd and make up/creature effects wizard Stan Winston. It's a terrific commentary track and there isn't a lot of dead space so clearly this approach will work for most fans of the film. If you wanted to hear Cameron the entire time, well you're out of luck.

The extras are pretty indepth including Cameron's original story treatment and every from pre to post production footage and information. It's a great package.The film wasn't shot using anamorphic lenses (in fact a lot of Cameron's early features weren't shot in anamorphic widescreen because of the difficulty of lighting the optical effects among many other things but you'll hear more about that in the commentary section). This is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

ABOUT THE DVD:

There are some minor compression issues. Since Aliens was shot on film stock that was very grainy (it was a new film stock and you'll notice a lot of films from the time with a similar look). It actually enhances the feel and look of the film capturing the Vietnam era references that Cameron was making with the film. So it was grainy before and still looks that way.

Using a format called Extended Branching allows both versions of the film to be on the same dual layered DVD at the same time and saves disc space. I noticed a comment about the lack of a DTS soundtrack. My understanding is that Cameron was very happy with the sound on the original release and had no desire to fiddle with this version.

All in all a terrific version of the movie. The packaging is probably going to be better here as the Quadrilogy had a fold out accordian format which I hate.

Use EXTREME caution when buying either "Alien" or "Aliens" on blu-ray in the single disc formats. There are virtually NO BONUS FEATURES included. All of the great bonuses are only available in the big Blu-Ray box set that has all 4 Alien films (which sucks because most people dont want or need Alien 3 or 4). I waited until "Alien" and "Aliens" were available individually and after purchasing them, was disappointed to learn that the bonus stuff wasnt included. It really sucks. I guess its a good way to force people to cash out for the box set. I wish the companies wouldnt do that kind of stuff.

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Excellent Sci-fi film. The premise of this movie is that Sigourney Weaver must go back to the original planet where her deceased crew made first contact with the Alien, this time with a troop full of marines. This is a great movie that has classic Cameron action sequences and special effects, but also a frantic and claustrophobic atmosphere. All of the acting is well done, namely Sigourney Weaver, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton, and the little kid. The Alien Queen at the end still looks AWESOME. Quick warning, though, this is the SPECIAL EDITION, and that means you CAN ONLY CHOOSE THE DIRECTOR'S CUT, not the theatrical version. This may make a difference because about 17 minutes of footage are added, mostly for good reason, but occasionally it is unnecessary and/or slightly damaging to the suspense. My advice to you is RENT THE DVD first, just to make sure you like the new version and extra footage, and buy it later. In case you were wondering, most of the restored footage has to do with the colonists early on and some pretty cool sentry machine guns about 2/3 through. In my opinion, either version is great, too bad they didn't include both!

Read Best Reviews of Aliens (1986) Here

If you're searching for a high speed, low drag super action thriller, search no more because "Aliens" is the film you're looking for! Even if you've not seen the first movie, "Alien" you'll still be able to enjoy this film to the fullest. That was of course by the design of the producers and this films superb director, James Cameron. Few sequels ever out do or exceed the accomplishments of their predecessors but "Aliens" can certainly be counted among those select few! With an exceptional script and an extremely talented cast, James Cameron crafted one of the best films to have ever graced the silver screen and the home theater screen.

Few films raise the blood pressure such as this one does as James Cameron and crew crafted a film that excels in all points, from intense suspense to breakneck pace in action. What's even better is that this film bears many viewings; I can't even begin to remember how many times I've watched this extraordinary film. The VHS tape I had for the film died long ago and this review is for the June of 99 DVD release that has long since completely sold out prompting the latest DVD release!

If you've watched more than one James Cameron film, you might begin to notice a bit of a recurring pattern as far as the exceptional actors that always seem to make it into his films, time after time. "Aliens" of course stars Sigourney Weaver in the role that has made her a household name and her performance for this film is extraordinary to say the least. Chief among the Cameron cronies (meant in a nice way of course) are Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen and Jenette Goldstein who all perform brilliantly in this film and can be found in many of his other exceptional films. Also of note in "Aliens" is the dramatic role for Paul Reiser, a genre he's long since abandoned for comedy but his performance is quite memorable.

Director James Cameron also wrote the script for "Aliens" along with David Giler and Walter Hill, all of which deserve all of the accolades they've received and continue to receive for their work on this incredible film. Few directors capture the imagination as he does. Of note also is James Horner, who was responsible for the score and the work he did on this film turned out to be quite exceptional, as is usual, whenever his name appears in the credits, the film is usually a huge success.

Just a note on the "Space Marines" featured in this extraordinary film, from a present day soldier's point of view. No matter what happens in the future, I seriously doubt that the Marine Corps would ever adopt wearing US Army rank insignia on their uniforms. I'm sure that many a present day Marines has had their feathers rustled a bit upon noticing this minor error in costume design.

The Premise:

It is nearly sixty years after the conclusion of "Alien," Ripley and Jonesy the cat are still quite happily sleeping away in their cryo-freeze compartment aboard the shuttle after sending the first alien out the airlock. The film opens with a salvage crew opening up the shuttle and finding her and the cat! After she's awoken, she learns that she's been floating around for fifty seven years and the company she works for is none to sympathetic to her cause, basically blackballing her. Unbeknownst to her, the "company" sends someone out to investigate her story and not too long thereafter nobody from the planetoid is heard from again. This of course prompts the company to send the space marines and Ripley as an advisor to find out what happened to the terraformers...

What follows from there is one of the best and most intense Sci-Fi action/thrillers to have ever been made and I would highly recommend this film to any and all who are fans of films in this genre!

This review is for the June of 99 DVD release. I found that the THX and 5.1 Surround worked quite well for this film. The seventeen minutes of the restored footage for this film is quite seamlessly added to film and serves extremely well in enhancing the experience of this movie.

With reference to the latest release, I would definitely recommend that version if you don't already have a copy, especially if you're into a lot of the Special Features. While the version I'm reviewing today seems a bit sparse in the special features area, the new release appears to be replete with them, making it a very wise purchase. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Behind the Scenes Footage

-Interview with James Cameron

-Still Photo Section

-Original Theatrical Trailer

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This is my blu-ray review for "Aliens" from the Alien Trilogy set. Anyone who has seen "Aliens" a million times like me knows that it is a VERY grainy film. I blame this on the film stock used at the time. I will try to give you a fair/balanced review without getting too much in detail. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the film DID look better then I expected on blu-ray. (And no!...you can't always expect a blu-ray to look better). I assume the film I'm viewing will be the same as the single blu-ray "Aliens' which will be released in the near future. I know I wanted all four of them so I bought the whole thing. Yes!....I frowned on Alien 3 for many years to later REALLY like and respect it. Alien-Resurrection being the worst of the set and even it "got better" over the years. Will you see grain in Aliens?....most certainly yes!...three areas mostly that I saw....1. When Ripley is rescued (opening of the movie: the outer shuttle shot looks great, it's the inner shot where the salvage team comes in).....2. When Ripley is waking up at Gateway Station.....3. Where she is sitting at the garden bench waiting for Burk before the inquest wanting information about her daughter. Other then these three areas I found grain to be at a minimum. It seemed like the film improved as I got further into it. Some of the grain could be where the added footage for the extended version was cut in. I found grain most of the time where I wouldn't expect to see it and didn't see it where I held my breath knowing I was going to see it. The very few space shots of the Sulaco and the tactical landing craft are for the most part clear as a bell (these being the darker shots you would expect to see grain). There are scenes where you are simply amazed at the clarity (given what you're used to seeing). Flesh surfaces look rather good..not fantastic....I did notice surface texture (metal, fabric, hair, flesh) details more and could actually read nomenclature tags clear. I don't remember watching the dvd and being able to do so. I did notice the tactical landing craft wing lights were very sharp and clear as well as on the top of the air making facility tower. Anyone who has apprehensions to spending the money for a blu-ray version rest easy. You will not be disappointed. I am eagerly waiting for Cameron to do a blu-ray treatment on "The Abyss".....

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A Star is Born (Kino Classics Edition) (1937)

The historical 1937 film A STAR IS BORN has remained a classic for many many years. This film's merits are many, I need not comment on them, but will make a comment on the cast. While the entire cast is outstanding, the real standout is Janet Gaynor who portrays Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester in such a way that you can connect with her and feel her sincerity on a level that you cannot with Judy Garland in the 1954 version (and the less said about the 1970s Barbra Streisand version the better). The rest of the performances in this film are super.

This film, produced by the late great David O. Selznick and released through United Artists, is currently in the public domain and many of the numerous DVDs/VHSs of such films are of deplorable picture and sound quality. Fortunately, it is not so on this DVD release from Image. The colors are extremely bold and vibrant. There are some age-related artifacts present and graininess is visible in a number of places, however this has been kept to a minimum. I will forgive these shortcomings considering the elements used for the DVD transfer are nearly 70 years old. 3-strip Technicolor was still in its infancy in 1937 (indeed, the first feature shot entirely in this process was released only 2 years earlier), but some outstanding results were had even then. The sound, while obviously rendered in 1937 recording technology, has been nicely cleaned up for this release, allowing the musical score by the venerable Max Steiner to shine as it should.

Pass up the cheap DVDs and look only for the release from Image Entertainment, edition # ID2777IMDVD. I guarantee this will be the best DVD of A STAR IS BORN you will find.

As with other fans of this classic film, I am greatly disappointed that KINO'S latest offering is not much of an improvement over previous KINO DVD releases of the film. While the IMAGE/KINO DVDs in 1998 and 2004 were at that time a marked improvement over the myriad of public domain travesties, the elements utilized for this release are only marginally better, despite the HD processing. This is also particularly disappointing when the film's fan base is aware that a restored print (by UCLA) exists.

According to a March, 2010 blog-post by NY POST film critic Lou Lumenick, he said, "Daniel Selznick, son of producer David O. Selznick, told me two years ago that WHV was doing a high-definition transfer of a UCLA restoration of the 1937 original, which has long languished in public-domain hell." Lumenick also quoted a Warner rep as saying, "When we looked at the master of the '37 'A Star is Born,' we realized that it really needed, more importantly, deserved a special restoration...using our Ultra Resolution process to bring out the glorious Technicolor of that film. So rather than it be an add on...some less than-terrific extra content, we pulled it back so as not to diminish the importance of either versions."

I suppose it was wishful thinking on my part that KINO would be releasing that long-awaited "restored" version. This will be the VERY last version I invest in until either Warner Home Video, Criterion or KINO offers us the ultimate version -and that will only be when the restored print from the UCLA effort is finally utilized as the source material.

Despite's the Selznick Estate's stamp of approval, I would suggest people save their money and wait.

Buy A Star is Born (Kino Classics Edition) (1937) Now

Though this is the only non-musical version of the thrice filmed tale, this original is my favorite. It may more than likely appear dated to some, but it is not only a wonderful story about the price of fame, but an early record of Hollywood history. Fredric March and Janet Gaynor are wonderfully touching as the doomed couple ,"Norman Maine" and "Vicki Lester", she being the new discovery whose *star* is ascending, totally eclipsing March's descending stardom. This was my first glimpse at Janet Gaynor, and I fell in love with her. May Robson is great also as Gaynors feisty Granny, who encourages the young, unknown dreamer to follow her dreams, and is there at the end when she seems to have given up. There are many wonderful moments, as when Gaynor, as the then pre-stardom "Esther Blodgett" tries to get the attention of movie big-whigs by her impressions of then popular stars Mae West, Katherine Hepburn, and Garbo. Andy Devine (that VOICE!!) is comical as the fledgling director who befriends the naive, broke, and new to Hollywood "Esther", and sticks with her through her metamorphosis to "Vicki Lester", and her tragedy and heartache. There's also fun scenes of early Hollywood locales, like the Hollywood Bowl, and interesting behind the scenes looks at the star-making process, when a little nobody is given everything from a new hairline to a new name. I always find myself blubbering like a fool at the films end, when Gaynor, having triumphantley come back from tragedy, delivers her final, famous line with a teary-eyed close-up. Yes, it's corny, but I'm crying not only because it's a tear-jerker, but also at the memory of all those beautiful fools of that long ago time, when there really was a place called HOLLYWOOD.

Read Best Reviews of A Star is Born (Kino Classics Edition) (1937) Here

This is the original... The best.... It has a great feel of the Hollywood that was... Gaynor and March are great. I love u Judy but THIS is THE classic film of the often-told-story... Judy is a class act, but HER film was/is not a classic.

BUY IT FOR GOODNES-SAKES hehehe:)(:

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Having been in public domain for so long now, it seems everyone has put out a print of this movie on video. They are consistently poor quality issues. This DVD issue is not perfect by any means, but it far exceeds any others I've seen. If ever a film was in need of a full restoration this is it. A great movie about that land of hopes and dreams called Hollywood. Honest, realistic, touching, and tragic. Although Judy Garland's version is excellent this is the version that truly delivers. I won't even mention the Streisand remake.

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Badlands (Criterion Collection) (1973)

This review refers to the Warner Bros DVD edition of "Badlands"...

Thirty years ago, young filmakers Terrance Malick(director) and Tak Fujimoto(cinematographer)gave us an advanced preview of their extraordinary talents. And not only that, but the young stars of this film, Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek prove their acting expertise as well.

Holly(Spacek), is a naive young girl who becomes enamored by the charismatic but brooding Kit(Sheen). After she is stunned by the brutal murder of her father by the man she loves, she goes on the run with him, and gets caught up in his dark world as he continues on his murder spree.

This chilling story was inspired by actual events that occurred in 1958 and Spacek(who also captivatingly narrates), and Sheen capture these troubled youths with perfection and will draw you into every word. Warren Oates turns in a terrific performance as usual, as Holly's father, and of course is not in it nearly long enough. Malick and Fujimoto subtly and artfully create a film, that puts the viewer right there in those "Badlands" of Montana, and that 30 years later will still have you fascinated.

The transfer onto DVD is good. There are times when the film shows it's age, but for the most part the clarity and color is fine. The sound remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, although distinct could still be improved on.The music was outstanding but occassionaly the background noises made the dialouge hard to hear. Neither of these things were enough to take away from the enjoyment or flow of the film, and overall it looks great for a 30 year old film. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who appreciates fine film making.

Thanx and enjoy....Laurie

Kit and Holly are presented in this story by Terrence Malick as total innocents, living in a prelapsarian state, completely unaware of right and wrong, good and evil, and ignorant of guilt or sin. They have minimal conception of the consequences of their actions; in effect, they appear almost totally to lack imagination or foresight, and can barely empathise with each other, let alone other people. Things just happen, as Holly sees it. Kit doesn't feel hostility to the people he kills: they are merely in his way. There is no remorse. He is only marginally conscious that the structured world outside his own will eventually catch up with him. These kids are like Adam and Eve, with a limited knowledge of what is forbidden, but no real knowledge of the meaning of life and death. Holly throws out her sick catfish, showing no feeling. Her dog is shot as a punishment by her father, indicating he, too, is careless of death or pain. Kit stands on a dead cow, as though puzzled by its absence of life. Neither of the two seems to cry or laugh much. In one way these characters might also be thought of as throwbacks to a prehistoric, animalistic past, where the younger man simply eliminates the older, in order to secure a mate for himself. Just the way of nature, and beyond criticism. Apparently, so I've read somewhere, this is the mindset of the criminal, who cannot see what he is doing wrong. He has to get by, somehow, and takes the easiest path. Why work, when you can steal? If obstacles arise, eliminate them. People are OK, otherwise. Live now, die later. This is an extraordinary film, superbly acted.

Buy Badlands (Criterion Collection) (1973) Now

This is an amazing directorial debut, as the film works on so many fronts. It is both a love story and a crime drama, with sneak peaks at what makes the two main protagonists tick. It remains for the audience to decide who is the more chilling and disturbed of the two characters, twenty five year old Kit (Martin Sheen) or fifteen year old Holly (Sissy Spacek).

This is a film in which two unlikely characters become lovers. Kit, a James Dean-like loser espies the fresh-faced Holly twirling her baton one day and is smitten. He approaches her and, despite her initial reluctance, she begins to see him against her protective father's wishes. Kit is ten years older than Holly, a high school drop out from the wrong side of the tracks, who is unable to maintain a job and appears to have a limited future. He falls in love with Holly and wants her to be his exclusively. Eventually, they become lovers.

Holly, a loner who has been raised by her father since her mother died many years ago, lives a middle class, materially comfortable existence. Her father, while he no doubt loves and cares for her, lacks a certain sensitivity. His idea of punishing Holly for disobeying him is to shoot her dog in cold blood. When her fish is dying, his solution is to toss it into the yard while it is still gasping for breath, replacing it with a new fish. Holly's naive, fresh-faced, freckled countenance belies a soul that has atrophied. It is as if Holly were disconnected from her feelings.

When Kit tries to talk to the father about his feelings for Holly, he is told in no uncertain terms to hit the road. Kit then decides to leave and take Holly with him. Kit enters Holly's house one day, packing a suitcase of her things in anticipation of their departure, when Holly and her father unexpectedly arrive home. Kit and Holly's father have a confrontation, that ends badly for dear old dad. It is here that the film first signals Holly's detachment as being something other than naivete. Her reaction is mind boggling. It is even more horrific than Kit's reaction. Or is it just shock? You be the judge.

They initially live an almost Thoreauesque existence in the woods, living off the land, reading, and spending lots of quality time together, until this, too, begins to pall. Discovery of their idyll by law enforcement officers drives them out, and they begin a chilling killing spree across the Badlands of South Dakota and a life on the lam.

While it is Kit who does all the actual killing, it is, to my mind, Holly who is the more complex and frightening character. Her prosaic and banal conversation, as well as a lack of empathy in the most heinous and disturbing of circumstances, is most unsettling. This is reinforced in the film through a voiced-over, almost toneless, detached narration by Holly of the events that took place. It is a masterpiece of point and counterpoint, chilling in its very telling and understated irony. When they are eventually caught, Holly remains impassive, while Kit relishes his celebrity and oozes charm, winning over his captors. Martin Sheen's performance is nothing short of brilliant, while Sissy Spacek is mesmerizing with her ability to chill the viewer.

This is an expertly crafted film with an ingenious use of music. The director even manages to utilize the music of Erik Satie (Gymnopedies 3) most effectively, however unlikely it may seem. Like the music of Erik Satie, the film is multi-textured and deceptively complex. Bravo!

Read Best Reviews of Badlands (Criterion Collection) (1973) Here

It's extremely rare for a company to outright lie on a DVD case, but here they most certainly did. This is not anamorphic ("enhanced for widescreen TVs") widescreen, as it says on both the DVD case and the label on the DVD itself. It's not even widescreenit's 1.33:1, full screen. Disgusting, Warner Brothers. Amazon should NOT be selling this.

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One star for the format.

Be advised that the 2010 release, despite being labeled Wide Screen, is nothing of the kind. It's 1.33:1 ("formatted to fit your tv") and appears to have been cropped on either side.

This is the second time I've been screwed by WB DVDs. I recently bought The American President in a snap case that claimed to be "enhanced for widescreen tv's" thinking that at last I'd get a picture I could live with unitl the Blu-ray issue (and no, that is not scheduled). But it was the same non-anamorphic disc that I bought years ago in one of those awful keep cases.

So: Caveat emptor. Go with the 1999 edition of Badlands, if you can find it, and you'll get both formats Then you can cheerfully ignore the stupidity of a P&S image in this day of Home Theater.

Shame on WB for mislabeling, and shame on Amazon for not differentiating.

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Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over / Adventures of Sharkboy (2012)

This 3D double bill unpretentiously features some of the best 3D imagery ever, including some great "pop-out" effects. The Spy Kids romp might be more appealing to adults because its cast includes Sly Stallone, Salma Hayak, Antonio Banderes, and Ricardo Montalban.

nice movie for kids,3d graphics are really great,and price also great,my kids love to see again and again,i also ejoy

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This is definitely a Comic Book / Video Game type films. There are some fun sequences that are aimed at kids. Adults should find the visual effects interesting. Each is more of an amusement ride than a normal movie. These films are more like watching someone play video games.

Read Best Reviews of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over / Adventures of Sharkboy (2012) Here

Used to have the 2d versions of these that my neice and nephew used love to watch when they came over and since the price was right @ $14.99 for both movies in 3d I couldn't pass them up (buy mostly 3d movies nowadays). They may not be Oscar material but they are fun and even more so in 3d.

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Decent purchase with 2 3d blu-ray movies. Recommended for its family value content, humor and good CG. Has good replay value.

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John Q / Pelican Brief / Training Day (2012)

Plenty of others have summarized the films before and said whether or not they liked them so I will dispense with that and focus strictly on the quality of the transfer of the 3 films to Blu Ray.

'Training Day' on BluRay was better than I expected once the disc was in. The Mbps rate ranged between the low teens and mid twenties at best. You would expect to see a lot of grain in this film, especially because there were so many dark scenes but the transfer wasn't bad and had good, warm color grading, natural skin tones and was free from artifacts, dirt or ghosting. However, I did see in one scene where the car turns right in front of some overhanging phone/electric lines some very real stair-stepping in the lines themselves. My gut feeling is that the transfer to blu ray was just that, a transfer without any serious remastering. This means that the Standard Def version wasn't bad either and I doubt you would see much difference from the upgrade to Blu Ray. The lack of an upgrade of the audio bolsters my thoughts on this. The audio is lossy Dolby Digital 5.1. You can get used to listening to lossy audio until you hear the difference between it and a lossless version. Very disappointed in the audio, not because the levels were poor or the dialogue unintelligible, but because the panning and use of the discreet channels for foley fx would have been greatly enhanced if the audio had been a lossless one. However, most of the audio is strictly across the front stage. Great movie though and too bad it was not really remastered. There were unfinished deleted scenes and an alternate ending scene as well as trailers, commentary and music videos.

'Pelican Brief' -Exciting political thriller. There was great color with a soft muted focus, realistic grading, no artifacts or problems that I could see. Mbps from 7 to 35.

The audio was Dolby Digital HD lossless which is always good , however the

audio is spread across the front stage with no real use of your surround system for panning or Foley FX or sub for this dialogue driven film. You do need to go to the audio menu as the film defaults to compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 There were no extras of any kind other than a trailer.

'John Q'-Great medical thriller. Video-some early grain especially in the background but appears to clear up. Mbps is high 20's to low 30's. The Audio defaults to DD 5.1 so be sure to change to PCM HD lossless in the menu.

Audio is primarily dialogue ,but both sound stages are used for soundtrack and ambience and even some discreet foley fx from both front and rear channels. Lots of extras including alternative and deleted scenes, commentary and more. Over all, 5 star movie and 4 star transfer

While it is great to get 3 movies on 3 separate discs for such a low price, if you already have them on Standard Def DVDs, do not expect to see a remarkable difference between the two formats if you see any difference at all.

Hopefully, this review has been of some help to you in determining your purchase, hope I am on the correct path with a review of the transfer quality as opposed to providing plot summaries.

Thanks

Triple Feature on Blu Ray with Denzel Washington are Training Day : released 2001 R rated action crime film directed by Antoine Fuqua starring Denzel Washington as Alonso Harris a corrupt senior undercover narcotic detective & Ethan Hawke as the rookie straight cop Jake Hoyt who just been assigned with Denzel Washington and has to prove himself to be an undercover narcotic officer and The Story follows the 2 L A P D Narcotic detectives over a 24 hour period in gang neighborhoods of North West & South Central Los Angeles .

John Q is a film directed by Nick Cassavetes released 2002 a PG Drama about John Quincy Archibald ( Denzel Washington ) a father who's son is diagnose with an enlarge heart and than finds out he cannot receive a transplant because the insurance will not cover him therefor decides to take the hospital staff & patients hostage until the hospital puts he's sons name on the recipients list a touchy story with a kinda happy ending and a good documentary about health care & lack of organ donors and the people in need of them with real patients interviews .

Also starring Robert Duvall Anne Heche James Woods Ray Liotta & Eddie Griffin .

The Pelican Brief is based on a book written by John Grisham a PG suspense crime thriller released 1993 & directed by Alan J. Pakula starring Julia Roberts as a young law student Darvy Shaw and Denzel Washington as the Washington Herald political Reporter Gray Grantham and starts with a couple of supreme court justices being murderer and law student Julia Roberts suspects the real motive is greed so writes a legal brief and shows it to her professor lover & mentor Sam Shepard who gives a copy to his friend John Heard at the FBI and this is where the trouble starts with corruption politics and greedy businessman trying to get rid of Julia Roberts o anyone else involve .

The Denzel Washington triple feature are Three really good Blu Ray Movies with a Great Picture Sound and Value .

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it is always a good deal when the price is right and the all three movies are the movies that you want. most of the time you get two out of three, but today was a win win for me.

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When I received the package, only 1 blu ray disc Pelican brief and not 3 blu ray disc as stated on the cover.

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Three great movies for one low price? Can't go wrong with that. I have no need for the special features or additional footage that most people complain about. I'm happy enough having three movies for an excellent price.

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Dead Snow (2010)

This is the fifth Nazi Zombie movie That has been made, and it's one of the better ones. Of course if you are not a horror fan then you wouldn't like any of them. And the effects of the three earlier films can't compete with the last two but that doesn't matter really. The first was the classic 'shock waves" (1976) followed by the french low budget effort "zombie lake" (1980) and jess franco's 'oasis of the zombies" (1983) and then by the excellent 'outpost" (2007) and now by "Dead Snow" (2009). This movie has far more gore than the three early efforts; but that was different era; although "outpost" has more interesting characters than "dead snow" which is your typical in the know young people who are the target of the Nazi Zombies wrath. The acting is very good though and this is a professional movie.

Unlike the first time efforts of the many ultra low budget horror zombie flicks shot awkwardly and sometimes on video tape.

We are told that they killed villagers and then had to battle their way into the mountains when the vengeful Norwegians came for them. They died there and have been there ever since. This movie is part ghost story in that the zombies are protecting their loot rather than just killing people for no reason. And that's a good twist to this very good horror movie. The film has a english dubbed soundtrack (in stereo) and the original Norwegian soundtrack (with english subtitles in 5.1) to choose from as well. The best thing about the more modern flicks (outpost and this one) is that the movies prints look fantastic and are without blemishes. The three older movies while decent prints needed some cleaning up. This is a great entry into the Nazi Zombie genre and it's well shot and has a 'evil dead" type of humour to it which is fun enough. This movie is good enough to be made in America which shows how far some low budget filmmakers have come since the early 1980's. Not that "zombie lake" doesn't have it's own low budget charms; it's not on this level and couldn't be. So a hearty sieg Zombie to this

solid fun horror feature.

Hands down one of my all time favorite movies! The latest offering in the micro zombie nazi drama and its a good one, particularly on Blu Ray. A group of Norwegian (yes, its in that language subtited in English) kids head out to the mountains for some skiing and fun, only to find themselves the appealing target of nazi zombies. This is a fun movie. Its a horror/comedy, with somewhat equal emphasis on both genres. Where Shawn of the Dead was almost exclusively comical, this movie does attempt to pull off a few good scares, and some are actually pretty effective, albeit mild. It also does a good job of slowly unveiling the monsters similar to Alien; it takes a while before we fully see one, and the anticipation is well structured. The comic elements are good too; they're mostly not over the top, but good and will likely appeal to a wide viewer audience (i.e., not just those who find the sophmoric humor of american pie worthwhile). Some great scenery too; its filmed in an absolutely beautiful set of snowy mountains. It is also worth noting this movie presents a slightly modified version of a zombie. Similar to how the new Friday the 13th turned Jason into a hybrid olympian sprinter/weight lifter, so too these zombies are quite amped up and able to hunt down their prey with impressive alacrity. Don't expect to see Shock Waves-like zombies; these guys are out for the quick kill. Further, the Blu Ray audio/video content is outstanding. It has a surprisingly good video quality and ranks near the top of my collection in that rating. Very highly recommended.

Buy Dead Snow (2010) Now

Nazi-zombie horror isn't a new idea. For decades, horror filmmakers have attempted to capitalize on the greatest tragedy in modern history by giving the dirty Nazis their comeuppance. . . in undead form. The only bad thing about the cinematic destruction of Nazi brains is that most of these Nazombie flicks are just plain awful. The French, for example, did it a couple times with appalling flicks like 'Oasis of the Zombies' and 'Zombie Lake'. I guess they were still angry about losing Paris so they didn't even want to give Nazombies the benefit of a quality movie. A rare diamond buried in the pile of rotting Nazi flesh, however, is the new Norwegian zomcom 'Død snø' aka 'Dead Snow'.

In 'Dead Snow' a group of twentysomething medical students head up to a mountain cabin for an Easter vacation ski trip. After only a short while, the inevitable happens: A crazy old man barges his way into their lives and bores them with a ridiculous tale of evil Nazi curses and stolen treasure. When have crazy old men in horror movies ever been right? Not too long after that, those wacky Nazis show up seeking the gold that, well, wasn't really theirs to begin with, but they still want it back anyway.

With films like 'Zombieland' and 'Shaun of the Dead' being released over the past few years, it is very difficult to gain any kind of recognition in the zombie-comedy subgenre since every zomcom will undoubtedly be compared to one or both of them. 'Dead Snow', however, can definitely withstand the comparison. From the wicked fun opening scene and all the way through, the Nazombie horror-comedy is hilariously gross and grossly hilarious, it even has some good scares to go with it. From a technical standpoint, Tommy Wirkola's direction and Matthew Weston's cinematography very well capture the beauty of the snow-covered mountains, but the shakicam got a bit frustrating in a couple scenes. The gore is fantastic and over-the-top, especially the excellent little 'Dead-Alive' moment (maybe to go along with Vegard's t-shirt). The writing is fresh and well paced, leaving most of the characters one-dimensional enough so that it's not too much of a worry when they're executed by the Nazi horde. Sometimes shallow characters are useful. It does have some clichéd elements; but, the film seems self-aware of them, even mentioning a few of them in their references to other films. What will be more frustrating to horror fans than the clichés is the ridiculous statement made about 'Evil Dead II' being a higher-budget remake of the original. But, this is neither the time nor place to get into that.

Overall, 'Død snø' is a fine addition to the zomcom subgenre. If you want a fun zombie romp with some laughs and scares, check this one out. . . then check out 'Shock Waves' for, really, the only other worthwhile Nazombie film.

Final Verdict: 8/10

-AP3-

Read Best Reviews of Dead Snow (2010) Here

"Dead Snow" is a Norwegian comedy horror film, directed by Tommy Wirkola. In the film a group of medical students take a holiday in the mountains at an isolated cabin. They're meeting a friend who is traveling cross country, but she never makes it. In the hills, lying in wait, are the dead from WWII. We never really learn how these Nazis became zombies, but they're out for revenge on anyone who disturbs their burial grounds. "Dead Snow" will make you jump, and at times chuckle. It's campy fun, and the Nazis zombie's look great.

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Sorry but this movie was just barely entertaining. Is it because it has nazi zombies? Is it because the characters are not your average Americans on a road trip (but average Europeans on a road trip)? Yes it is barely interesting due to these two factors but otherwise there is nothing much left to talk about aside from a couple creative gore scenes. Nothing original or even well executed here. How did this movie make it so far aside from skillful marketing?

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