Das Boot (Director's Cut) (1997)

This review will attempt to assist those who already own the Director's Cut (or Superbit version), but who are thinking about also buying the newer "Original Uncut Version" (293 minutes on 2 DVDs).

The first thing you should know is that the English dub has been largely redone; if you are familiar with the Director's Cut dialogue, you will immediately notice that the English dub's script has been changed in many places within the Uncut Version. In particular, the saltier comments throughout the movie have been deleted and replaced with much more 'polite' translations. Moreover several of the characters (Werner the war correspondent, Kriechbaum the Navigator, the boat's second-in-command [whom is referred to as "Number One"], as well as the comical red-haired Second Officer, etc.) have received new voices in the English dub (if only in select places), and their scripts have been changed in numerous instances as well. I raise this as a concern because I realize diehard fans may find these (sometimes unnecessary) dialogue changes irritating. This is the main flaw of this edition, in my opinion.

While the Uncut Version soundtrack includes new sound effects, and adds frequent narration in old footages areas (largely excerpts from Werner's diary), short pieces of the new footage have not been remastered and look very grainy. Most of the new footage is however seamless and not of unacceptable quality (contra another reviewer). The sections that have been neglected are mainly external shots of the uboat -in one such instance an obvious blue line spans the vertical width of the screen for about 20-30 seconds.

The new footage that appears in the Uncut Version is not simply superfluous addition either, but in a few instances actually clarifies or adds completely new elements to the Director's Cut storyline (I won't ruin that for you, suffice to say that some very interesting plot elements are introduced in this newer edition). This cut is also much more pointed in depicting the stress, paranoia, poor morale, and sheer boredom of the crew, who are shown praying, making mistakes, complaining, and doing many stupid things just to pass the time and ease the strain of being a submariner. Of interest is the enthusiasm that the crew eventually displays at the prospect of going into battle: not because that is what they have trained to do, but because anything is preferable to the endless waiting and resulting apathy between enemy contacts. Numerous conversations between various characters have been added, and minor characters that didn't make it into the Director's Edition appear in the Uncut Version. A few treats exist as well, such as a shot where the Second Officer can be more clearly seen using a Kreigsmarine four-rotor ENIGMA machine to decode a transmission. Most importantly of all, the new footage emphasizes the sense of watching the story unfold through the eyes of the war correspondent, which is what Director Wolfgang Peterson originally intended. The new footage adds considerably to the picture's atmosphere, and contributes important characterization -particularly for Johann the Chief Engineer, the second-in-command, and Grade, the Chief of the Boat.

German with English subtitles is the default option, but an English dub with French subtitles is also available. The English track has been upgraded to Dolby 5.1.

This 2-DVD Uncut Version is highly recommended, but isn't for everyone -note that it is deliberately aimed at the fan base. This special-interest group is likely the only one this version of the film will please. If you've never seen Das Boot, borrow a friend's copy of the shorter Director's Cut first; when you've cultivated an appreciation for this benchmark in WWII filmmaking, come back and get this edition. I would not recommend buying this version if you've never seen the movie -it might turn you off due to its sheer length and relatively slower pace. Neither should the fan looking solely for special features purchase this Uncut Version the featurette entitled: "The Making of Das Boot: Behind the Scenes" is a little over seven (7) minutes long, and is mainly a justification for the re-release of the full length cut.

A member of the Das Boot `cult' would be very pleased to see the extra footage in this Uncut Version. If you're a diehard fan, don't think twice; I bought mine even after having read the more negative reviews here. Four stars given for the substantive quality and importance of the new footage to the overall picture; the image quality and sound in places is not perfect, and there are no new special features worthy of the name, so this cut cannot receive five stars. Since you are willing to sit through close to 5 hours of Das Boot anyway, the instances of grainy new footage shouldn't overwhelm you. In all, the extra tidbits (in my estimation) are worth the money.

Finally we can see the full cut of Das Boot on DVD. Not only does this new edition have a remastered anamorphic transfer, it finally has the full, original 4 hour 50 minute cut (290 minute)that was cropped into the US theatrical edition (2 1/2 hours) and the Director's Cut (3 1/2 hours), but in a movie where the quiet moments where we learn about the characters are the best, the original cut (it was originally made for TV as a 6 part mini-sieres)has my strongest recommendation. The movie itself is the BEST submarine movie ever made without question, and also a realistic portrayal of life in a crowded, dirty German U-boat in WWII, filled with people who just want to go home and live normal lives, but due to the war are denied the chance. You see throughout the movie that the characters are not sympathetic to the German cause and that they aren't really fighting for their country, but their lives. This is one of my favorite war movies for showing the war through a different viewpoint than the one normally seen and an example of great filmmaking (p.s. aviod the dub at all costs go for subtitles).

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Any movie that is subtitled has to overcome a lot to get me totally involved in its plot. In the case of Germany's celebrated Submarine classic "Das Boot", I don't remember there being subtitles past the first five minutes. What originally drew me to the film was Jürgen Prochnow. He's such a great actor and he really impressed me in "Dune" and "The Seventh Sign". As usual, his portrayal of the German Navy Captain is understated and yet impressively powerful.

If you know your modern history, you'll be familiar with the German Submarine Command's service history, during the Second World War. In the early years these subs caused havoc in the Atlantic Ocean and beyond, virtually bringing merchant shipping to a standstill. Over time however, the Allies' newly commissioned sub-hunter ships challenged the German's stealthy supremacy. Disappointingly, those great "sub verses sub" duels rarely happened during WWII.

Das Boot's story takes place in 1941, and gone were the days when "wolf-packs" of U-Boats ruled the seas. German subs were hounded everywhere they went, resulting in a survival rate that drew sympathy even from the Luftwaffe. Despite these desperate straits, the German high command continued to find missions for the remaining sub crews. Naturally, the men making up these crews were a special breed, and as such, they drew a lot of attention from the civilian press around the world.

In this case a newspaper correspondent called Lieutenant Werner, has joined the boat for the duration of its mission. Events unfold from his point of view and so we can lose our misconceptions and innocence along with Werner. He has no responsibilities on board and is therefore under less stress that most, but at the same time he has nothing to distract him from the pressure of each enemy attack and the many fathoms of sea water over the sub.

Holding it all together, under terrifying conditions, is a single man. The captain is a scruffy, mildly cynical, bastion of strength. He deals calmly with almost any situation, drawing on a seemingly unlimited store of courage. He also uses this courage in the face his 1st Lieutenant, a goose-stepping Nazi loyalist, who disapproves of his captain's lack of respect for Hitler, the high command and much else about Germany's military efforts.

The film takes an even darker turn when, during the middle of their tour, the captain receives orders to commence a new mission; a mission which amounts to suicide. They are asked to enter the Mediterranean Sea via the Gibraltar Strait and make an attack on enemy shipping. The strait is very narrow and heavily monitored but the captain accepts his orders, devising a strategy that gives them at least some hope.

Not surprisingly, things go bad from the start. I'm not going into a blow by blow description. Suffice to say that every moment is chock full of dramatic tension and the relationships within the crew become more obvious with every crisis. In the end, the audience feels almost as exhausted as these brave men, which makes the final scenes even more powerful.

One warning for those that want to see this absorbing movie. Do not watch the dubbed version. In some versions, the voice acting is a joke and distracts form the story. Instead, stick to the subtitles. Trust me, you're not going to notice them.

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I am updating this review to encourage fans of the movie to get the newly released "Original Uncut" version. This version is the one originally aired as a mini-series on German TV and is approximately 5 hours in length. It goes into much greater detail about the crewmembers and shows some critical dialogue and battle scenes that were left out of the theater version and the directtor's cut.

Get this DVD!! It is far superior to the VHS version. Watch the movie in German with subtitles to really get the flavor of the dialogue. The English dubbed version is, to me, sanitized.

Das Boot recreates a combat patrol of a German submarine operating out of France in 1941. The prologue explains that the war in the North Atlantic is turning against the Germans as the British have developed superior Anti submarine tactics. Nevertheless the Captain (brilliantly portrayed by Jurgen Prochnow) takes his baby-faced crew into harm's way in an effort to do his duty as a German Naval officer, even though his distaste for the High command is evident.

The movie was extremely well made. You really feel like you are inside this cramped 200' long piece of sewer pipe that was home to 50 sailors. The claustrophobia, boredom, lack of hygene, and loneliness all are effectively portrayed. Someone once wrote that being a soldier in wartime was 97% boredom punctuated by 3% of absolute terror. That axiom is evident throughout the film.

The DVD version has enhanced Dolby sound, which makes the depth charge attacks all the more realistic. In one sequence the depth charge attacks are so intense that it seems that the sound alone will destroy the U boat.

Some consider Das Boot an "anti-war" film. I am not sure that it really falls into that category. It certainly doesn't glorify war, nor does it really offer much commentary on the merits, or lack thereof, of the German war effort. The Officers onboard never really discuss politics, or what the war is about. Their attitude is, rather, that they are there to do a job and that's what they're going to do. Only one officer, a clean shaven die-hard Nazi expresses any real commitment, and he's made fun of by the others.

No, Das Boot is a film about war, and those who are called upon to fight it. It is intense, gripping and moving. You'll never spend $23 for a better DVD.

Walter

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I don't think there are enough superlatives in the English language to adequately describe this film. It succeeds in every possible way. This is not only one of the best war movies ever, but among the very best films period. The story is based on a true story of a German Submarine and its crew during WWII. The plot is simple. A bunch of ordinary young guys are crammed into a little tin can and go out and do their duty while trying to avoid getting killed. This slice of life film gives a chillingly detailed look at the rigors of war in a U-boat.

We are treated to the stark reality of submarine warfare; the hours of boredom; the camaraderie and simultaneous aggravation that comes with living in such close quarters, the exultation of victory when a torpedo hits, the stark terror of the sound of a destroyer's propeller just above or the insane fear of the boat being crushed by the water pressure as you go too deep.

This film is unique in that it is done from the German perspective. Most films about WWII are from the Allied perspective since they were produced in Hollywood or England. What is striking about this film is how it depicts war as a human event rather than a nationalistic conflict. It makes us realize that for the foot soldier and sailor on the battle lines, no matter what side, war is the same. It is more a matter of survival than glory.

Director Wolfgang Peterson did a brilliant job on this film. The set and props were authentic in minute detail and the work in tight quarters was truly remarkable. You get a real sense of the cramped quarters and how nimble the men had to be scrambling from compartment to compartment. Peterson spares us none of the unpleasantness of submarine life. The stark reality of it is startling.

By far Peterson's greatest accomplishment is the spine tingling suspense. The effect is so terrifying you feel like you are part of the crew. His use of angles, lighting, actor's reactions and most especially sound makes this film far more frightening and suspenseful than anything the horror genre has ever produced. I viewed this on DVD (Director's Cut) and the sound was probably the best I've ever experienced. You hear water dripping behind you, bolts explode and go screaming diagonally across the room to clank on the other side, the sound of the destroyer's propeller escalates from a fly buzz to a roar as the ping from the sonar gets ever louder. You find every muscle in your body tensing as you hear them drop the depth charges.

The ending is superb. It is triumphant, poignant and ironic; unexpected and yet not surprising. It is neither what the viewer is apt to want nor expect, and yet it is not disappointing.

I can't think of any negative criticism I would give this film. It was nominated for six Academy Awards and won none. That speaks volumes about the dubious nature of the Academy. Even if you don't normally enjoy war movies, you should see this film. It is ultra excellent drama, entertainment and filmmaking. A perfect 10.

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Live in Ancient Kourion (2013)

Stu Block has managed to do what I thought was impossible do justice to material from Iced Earth's full discography, and originally sung by no less than 4 different people. He can out-scream Ripper, and even out-emote Harlow. And the whole band sounds tight, energized, and the crowd is INTO it. That a band this far into their career can pull off a live album like this is really remarkable.

If you like Iced Earth old stuff or new this is a must buy. And if you like power metal at all grab it.

Now I just have to wait for the Blu-ray to come out in the U.S.

5 stars... it would be silly to expect anything better than this! Watched the dvd in one sitting... with my girlfriend... we were both mesmerized!

I'm a big fan of Iced Earth, they're probably my favorite band. That may lead you to believe this will be a biased review; however, often times the biggest fans are also the harshest critics. To build credibility, here's a few criticisms I have toward Iced Earth:

* "Framing Armageddon" & "Crucible of Man"... I've picked about 5 songs between the 2 albums that I really enjoy, the rest are pretty much boring/filler to me.

* I liked Barlow the 1st time around, buy why get rid of Ripper to bring back a "part-time" Barlow?

* "Festivals of the Wicked" why release 2 shows from the same summer festival tour? The 2 Barlow shows have virtually the same setlist.

But for "Live in Ancient Kourion" ... Iced Earth has nailed it! As Jon states in one of the interviews, the setlist will never please everyone. It's cool he acknowledged that. He followed that up with his idea to release live material for each of the future tour cycles, each including many different songs from their back catalogue. To me, that sounds like a great response to the setlist conundrum.

Seeing them in concert on the Dystopia tour helped me to fully embrace Stu. He's great with the crowd, but more importantly, he's a terrific singer. This live album should give that same opportunity to the fans whom have not seen Iced Earth live with Stu. He sings low & high, & everywhere in between. Only negative observation I have thus far with Stu is his over-the-top performance of "Dracula" on "Live in Ancient Kourion." It's impressive to hear him switch from low to high so often, so quickly... but it sorta detracts from the song, changes it from an emotional masterpiece, into a vocal lesson/demonstration. Although apart from Dracula, upon 1st listen, every other song on here was done brilliantly. With these new live versions, I will have a hard time choosing my favorite version of many of these songs... I look forward to the challenge.

I'm also looking forward to many powerful years of output from Iced Earth with Stu on vocals. This album is great for anyone wanting to see how Stu fits into the Iced Earth fold, it's great for people just starting out with Iced Earth, & most importantly, it's just a great live album, period.

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No question Iced Earth presented their fans with a true gem. This is simply not just their best live album ever, but one of the best ever in the genre. Why did I buy this album? First, I'm a fan. But, that's not very useful if you are wondering whether you should get it, is it? First should be that Iced Earth truly play inspired and true metal. Emotion, dedication, love shown to their fans all of it is there. Second, the quality of the material is the highest. Songs on this live album sound better than on their studio releases. Third, the musicianship is second to none. Finally, in Stu Iced Earth got the world class singer. I don't care whether you're a fan of Dickinson, Halford, Dio, Ripper, Barlow or someone else, Stu will impress you. If you're a metal fan you should own this record ... If you're an Iced Earth fan, ... well, it's a no brainer.

Read Best Reviews of Live in Ancient Kourion (2013) Here

My first reaction to seeing this product on Amazon was "Really? Another live recording?". While it is only their second actual live cd release, the DVD set 'Festivals of the Wicked' is less than two years old. Between that and the Alive in Athens recordings, I wasn't sure if a fan would need a new recording. But since this is the first live recording with new vocalist Stu Block, I decided to give it a chance.

Let's backtrack a bit Iced Earth had all of the markings of a band on life support by the time 2011 arrived. Longtime fan favorite Matt Barlow returned to the band for 2010's 'The Crucible of Man', otherwise known as 'Something Wicked Part 2', the conceptual sequel to 2007's 'Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1)'. This was very odd since Tim "Ripper" Owens had provided vocals for the previous album, so Jon Schaffer even went as far as to have "Framing Armageddon" re-recorded with Barlow on vocals for the 'Box of the Wicked' boxed set.

This proved to be pointless in the end, as Barlow's return was short-lived; he quit the band again in 2011 to spend time with his family. Truth be told, the Something Wicked saga had turned out to be a massive disappointment; after the awesome trio of songs that began the saga at the tail end of 1998's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes', it was almost 9 years before the band picked up the story. By then, many fans had lost interest. Compounding matters even more was the sheer lack of interesting material in 2007's 'Framing Armageddon', which contained bland, overproduced anthems that were not sonic brethren to the original three anthems. Ripper Owens's uninspired vocal performance made the album utterly forgettable; in fact, his tenure with the band never really worked. Whereas he had fire and personality in his stint in Judas Priest, he never quite found his sweet spot in Iced Earth, and was often guilty of over-singing (even by Iced Earth standards).

Even Barlow's 2010 return didn't save "The Crucible of Man" from mixed reception from fans and critics; it seemed that Jon Schaffer's songwriting ability had severely degraded. After the mixed bag that was 2001's "Horror Show", and the average-to-poor quality of 'This Glorious Burden' through 'Crucible', it seemed like the band had finally exhausted everything they brought to the table.

Enter Stu Block Stu came to notoriety as lead vocalist for innovative progressive metal band Into Eternity. His voice in that band could be described as versatile, as he oscillated between smooth clean vocals, piercing shrieketto, and guttural death vocals. It was unclear if he'd be another "Ripper", having difficulty finding a way to fit his voice with a new band. But 2011's 'Dystopia' was a pleasant surprise. Stu managed to find a niche in his new band, modifying his vocal approach to better fit the more 'staccato' vocal attack required of Iced Earth. If he was guilty of one thing, it is that his lower vocals oftentimes sound eerily similar to Matthew Barlow's (at times, it's hard to tell them apart). But his higher register carried much more power and gravitas than Barlow's did; where Barlow's falsetto often petered out, Stu possesses a higher range and greater degree of comfort and power. Stu's solid presence, coupled with Jon Schaffer's 'back to basics' approach of just writing simple, quality metal anthems made 'Dystopia' a surprisingly solid effort. While not a classic, it was far away the band's best effort since 1998's 'Something Wicked', and injected the band with new life.

So it does make sense to a degree that the band would release another live album (assuming of course, that fans want to add another 2.5 hours of much of the same material to their collection). Sonically, this live album does not differ much from previous it is a high quality mix with crisp sounding guitars and vocals (and likely an overdub or two). The setlist is an effective blend of all eras each album is represented by at least one track, and most containing at least three entries.

Sadly, there are no real surprises "Dante's Inferno" remains the only 'Burnt Offerings' inclusion, and 'Something Wicked' has a disappointing representation of mostly ballads ("Melancholy" and "Watching Over Me" are two of the three entries). And of course, 'Night of the Stormrider' and 'Dark Saga' contain their pre-requisite staples. These songs sound as effective and full of life as ever, with Stu Block delivering quality performances. He doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the proceedings, other than restoring Greely's powerful falsettos to the Stormrider tracks; nonetheless, he turns in a solid performance.

What elevates this live album are some of the other performances the 'Dystopia' songs work extremely well in a live context, with Stu Block actually improving on his studio performance on tracks like "Boiling Point" and "V". Surprisingly, the material from 'Framing Armageddon' (especially "Setian Massacre") are given new live with Block's vocals. While still far from their best material, the tracks actually contain presence for the first time that improve their standing in the setlist.

And then there's the 'Horror Show' material. Iced Earth were guilty of overproducing the hell out of the vocals on that album, using layer upon layer that made them difficult to reproduce live. Additionally, they were some of the most demanding tracks Barlow laid down, as they contained some of the rangiest material, with frequent octave jumps and notes around the breakpoint. Three of the best entries on the uneven studio effort are included here: "Wolf", "Dracula", and "Damien". Stu proves he is game on "Wolf", managing to convert the difficult two-part vocal melody into a solid one-part effort, with additional gusto on the demonic-sounding chorus. "Dracula" succeeds largely on the sweat and tears of Block; it's a song that works much better in the studio, but Stu's versatile octave-jumping manage to provide the song with the requisite amount of melodrama and delightful cheese that made the track engaging to begin with.

Only "Damien" fails of the three, but this is largely due to Schaffer's lazy songwriting. Barlow's over-the-top octave-doubled vocals carried the original and masked its weaknesses, but alas, Stu only has one set of vocal cords, which exposes the song's inherent mediocrity.

The recording definitely does a nice job of capturing the energy of the crowd, whose soccer-esque chants are infectious. Stu brings much charisma as a frontman, and clearly feeds off of the passionate crowd.

Ultimately, this new live release is far from essential (how many different versions of "Pure Evil" does one fan need?). But for fans, especially those (like me) who had given up on the band after 'Crucible of Man', the album is a stark reminder that Iced Earth is back...with newfound passion and excitement. And isn't metal better when Iced Earth are having fun?

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I've been a fan since I bought Horror Show back in 2001. I include myself in the majority group that think Matt Barlow will always be the voice of Iced Earth, but newcomer Stu Block is nothing short of spectacular here. He has the low and high range of Barlow, plus he can scream as high as the bands previous vocalist, Tim "Ripper" Owens. If you weren't totally sold on him after Dystopia (I think most were), this 2 1/2 hour live performance will make you a believer. The band is tight and the energy from the crowd is unlike any concert DVD/Blu-ray that I own.

This is a great buy for the price. You get 2 CDs and 1 DVD that capture the entire show, along with a few extras that show the making of this one of a kind concert that was filmed on some ancient stone ruins. The picture is near Blu-ray quality and the sound is loud and broken up nicely.

With founder/guitarist Jon Schaffer leading the way and Stu delivering the lyrics, Iced Earth should be cranking out nothing but classics in the near future. It's also refreshing to know that an American band is representing "Iron Maiden" style metal, when most of the better bands right now are from Europe. Looking forward to what they come up with next.

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Trick 'r Treat (2009)

I had a chance to see Trick 'r Treat at the Midwest Premiere in Chicago on the big screen and I am mystified as to why this excellent film was never given a full theatrical release? It far exceeded my expectations and I believe it to have already become a classic film for horror aficionados and lovers of the greatest holiday ever, Halloween.

The film is set up as a sort of anthology of short stories, yet they all intertwine and complement each other in the end. There is some great artwork in the tradition of Creepshow and at times reminded me of that film, but the main difference is Creepshow's stories are all their own and Trick 'r Treat follows one night with several groups and characters that each have their own encounter with a very evil character indeed. The film has lots of suspense, violence, gore, and some sexy nudity in one story involving werewolves. We also have a serial killer principal, some rotten teens trying to scare a nerdy girl, and a story told that is destined to be some type of urban legend in the future involving mentally disabled kids and a disastrous fate. The greatest thing about Trick 'r Treat is its style and campy flavor that truly stuck to the evil side of the tracks. The film was so much fun to watch and destined to be a genre classic.

It's too bad that an original idea comes to Hollywood and and they respond by not giving it a release in theaters and snubbing it. I was very lucky to see it in a theater at all. It really is a shame Hollywood is only pumping out atrocious sequels, remakes, and reinterpretations left and right. I guess seeing indie flicks is the only satisfaction I will be getting anytime soon, for the major studios are filling the theaters with boring horror crapfests!

People all over the webbins have been talking about Trick r Treat for some time now exploring conspiratorial notions on why the film has sat shelved for so long while rhapsodizing about just how well X-Men 2/Superman Returns scribe Michael Dougherty's directorial debut works. Having recently seen the film, I can tell you that I know why the film sat for years: It's one of the more ruthless studio-funded horror films ever made. It's not very gory or explicit at all but it has a truly, deeply, bad attitude. If William Gaines penned morality plays this venomous to hell with the Comics Code. He'd have probably served time. Trick r Treat is overflowing with the kind of anarchic, mean-spirited hilarity that never sits well with the suits.

One of the reasons the film feels so vile is that the people who populate the tale feel so utterly real. It's really hard to explain without spoiling a lot of what makes it work so well, but to give you an idea director Michael Dougherty explained to us that one of the notes he received during the production process was that the children he cast were "too young". Couldn't he make the kids older? Couldn't he cast hotter? That's not to say that elements of the cast aren't flat-out "foxy" (witness the sexi-sexi of Lauren Lee Smith and Rochelle Aytes) but there are sequences in the film that work perfectly because they're not about plasticine twentysomethings. Again I can't explain exactly what I mean without doing you a disservice but when you finally see the film, you'll understand completely.

Trick r Treat has been described in certain quarters as an anthology film but that's not wholly accurate. In truth, the film possesses a non-linear narrative structure it's more a Pumpkin Pulp Fiction than a Creepshow copy (though the EC Comics connection this film shares with Romero's classic make them kindred spirits and a great double bill). The film moves back and forth between tales that, at first, seem to be related only by the presence of the mysterious, malevolent little creature seen in the film's promotional materials. Over the running time, we come to realize that the tiny creeper pops up for a reason and even that detail is something I don't want to spoil for you.

Despite the aforementioned EC Comics vibe (wherein the table-turning reveal that hands the petty thief or adulterous couple their just desserts is par for the course), the twisted twistiness of Trick r Treat still manages to surprise. At different points during the running time, the audience could be heard to speculate on how they felt some swerve might play out very early on, I had an idea of how I thought the tale featuring Dylan Baker should end but I was convinced that there was no way my resolution would fly. That Dougherty was able to do exactly what common sense told me would be excised by an executive before it was ever filmed completely negated my anticipation of the last shot. The sequence ended the only way an understanding of the horror genre dictates it should but instead of feeling "been there, done that" the payoff plays like the reward for sitting through all of the committee-created genre projects that lack the spine to do it right. Another reveal easily the film's most glorious made me feel like a complete idiot. Thinking about it now, I still don't understand why I didn't call it with a chuckle the very moment True Blood's Anna Paquin awkwardly stepped out of her fitting room to face the derision of her friends. At least I wasn't alone by the end of her character's arc, the audience I was part of sat in stunned silence...then burst into reverent applause a response based on elements converging in a perfect storm: a beautifully-shot and edited sequence featuring a fantastic revelation, a flawless mix of practical and computer generated imagery, an awesome character beat and one super-cool line of dialogue. You could sell the film with that single scene...if it didn't give so much away.

The most brilliant thing about Dougherty's film is how it uses Halloween holiday iconography to craft iconic visuals (if the film received the 3,000 screen release it so richly deserved, really cool parents would be dressing their kids up as "Sam" for years). It's Jack O' Lanterns and autumnal golds and vacuformed masks and flame retardant costumes that tie in the back and urban legends and classic monsters and tainted candy and everything else you know and love about October 31st. As so many before me (including Dougherty himself) have said, this is not a film that takes place during Halloween this is a film about Halloween. It's about the reason for the season. Dougherty says his hope was that his film could become a Halloween holiday perennial the one you watch every year. And trust me it is. I'll watch Trick r Treat every CHRISTMAS because the film is a gift.

Jason Pollock

Buy Trick 'r Treat (2009) Now

In October of 2007, a film was briefly marketed and then abruptly shelved by Warner Brothers. The film in question was Michael Dougherty's TRICK `R TREAT, and the theatrical trailer looked promising. Audiences were frustrated when Warner Brothers repeatedly pushed back the release date, and then, without warning, pulled the film completely out of the public eye.

There are a few reasons why this would have happened. For instance, Warner Brothers had just suffered from the box office dud that was SUPERMAN RETURNS, which was directed by Bryan Singer and was written by Michael Dougherty, who eventually helmed TRICK `R TREAT. Both individuals were probably seen as potential risk hazards for executives at Warner Brothers considering the failure of their previous film. Another reason could have been that they simply did not want to compete with the latest SAW-fest. Whatever the case, the people responsible for the marketing of this film should be ashamed very ashamed of themselves. TRICK `R TREAT premiered at several different film festivals, and won the audience award at Screamfest. Harry Knowles and other critics hailed it as one of the greatest Halloween films ever made. With all of the positive hype surrounding the film, no one could quite understand why the good people at WB had remained silent about it.

As of next Tuesday, TRICK `R TREAT will be released...on DVD. Now, there is a stigma attached to straight-to-DVD fare. This is for a reason. Getting a straight-to-DVD release is a bona-fide guarantee that the film sucks. It's never a good sign. However, TRICK `R TREAT is the exception to that rule. Technically, you could say that it doesn't qualify in the S.T.D.V.D. hall of shame simply because it actually screened in theatres, and won awards and critical acclaim, and you'd be right. The film is excellent. It is everything that you would expect it to be and more. It is the little Hallow's Eve indie that could, and has already gained a strong cult following.

What we have here is an homage to eighties horror films, such as CREEPSHOW, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE, and CAT'S EYE. Each film is basically split up into three or four segments, each one telling a different story. TRICK `R TREAT follows this formula, but the narrative structure has more in common with PULP FICTION than anything else. The film is fun. It's not going to keep you up at night, but if you are on its wavelength, you are going to have one hell of a good time! With all of that being said, the film does have it's disturbing moments, but the humor contained within the film tends to balance it all out. We have stories of demons, zombies, werewolves, vampires...we even have a story that centers around an elementary school principal played by Dylan Baker, with just the right amount of creepiness that made his deranged character in HAPPINESS so memorable and disturbing who just so happens to be a serial killer. He knocks off children one by one by poisoning their candy. Afterwards, he proceeds to bury them in his backyard, while his son watches admiringly from the window. Yeah, this segment of the film was pretty controversial, and was probably another factor that caused mainstream film executives to shelve the film.

In short, it's the most fun that I have had with this particular genre in a long time! Both creepy and hilarious at the same time, this film delivers what it promises, and for those of you who have followed the film up until now, I can tell you this: believe the hype, it's all true one of the best Halloween films that I have ever seen. If you love Halloween as much as I do, you'll understand why I loved it so much! Michael Dougherty has given us an instant classic.

Also stars Anna Paquin (THE PIANO, True Blood) and Brian Cox (BRAVEHEART, ADAPTATION).

Read Best Reviews of Trick 'r Treat (2009) Here

I caught Trick `r Treat at the Midwest premiere and was simply blown away. Like most horror fans out there, I have been following this movie since it was first announced and was anxious to see if it could live up to my expectations. And boy did it ever.

Trick `r Treat is a phenomenal movie that captures the spirit of the great `80s horror flicks. It gives us one night of interwoven stories that scare you, make you laugh, make you cry and make you cheer. All the right people get their comeuppance and the viewer is presented with a chewy moral center. The greatest offering Trick 'r Treat has is its heart and honesty. Director Michael Dougherty's passion for the genre bleeds out of the screen and into your heart. This doesn't feel like a photocopied version of what was once great, but instead an original masterpiece that ought to be studied and revered.

I walked out of this movie rejuvenated and filled with wonder. It reminded me of the first time I saw Return of the Living Dead, April Fool's Day, Dolls and so many other classics of the `80s. You see, this isn't gore porn, this isn't a remake, this wasn't originally in a foreign language and this doesn't star the WB actor of the month: THIS IS HORROR! This is a movie that speaks to fans, not one that speaks to our wallets. It speaks to you, not at you.

Now, I don't want to go into a commentary on Hollywood and the way they choose which movies we see, because ultimately, it isn't entirely their fault. We are the ones who spend the money that justifies what they make. If we keep putting money into seeing PG-13 remakes of our favorite horror films from the `80s (and in some cases `90s), it is our fault that they continue making them and watering down the horror gene pool. With the internet, fans have more power than ever to make their voices heard. If we don't fight for the types of movies we want to see, who will? Don't be bullied by Hollywood; fight back. I had never felt the need to really post reviews or opinions before; instead I would commiserate with friends about the inferior products I was being offered. Well, no longer will I passively sit by and watch the genre I love be destroyed. It is up to all of us to make a difference. I can only hope that Trick `r Treat is but the first shot fired in a horror movie revolution.

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To have just seen this last night and know it has been sitting at Warner Brothers doing nothing for two years is a sad sad thing.I've known about this movie in the vaguest of ways for about two years now.Watching this last night was damn amazing.This really should be seen by people,it is a great anthology of Halloween stories.The group of kids pulling a prank was the highlight.You can understand the way WB was thinking by how the writer/director afterwards said the studio wanted hot 20 somethings instead of real kids.Sometimes thinking about the projects that don't get funded or sit in a vault like this,and then think about the garbage that does come out makes me mad.I can't wait to see this again.

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Black Sheep (2013)

Chris Farley was a comic genius, and this film amply shows why and why he is sorely missed. As the brother of a gubernatorial candidate, he tries to help his brother's campaign, but most every attempt backfires. Sent off to the backwoods to keep him out of the way, his misadventures continue. There he pairs up with another character played by David Spade, and the two make a swell comic duo. They meet up with a carload reminiscent of DELIVERANCE. Their cabin plummets down a landslide after the balance of a balanced rock is upset in a most unlikely way. And they meet up with a crazed survivalist-type neighbor played by Gary Busey. Some of these events will all play out to make for the final resolution when they finally return to civilization. On that return, the movie's peak of zaniness is reached in an episode involving a car with a nitrous oxide booster. This underrated movie is a must for all fans of the farcical comedy genre, and a bittersweet tribute to one who shone briefly but brightly therein.

Black Sheep picks up right where Tommy Boy left off with the amazing comic pairing of Chris Farley and David Spade. This is another of the better movies to come from the cast of Saturday Night Live. I really miss seeing Farley and Spade together on film...

Most people I know place this movie second to Tommy Boy, which makes some sense, I suppose, but it has just as many laughs. The scenes with Farley and Spade together in the log cabin are priceless and hilarious.

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The reason there are so many bad reviews of this movie is because when people heard that Chris Farley (RIP) and David Spade were making another movie together, they were expecting the comic genius that was Tommy Boy. This is not Tommy Boy! You can't expect Chris and David to do the same thing in every movie or it will very soon become routine. Chris's Mike Donelly character is a little less dimwitted than his Tommy Boy character and David's Steve Dobbs character is a little more dimwitted than his Richard character. But, I will say this, Farley and Spade proove once again that they are the best comedy team since the Three Stooges. Sure this movie has it's flaws, but it's worth a look.

Read Best Reviews of Black Sheep (2013) Here

Remember when David Spade was still on SNL, and he and Teri Hatcher did that "Spade In America" sketch on Weekend Update? Well, Teri Hatcher was dressed up as David Spade, and David Spade was dressed up as Teri Hatcher. To quote Teri Hatcher (playing David Spade), she summed up this movie the best: "Well, you know, I did a movie called 'Black Sheep.' Maybe you saw it the first time, when it was called 'Tommy Boy!'" David Spade's response (dressed as Teri Hatcher): "Uh.. yes. I did see that. You were great, David. I mean, you are very sexy." What a comeback...way to promote your movie there, David. Tommy Boy was good, but this one was rushed out to capitalize on that movie's popularity. Fans shunned Black Sheep. There are a couple of scenes in which one may crack a smile, but all in all it tanked at the box office, it's rank in sales is 1095 spots behind Tommy Boy, and based on the fact that it has only gotten 39 Amazon.com reviews over the past 9 years, I think it's fair to say that this movie just isn't very funny nor entertaining to most people.

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Sure this film is similar, it is also as entertaining. It is worth owning especially considering how cheap it is. Despite some claims on here this film did fine at the box office it made $32,377,000 domestically. This is good considering Tommy Boy made $32,700,000 domestically. The gross was very similar and the cost of production were on par with one another. Considering inflation was not a factor in the differing numbers as well, there is very little to indicate that this film failed. On DVD this film has sold well, granted not as well as Tommy Boy. Regardless making false claims that it tanked and does not compare is a result is simply not true. The film although similar is very good and worth the view.

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A Passage to India (1984)

This is a magnificent and exquisitely wrought film, well nuanced and faithful in its adaptation of E.M. Forster's classic novel of the same name. Director David Lean, who had previously directed such cinematic triumphs as "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia", outdid himself with this film, which was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and for which Peggy Ashcroft won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as did Maurice Jarre for Best Score.

Set in 1928 colonial India, it is a story about racism and love. A headstrong and adventurous Englishwoman, Adela Quested (Judy Davis) travels to India to meet her fiance. She is accompanied on her journey by her fiance's elderly mother, Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft), a lovely and kindly woman who, upon reaching India, is appalled at the treatment of the native Indian populace by her own countrymen. She eventually makes the acquaintance of a very nice Indian man, Dr. Aziz (Victor Banerjee), who is surprised at being treated as a sentient human being by this Englishwoman. During a social ocassion, in which the usual class boundaries were set aside, he again meets the delightful Mrs. Moore and is introduced to Adela Quested. Enthused by being treated as an equal, he gets carried away and invites them to be his guests on an excursion he can ill afford to a well known, but remote tourist spot, the Marabar caves.

It is a hot day and a long journey to these mysterious caves, and Dr. Aziz and Ms. Quested are thrown together more than they ordinarily would have been, setting the stage for a fateful and strange turn of events, one that would have great personal, as well as political, impact on the parties concerned. It is a collision of East and West and makes for a definitive statement about the nature of the relationship between the native Indian population and the British colonialists. It is a relationship that makes itself most manifest during the telling courtroom scenes, making it a film to be remembered.

This is a very well acted and compelling film, a sterling tribute to David Lean's directorial talents. In this, his last cinematic triumph, Lean leaves a legacy to be remembered, having exacted wonderful performances from the star studded cast, including James Fox, Alec Guinness, and Nigel Havers. Victor Banerjee is especially compelling as the put upon, well meaning Dr. Aziz, while Peggy Ashcroft gives a sensitive and well nuanced performance as the humane and soft hearted Mrs. Moore. Judy Davis is excellent as the conflicted Ms. Quested.

The DVD itself is first rate, offering crystal clear visuals that do justice to the breathtaking cinematography. Coupled with crisp sound, this DVD ensures one's viewing pleasure. It is one well worth having in one's collection.

When David Lean's "A Passage to India" opened in 1984, some saw it as a showdown between the glory days of literate epic filmmaking and the "feel-good" ethos of the Lucas/Spielberg popcorn juggernauts. Who better than the director of "Lawrence of Arabia," "Doctor Zhivago" and "Bridge on the River Kwai" to show the film school grads how to make a movie? As always, anything burdened by such mythic expectations is bound to fail ("Phantom Menace" anyone?) Sadly, I joined the chorus of detractors lamenting "Passage" as a poor shadow of the "Leanscapes" that catapulted "Lawrence" and "Zhivago" into film history.

Amazing how age softens perspective. A fresh viewing of "Passage," courtesy of Columbia TriStar Home Video's new DVD, reveals an eloquent adaptation of E.M. Forster's complex novel about British colonialism in 1928 India and the cultural and sensual abysses that separate men and women, English and Indian, sensualist and ascetic.



"Passage" tells the story of Adela Quested (Judy Davis) en route to India to visit her fiancé, Ronny Heslop (Nigel Havers). Traveling with Heslop's mother, Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft, in an Oscar-winning performance), Adela arrives in the city of Chandrapore to find an alien environment, yet evocative in a way she cannot fathom. Mrs. Moore is similarly captivated by India, but is less than admiring of the treatment of the Indians by their colonial masters, i.e. her peers. One night, Mrs. Moore visits an abandoned mosque. There, she encounters local physician Dr. Aziz (Victor Banerjee). At first he charges her with blasphemy, entering a holy place improperly. When she assures him that she showed due respect by removing her shoes before entering, the two strike a friendship that might signal some understanding between the two cultures.

At a lunch party given by British teacher Richard Fielding (James Fox), who does not share his countrymen's disrespect for India, Adela meets Aziz for the first time while Mrs. Moore and Fielding converse about metaphysics with Professor Godbole (Alec Guinness, donning yet another disguise for Lean), a Brahmin mystic. Adela is fascinated by Aziz's juggling of their two societies. In an effort to impress Adela and fit in as more of an Englishman, Aziz impulsively calls for an expedition to the mysterious Marabar caves outside town.



What at first seems (to both sides) a breach of etiquette turns sinister when Aziz is accused by Adela of attempting to rape her during a visit to one of the caves. Now seen as a political tool by both sides, Aziz's trial threatens to escalate resentment into outright bloodshed. As everyone tries to solve the riddle of what really happened, Aziz and Adela must find some way to break away from the societal and cultural maelstroms threatening their freedom.

Adhering closely to the Forster novel, Lean's screenplay adaptation finds greater interest (and rightly so) in the circumstances that led to the incident as well as the aftermath. Davis' Adela is repressed and cloistered comfortably within British society. Both Aziz and India arouses her, awakening sensual feelings capable of enlightenment...or destruction. Lean visualizes this conflict with a scene not in the book. When Adela goes bicycling outside the city (Chapter 8), she comes across the ruins of an ancient temple. Almost voyeur-like, she spies the numerous statues of couples having sex. Adela herself almost reaches a fever pitch when wild monkeys literally expel her from their feral sanctuary. The lack of respect that Adela showed in her judgment is a direct contrast to Mrs. Moore's deference when she enters the mosque and meets Aziz. Yet Lean gave us the conflict in purely visual terms, no less grand than the match-to-sunrise jump cut in "Lawrence" or the endless icy tundras of "Zhivago. "Passage" proved a worthy valediction to Lean's career. Between directing, scripting and editing the film, we see Lean in complete command in his storytelling faculties. Even the final scene, straight out of the book, works better in the film than on the page.



The transfer also succeeds on every level. The 1.85 anamorphic image is rock solid and sharp throughout the presentation. (Politics at the time forced Lean to shoot the film in the more TV-friendly 1.85 aspect ratio instead of the wider 2.35 Cinemascope format. Back in 1984, this compromise seemed outrageous. Again, after watching the film, I found Lean's "flat" framing just as carefully composed as anything on his ultra-wide canvas.) The source materials are in terrific shape, as there are no blemishes and defects visible. Colors are rich and vivid but natural. Deep blacks and careful contrast control provide excellent detail delineation. Digital and compression artifacts are completely absent.

The Dolby Surround audio plays adequately; to be expected as the sound mix is not particularly flashy to begin with. Maurice Jarre's score, which weaves Hindu music with Cole Porter-esque rhythm, never overpowers the dialogue or sound effects. Surround channel activity is relegated primarily to music fill. French and Spanish mono tracks are also available on the disc.

The main perk of the special features is a section entitled "Reflections on David Lean." While the title implies a testimonial to David by his peers, it's actually an eight-minute collection of soundbites, shot on video, from David about the making of "Passage" and some thoughts about such collaborators as William Holden and Alec Guinness. There's no identification of the source or circumstances of the observations, but he's never less than fascinating when talking about the difficulties of shooting in India or how Forster wouldn't let grant the movie rights because he "distrusted filmmaking."



Trailers from "Lawrence of Arabia," "Bridge on the River Kwai," and "Guns of Navarone" appear on the disc, mirroring the same trailers available on the "Lawrence" DVD. Again, no "Passage" trailer (Did Columbia not create one back in '84?) The trailers are letterboxed with decent audio and video.

Check out "A Passage to India." A thoughtful, quiet gem awaits you.

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Very interesting examination of English and Indian attitudes about themselves and each other in 1920's India. The English that reside in India may start off as decent folk with the feeling that they are in the business of improving India and some are. Most however merely see the India venture as an employment opportunity and once there merely carry on being English and force their English ways and rules on Indians whom they demean in the process. Lean presents the stereotypical English administrators and their wives as a rather unappealing bunch of snobs who only become more prejudice the longer they stay on. India is seen by them to be a muddle in need of their administrative and civilizing skills. The Indians of course see things quite differently. British snobbery and decorum prevents any social mixing with the Indians they rule so its no surprise they don't understand the people whose country they are in.

Judy Davis and her fiances mother arrive in India and find the stringent social norms to be revolting. They immediately want to meet Indians and learn about the place they are in from the Indians whom they treat like polite hosts. When they do begin socializing with the Indians however trouble follows. The incident in the Marabar caves is brought on by the uneasy combination of English repression and Indian sensuality which is everywhere on display in the temples and statuary. The "incident" is the central mystery to the movie and I won't spoil it for you but during the trial that follows the true nature of the relationship between the ruling English and the subject race is made painstakingly clear to all. Excellent and competent and compressed presentation of the Forster novel which also relies on a stage version of the book. Many ripe lines throughout that stay in your mind and crystallise each characters personality as well as the overall situation quite succinctly. And as always with Lean great views from every window. Judy Davis is especially impressive as she can go from pale and mousy to red lipped seductress with just a slight change of expression and posture. Alec Guinnes plays "the inscrutable Brahmin" but the only thing inscrutable about him is that he is English and cast as a holy Indian, a misstep that wouldn't fly in todays politicized world. Other than that great cast. James Fox especially likable as the good teacher Fielding.

Read Best Reviews of A Passage to India (1984) Here

Sometimes, what you don't see can be of equal importance to what you do see in a film. David Lean's film is no exception ... but more on that later.

A film of epic quality, it follows two travelers on their journey from England to India during the Raj colonial period of the 1920s. For Adela Quested, it's her first time out of England to anywhere. For Mrs. Moore, it's a chance to visit her son, Ronny, who is expected to marry Adela during the visit. But, their visit is not without incident.

What both Adela and Mrs. Moore discover is an India ruled by British bureaucrats (Ronny being one of them, a city magistrate) who exude personal and cultural superiority over Indians. This was a shock to them since they both expected to find Indians and Britons meeting socially and on friendly terms. The only exception to that rule appears to be Fielding, principal of a college.

Through Fielding, Adela is introduced to Professor Godbole (a Hindu holy man) and Dr. Aziz (a Muslim physician) socially. Mrs. Moore met Aziz in a previous scene but had not yet met Godbole until that moment. One note on that (a film flaw). During that mosque scene where Mrs. Moore meets Dr. Aziz, Aziz never once mentions his name to her ... yet later, Adela knows his name as mentioned to her by Mrs. Moore. Perhaps his name was mentioned in a brief scene that ended up on the cutting-room floor. But, that omission is trivial and in no way detracts from the enjoyment of the film.

During this social introduction, Aziz invites Mrs. Moore and Adela on a journey to the Marabar caves, a tourist destination. On the trip, and tired from all the activity, Mrs. Moore stays at the encampment near the lower caves and encourages Aziz and Adela to explore the higher caves alone.

Then, something happened ... and I won't tell you what (grin). Suffice it to say that Aziz finds himself in police custody. A court trial ensues that pits culture against culture, race against race, and clearly demonstrates the differences in attitudes between resident British citizens and Indians. But the trial's climax isn't the most moving part of the film. Lean has risen the film's denouement to a higher level ... one that leaves you smiling and crying at the same time. But what Lean does NOT mention in the film is equally interesting.

In today's world, India is beset by inter-sect angst between Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and persons of other faiths. In theory, this inter-sect rivalry has been around since before India became a British colony. But, this rivalry was not mentioned once in the film. It is perhaps a testament to the novelist (E.M. Forster) and Lean to realize a potent underlying force in the story ... that British colonial rule held these rivalries in abeyance ... uniting Indians of all faiths into a common bond that eventually forced colonialism to end in India.

The film is a masterpiece on every level and remains one of my favorites of all time.

P.S. Closing comment to those (like me) who own region-free DVD players that render both PAL and NTSC DVDs. For some reason unknown to me, it's over $10 cheaper to buy the DVD from Amazon.co.uk than it is from Amazon.com ... even after overseas shipping is added in. That's where I ordered mine (from the UK).

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"Passage to India" was one of the greatest films produced in the Reagan era. It also happens to be the final film of one of cinema's most honered craftsmen, Sir David Lean, who is considered by many to be the greatest British director of all-time. This film may not be on the level of his other 70mm epics such as "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia" in terms of sweeping scope, but it more than holds its own. Produced in an era where apartheid in South Africa was the hot political issue, this film deals realistically with the occupation of the english in India. Not so much the political occupation, but how the two culture relate to each other through the eyes of the films two lead characters beautifully played by Judy Davis and Victor Banerjee. A film which does not give you the answers, but encourages you to draw your own conclusion in regards to the charcters (espeically Davis' Adela Quested) motivations. Now how does the DVD look? The transfer is beautiful, the best I've ever seen this film presented since it opened back in Dec, 1984. There are no distracting compression artifacts or nasty layer switches. The dolby stereo surround track is clear and ambient with no drop-outs, so a 5.1 upgrade would've been unnecessary for this film. If you enjoy striking visuals and English literature brought to vivid life through film, Passage is a must-have. My highest recommendation.

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Cleopatra (50th Anniversary Limited Edition 2-Disc + Book) (1963)

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

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

I would note that, as part of the restoration process on its widescreen epics, Fox has struck new 35mm and 70mm film prints. Here in New York, and elsewhere, these prints have been screened theatrically in retrospectives of various sorts. As wonderful as the new CLEOPATRA Blu Ray is, I can only hope that everybody with an interest in this movie will one day have a chance to see it in 70mm on a giant screen. If you have that opportunity, it is not to be missed. It's an experience you'll remember for a long, long time.

Cleopatra may be the most opulent motion picture of all time and is a testament to Elizabeth Taylor and the other actors and artisans from this pre-computer generated image era. It was a high point for the magnificence of Todd-AO 70mm and the unique richness of De Luxe Color all beautifully and faithfully transferred by 20th Century Fox to this new Blu-ray edition. I saw Cleopatra in its first run and recognized it's short-comings possibly caused by the severe cuts made to Joseph Mankiewicz's original vision to release Cleopatra, it is said, as two films telling the Caesar story in one film and the Anthony story in the second. One can only imagine how much of the story and character development got left on the cutting room floor. Cleopatra's legacy has moved far beyond earning the label as the most expensive film ever made due to waste and mismanagement that nearly caused the demise of Fox Studios. There are "extras" on the Blu-ray version that expose many of such myths. I invite you to see this Cleopatra a beautiful example of what Blu-ray can do for home viewing and the potential for visually jaw-dropping moments that show the art of motion pictures. This Cleopatra is perhaps more relevant than ever today with efforts to depict (at least Hollywood-style) a well-rounded view of one of the most famous female characters in history, as portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor, an icon of her times. I purchased my Blu-ray copy of Cleopatra in February, 2012 from amazon.co.uk after finding out it would play on U.S. players. This spectacular Blu-ray version of Cleopatra will soon be available to purchase in the U.S. Highly recommended to all film buffs.

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

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

The one thing I criticise is the placement of the film's Entr'acte. Just like the earlier DVD presentation, it has been placed at the end of Disc 1, when it should ideally be on the second disc before launching into the final portion of the film. Whether or not this will be corrected on the American Blu-ray release I've yet to discover* hopefully it has, but it's a very minor quibble on what is an otherwise comprehensive package.

The fascinating feature-length documentary "Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood", the vintage featurette "The Fourth Star of Cleopatra", and audio commentary with the brothers Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky are all ported over from the original DVD release.

New extras commissioned for this Blu-ray release include "Cleopatra's Missing Footage" (a brief look at the search, which continues to this day, for the elusive material culled from the shoot); "Cleopatra Through the Ages: A Cultural History" (just as the title implies), and "The Cleopatra Papers: A Private Correspondence" (an interactive gallery of letters and internal documents which chart the making of the movie). "Fox Legacy with Tom Rothman" is a 30-minute look at the film's stormy production but simply re-covers what was told in greater depth in the "Film That Changed Hollywood" documentary.

Run don't walk to grab your copy of this Hollywood classic. It's like discovering CLEOPATRA for the very first time, all over again.

*Update I've since read that the Entr'acte has been re-positioned in its correct place at the start of Disc 2.

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I did a side by side comparison of the UK all region and the new US version. Here are a few of the improvements.

The CLARITY in the US version is like looking through a plate glass window. Not just in selected scenes, but through the entire movie. You'll know in the first 30 seconds of the pop up menu as it roams through a few scans until you hit the play button.

Example#1 the blue dress that Liz is wearing on the barge as she stands under a canopy, now shows the PATTERN of the dress better than before.

Example#2 the slaves that carry Liz down off the black sphinx had SILVER colored paint that looked like lighting bolts got COLOR CORRECTED and now show the true color of GOLD lightning bolts that MATCH the GOLD BRACELETS, that match the GOLD throne Liz sits on that match the gold dress THAT LIZ WEARS. All previous disks don't have it right with the silver color.

Example #3 On the barge that meet Marc Anthony, at the banquet, Liz shows up wearing a sheer white gown on all the old disks.The new US disk now color corrected, shows the there is a lovely pale pink of the most delicate shade and the white sheer is actually a overlay kind of see through cape?( Sorry I do not know what it is called in fashion lingo.

Example#4 in a battle scene, where the roman legions make what is called "the turtle" formation ( Men on the inside, shields and spears on the outside) You see amazing clarity on the designs on the shields. And this is in a scene filmed IN LOW LIGHT!

Example#5 in the entry into Rome The African dancers have straw fringes on their arms and legs. The GREEN color now pops in new clarity, To be fair the old disks showed some color ,but not like this.

ODD? because of this new clarity, I noticed that there are TWO white pyramids in the background. You see the first after the semi nude lady dances. then a group of females appears with gold colored wings and behind that is the pyramid with the pigeons getting released. After Liz bows to Cesar, the camera cuts to a background shout of the arch of Titus? look quick and notice TWO of the identical pyramids. To me this suggests that something was cut from the entrance procession. because you never see the second pyramid enter and you see BOTH at EACH SIDE of the arch. Hummmmmmmmmmmm makes me wonder what else was cut from the procession. Was it not enough time?

PS: I'm writing this from memory so if there are a few misstatements I invite corrections. Just don't be so G.D. haughty in your comments. Oh, and don't bother pointing out grammar or spelling.

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First let us clear up about the length. According to International Movie Data Base (IMDB.com) this movie existed in three lengths. There was the original length 5 hours and 20 minutes. That was the director's cut and only survived the premiere run. Then there was the theatrical release length the version reviewed here. Apparently to enable more showings per day and possibly to supply drive-ins, there was a shorter version yet.

Roddy MacDowell made the comment in print that eliminating 82 minutes from the movie shortened his role a great deal. I think the cuts focused the movie on the loves of Cleopatra and avoided the immensely complicated politics of the time. For that reason, I've always found the end of the movie (the disgrace of Antony, leading up to his suicide) jumbled.

Second no movie deserves HD more than this. The movie was made before digital scenery was invented, so all of the immense Alexandria sets are really there. The costuming is glorious, and the huge moments (such as the entry into Rome) do not disappoint. (For connoisseurs, compare that with the closing scene of Star Wars Phantom Menace.) The bigger the screen the better. The choreography provided for slave dancers is still of the Cecil B. and not Agnes DeMille variety.

The script was being written as they filmed. That created the immense problem of portions of the script being bloated and unwieldy.

This becomes obvious when you realize that the acting styles of the stars don't jibe at all. Elizabeth Taylor, when she isn't burdened with pseudo-monumental monologues, does a good job. It is professional acting at its best, and if it doesn't move us, I believe the fault lies with the script itself. Richard Burton at the mature peak of his Shakespearean powers gives a detailed account of Antony, but he allows himself to chew scenery at times. In contrast to Ms. Taylor, this contrast is awkward and becomes almost hammy. Rex Harrison is restrained and brilliant. More than one critic said that the movie became must less interesting after intermission (Caesar dies just before that PAUSE.) Hume Cronyn, Roddy MacDowell, Martin Landau, and all the other actors give great performances that might have been even greater with the extra 80+ minutes in place.

Joseph Mankiewicz always wanted to restore the full length for video release. VHS would not have worked. At the time it was "pan and scan" instead of letter-box, and you are lucky to have the actors even on screen. In an argument between Cleopatra and Antony, the width of the image was so large that only noses and mouths appear.

Apparently the missing footage hasn't been found. This review is based on the DVD, but I look forward to the Blu-Ray edition with great anticipation. It may not be 382 minutes long, but it is still the last, truly great spectacular movie, made before it became cheaper and easier to accomplish the impossible. (Now if only we can find the full-length Cleopatra.)

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Ashes of Time Redux

A complex but beautiful film with characters and a storyline that has so much layers, it's very hard even 15-years later to even describe.

Wong Kar-wai's "ASHES OF TIME" which is an adaption of Louis Cha's popular novels "The Legend of Condor Heroes" but yet unrelated gets remastered and re-edited and has been released in theaters in 2008 under the title "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" and will be released on DVD in March 2009.

The choice of revisiting the film was due to a major film warehouse going into bankruptcy in 1998 and Kar-Wai was asked to pick up his film or lose it. Upon finding the film, the film was in pieces. Kar-Wai knew that he wanted to re-edit the film, part of the challenge that he faced was trying to get the film from International distributors and literally having to go worldwide in trying to get the film footage needed to restore the film and then re-editing it.

Five years in trying to get the pieces and restoring it, the film has been reduced from 100 minutes to 93 minutes. ADR could not have been done but there was new digital color tinting, digital effects and altered scenes which certain music-based scenes were removed and also some parts during the battle.

So, essentially, what we are seeing is Wong Kar-wai's final vision of "ASHES OF TIME". Whether or not "REDUX" is for you, to tell you the truth, I think that for many people, unless you got hold of the film on DVD and recently watched it, I would assume that many people, like myself, who probably won't remember the film plot may not be able to tell the differences between the original and the re-edited version. Especially with so much time has passed but if this is Wong Kar-wai's definitive cut, then so be it, I would rather watch the film as he intended it to be.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

I understand the challenges they faced during the restoration and remastered process of having to go worldwide for certain parts of the film because the original film was in pieces and in bad shape. But for fans of Wong Kar-wai and even Christopher Doyle's cinematography, the film was what "HERO" did for many in 2002 but in this case, back in 1994. The film was avant-garde for its time and the cinematography was just amazing.

For "REDUX", visuals and digital color tinting and digital remastering has brought out a lot of the earthtones, the greens, the blues and where the outdoor scenery are quite beautiful, there are other scenes on video that looked great from Maggie Cheung's lipstick to just how color was a big part of the film.

With that being said, I struggle with with my review because after watching the Criterion Blu-ray disc of "Chungking Express" (which was released in the same year as "ASHES OF TIME" in 1994), I saw how Criterion really made the film look great 15-years later. Although, I'm not watching "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" on Blu-ray, I couldn't help but notice the amount of grain in the film.

I'm typically not against grain because film is supposed to have grain but I found the graininess in full force. In fact, some scenes seemed a bit blurry at times. This was more evident in the beginning but as the film progressed, grain was noticeable but yet you start to notice about the positive things such as the acting, cinematography and the music.

As for audio, the film features a re-edit and that includes the score. For the most part, the film is pretty much dialogue-based. Dialogue is clear and the use of the rear channels for the music was nicely done for some scenes.

But overall, I didn't notice anything spectacular during the battle scenes, if anything it was during the musical sequences.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" DVD features three special features. They are:

* Born from Ashes: The Making of ASHES OF TIME REDUX This featurette features interviews with Wong Kar-wai, Christopher Doyle, some of the talents in the film, Yoyo Ma and others. The featurette was informative but to tell you the truth, for those wanting to know the differences of REDUX rom the original, you're not going to find it on this featurette.

* Q&A with Wong Kar-Wai This 45-minute featurette features an interview with Wong Kar-wai which I assume was for the New York Film Festival Q&A session in late 2008. This was an awesome featurette as you got to go into the mind of Wong Kar-wai and some rumors put to rest such as "is it true that Wong Kar-wai doesn't use scripts" to learning about how challenging it was for the HK stars to work in mainstream China and travel over there. Cast and crew had major difficulties filming in the desert and how Maggie Cheung refused to go to China, thus her shots were all indoor in Hong Kong. Learning about his relation with his editor William Chang and DP Christopher Doyle and how the three are a great team. A lot of interesting tidbits of facts for those who are curious about Wong Kar-Wai's work.

* "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" Trailer

Let me first say that I enjoyed "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" for its cinematography and the acting by all those involved. Visually, at that time and even now, knowing how challenging it was for Wong Kar-Wai, Christoper Doyle and the cast to film "ASHES OF TIME", what they were able to create in the end was artistic. But at the same time, the overall plot can be a bit complex for some.

It's a film that has so many layers and I've watched this film many times in the past and watched "REDUX" twice now, just to see what I can get from it. And each time, I do... it's a melancholic feeling of loneliness, sadness, rejection, betrayal but aside from the visual aspect and the complexity of the film, I guess it depends on the viewer for interpretation and what they get out of it.

Throughout the years, I've met may who have been able to watch this film and look at it as an early masterpiece by Wong Kar-Wai. For me, from 15 years ago and today, I still feel that the film set many things in motion for current martial arts films in Hong Kong and how far one can go if they put all they have to it.

I realize Wong Kar-Wai calls this his "Days of Being Wild", when he and his team created this film and overcome a lot of challenges of filming in Western China, Christopher Doyle using no tripod or dollies. And really pushing the envelope of HK filmmaking in 1994. And they continue to do it today.

So, I see "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" for what it accomplished when it first was released in 1994 and how it paved the way for many HK martial arts/wuxia genre-based films. Before a film like "HERO" or "RED CLIFF", what "ASHES OF TIME" did for me was show determination, hope and creativity.

"ASHES OF TIME REDUX" on DVD does shows its age and is hampered with a lot of grain but with his other 1994 film "Chungking Express" receiving the Blu-ray treatment, I often wonder if going 1080P high-definition improve the video quality dramatically.

I will say that the two featurettes included on the DVD is priceless. Any interviews with Wong Kar-wai on video are quite rare and thus, I really enjoyed the inclusion of those two.

All in all, "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" is definitely a nostalgic piece of avant-garde filmmaking and beautiful cinematography. But it's one of those films that either one gets it or they don't. Nevertheless, it's a Wong Kar-wai film worth watching.

The original movie Ashes of Time was a masterpiece and gets 5 stars. Every shot of the film was like a painting, every line of dialogue was poetry.

The only thing I like about the redux is the sharper images. The new music is not half as effective as the old music. The added titles severed the film into sections and disrupted the flow of the film. The new editing destroyed Leslie Cheung's narrative and rhythm of the film. I hate the bright yellow tint in desert scenes and green tint in some other scenes that make them look annoyingly unnatural. Brigitte Lin's dialogue was changed from the original Cantonese to Mandarin and sounds stiff, but is tolerable. I wish they had just cleaned up the image quality and kept everything else intact.

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I must thank Newsweek or I never would have heard about this movie. If I Had not read about it in the previous review I never would have known about the supposedly poor quality f the DVD because I never noticed it. I found the cinematography very compelling with its four seasons was striking especially during the Summer portion. I believe that Ashes of Time Redux is a great movie as defined by Roger Ebert, a movie so compelling you want to watch it again. This movie is universal in it themes, has a compelling score, has bold cinematography and a compelling characters and a beautifully sad ending that brought tears to my eyes.

Read Best Reviews of Ashes of Time Redux Here

Wong Kar Wai's ASHES OF TIME has for many long-time fans of HK action cinema of the 80s and 90s been a kind of unrealised masterpiece. For years we've struggled along watching inferior prints of the film that seemed to reflect the visceral graininess of the desert which features so prominently in the narrative until now!

Beautifully restored, with a re-recorded soundtrack, Wong Kar Wai's homage to HK action cinema is both a loving celebration and a bittersweet mourning of its passing.

Therefore it's a real treat for all cineastes!

A meditation on change, loss and regret focusing on the darkening days and decline of five swordsmen through interconnecting episodes, ASHES is a deconstruction of HK martial arts cinema (which by 1994 had had better days), a bold and avant garde reinterpretation of the genre's conventions as well as a homage to the classic films of Tsui Hark, the Shaw brothers and Sergio Leone westerns.

The cast is mouthwatering! Just look at those names!!! It reads like a who's who of HK cinema! As to be expected from a cast of this caliber the acting is magnificent. Particularly outstanding are Brigitte Lin who is spellbinding as a schizophrenic swordsman and an empathetic Tony Leung C-W, a fighter for hire who is rapidly losing his sight.The late, great Leslie Cheung turns in a complex, morally ambiguous performance, Jacky Cheung shines as a young swordsman attempting to preserve a sense of chivalry in changing times, Maggie Cheung is radiant and Carina Lau delivers considerable sensuality in what a lesser actress would consider a minor role.

The location of the film is set entirely in a desert, metaphorically depicting the desolation of the characters, which is beautifully lensed by the peerless Christopher Doyle. Some of the shots he achieves have resonated with me for years.

The soundtrack is also extraordinarily beautiful, enhanced by the addition of virtuoso Yo Yo Ma. It's arguably one of the best scores in HK action cinema and an obvious influence on Tan Dun's "Hero" compositions.

In fact ASHES OF TIME is the perfect antidote to the overtly nationalistic, overblown, spectacle-driven Chinese epics of Zhang Yimou that have (unfortunately) come to set the standard for martial arts cinema in contemporary popular consciousness.

Therefore fans of the more recent Chinese fantasy films may find ASHES a difficult viewing because, as typical to his style, Wong Kar Wai delivers a personal, character-driven piece, that is minimalist in action set-pieces and expansive in both scenery and emotional development.

By "reduxing" this landmark film we are given a timely reminder of the creative, cultural roots of the HK martial arts genre but we are also called to reflect upon its demise.

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Dennis A. Amith and UbiK did very fine reviews of the film. BUT those who just don't read, if you didn't know, Wong Kar-Wai, for the most part, had no choice but to re-edit just about everything for this film because: 1. The original stock footage (also "in pieces") was stored in a warehouse which was about to be shut down, and rid of everything into "ashes". 2. Many of the original film footages/audios were also too damaged to repair/display, PLUS he had to run all over the world to recover all the distributed negatives he sent out to other companies (14-15 yrs. ago), whatever left he could find. 3. It was his first project, his "baby", through his independent film company, and didn't want the film to age or get lost somewhere else any longer. 4. Therefore he decided to restore and re-edit it, plus there was never a proper western distribution of the film, and also realized, after all these years, how much importance this film (and influence) has actually become... (These reasons can be non-linear too! and still make sense)

I have to disagree that the film's a mess, as some say it is. It is a non-linear film to begin with, and not without reason. It's a journey through a man's thoughts and his random encounters with the people that visit him, who, the most of them, happen to loosely connect/indirectly connect to his life or remind him of his past, and even reveal a bit of their own inner-self turmoil, etc. Kar-Wai's execution is the same way of maybe how Ouyang Feng would remember things of whatever surfaced to his thoughts first, yet it still comes full-circle to emphasize the thing that haunts him most. It may sound like some random things taken out of each and everyone's journal, but they're still events that occurred in that one's life. If you pay attention to detail or things most people take for granted, you realize how much greater things are. And once again, the film is played out (in my interpretation) how Ouyang Feng possibly registers his thoughts. If you realize, he's a bit delusional and/or cynical anyways, since his life-turning event that's lead him to live in the middle of the desert; or maybe yet more discombobulated in the head than we think since, at one point in time in the past, he had one straight mind-set which was to become the greatest swordsman, which came to a sudden stop.

If you expected many action scenes (still neat, for the few brief scenes there was), the film was never driven by that purpose. Find action in Mr. Wong's directorial debut film, As Tears Go By.

In conclusion, I hope I said all the main things behind this film and what I wanted to say, in counter to the negative or confused views or who's new and curious of this film. Wong Kar-Wai set out to preserve this beloved and important film in a very sticky-slow, painstaking, and many unfortunate, process. Also, to one reviewer you can't compare this to 'CTHD', because 'AT' was one of the major reasons why 'CTHD' came out the way it came out. Plus, both films' storytelling are the polar opposite of each other... yet two great milestone films for the greatest of cinema. The 'Redux' has quite a bit of changes, yet Kar-Wai said, after the reconstruction, that this is THE definitive version of the film he realized he was looking to make.

Mandingo

Part Harold Robbins and part Euripedes, this film has brutal depictions of slavery, abhorrent language, and extraordinary cinematography by Richard Kline.

The imagery of Falconhurst, the huge but decrepit plantation of a cruel and vicious man (James Mason in a strange and brilliant performance) is fantastic; with peeling paint and filthy mosquito nets, winding staircases of gleaming wood, dark steamy rooms, and lush exteriors with drooping wisteria.

The score by Maurice Jarre also adds much to the atmosphere, with Muddy Waters singing "Born in This Time".

Perry King is excellent as Mason's son, broken in body, weak in spirit, knowing what is right and often doing what is wrong; as his wife, Susan George is appropriately annoying and trashy, and as his "wench", Brenda Sykes is lovely. Heavyweight boxer Ken Norton, who won over Mohammed Ali (and broke his jaw) in 1973, made his impressive screen debut as Mede the Mandingo.

This film is a mass of contradictions, which is probably what keeps one glued to the screen. It is manipulative yet unpredictable, gratuitous and raw but thought-provoking; some of it might be absurd, but many of the situations shown did happen.

With all the brutality, nudity, incest, and most of all, the repellent language, this is not a film for the young, or anyone squeamish about violence.

Total running time is 127 minutes.

If you like your movies to transport you to an era that feels like reality rather than Hollywood, a movie where each of the characters are filled with human flaws and weekness MANDINGO is a must see. Not a film for those who like happy endings, not a film for those who seek an inspirational hero or heroine, not a film where good triumphs over evil just an extremely raw view of the pre-civil war South. I first saw this film in college in the 60's and it has stayed with me ever since. No glory here, the plantation is falling apart and the main characters fall apart morally even quicker. If you want a movie that will you will remember for a very long time this is it!

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It seems fitting to headline my review of 'Mandingo' with the last words of the dying Kurtz in Joseph Conrad's 'Heart Of Darkness', because it also aptly sums up my response not only to the unfortunately accurate nature of the numerous atrocities depicted in this generally effective and unflinching film, but also my response to a significant number of the other customer reviews.

I have to say I was truly shocked at how many viewers responded with derisive amusement, laughter, and even a weird kind of delight to this frankly brutal, harsh, and, yes, often lurid look at the brutal, harsh, and often lurid reality that was the evil institution known as "slavery" -a system which dehumanized and degraded everything it touched, and which nearly destroyed a nation. (Much as the Nazis' "Final Solution" would do a century later, only with more systematic efficiency, and with global repercussions.)

And this is to be regarded as a fitting subject for MIRTH? Well, perhaps if you lack a modicum of compassion, or even a rudimentary frame of reference with regard to black history. Admit it -if this film had been about the Holocaust and had depicted the torture and gassing of Jews instead of the beating and lynching of slaves you would NOT have laughed, would you? At least I HOPE you wouldn't!

Face it, this is a particular chapter of history that is simply too close to home and too uncomfortable for many white Americans (which I, also, with some degree of shame, admit to being) to fully acknowledge, much less stomach. Damn right this film is inflammatory, politically incorrect, offensive and salacious. It HAD to be if was to pretend to any level of accuracy with regard to even a semi-objective portrayal of slavery. And my particular star-rating has more to do with the films' refreshingly crude and repugnant portrayal of slavery rather than as an assessment of the film as a particular work of cinematic art.

Yes, I found a number of things to quibble with in 'Mandingo', both in terms of certain stylistic and technical details, as well as some of the writing and acting, though there is much to be admired there as well. But those aspects are really beside my point.

Basically, 'Mandingo' is what it is, admire it or loathe it. 'Song Of The South' or 'Gone With The Wind' it definitely ain't. But you can seek out those films too, if you're craving a cozier cinematic version of the pre and Civil-War-Era South to soothe your sensitive consciences.

Or, perhaps, in addition to 'Mandingo', you might consider seeing 'The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman', 'Roots', 'Amistad', 'Beloved' or 'Manderlay'. That is IF you're willing to wake up and smell that good ol' plantation-grown coffee!

Read Best Reviews of Mandingo Here

Part Harold Robbins and part Euripedes, this film has brutal depictions of slavery, abhorrent language, and extraordinary cinematography by Richard Kline. The imagery of Falconhurst, the huge but decrepit plantation of a cruel and vicious man (James Mason in a strange and brilliant performance) is fantastic; with peeling paint and filthy mosquito nets, winding staircases of gleaming wood, dark steamy rooms, and lush exteriors with drooping wisteria. The score by Maurice Jarre also adds much to the atmosphere, with Muddy Waters singing "Born in This Time".

Perry King is excellent as Mason's son, broken in body, weak in spirit, knowing what is right and often doing what is wrong; as his wife, Susan George is appropriately annoying and trashy, and as his "wench", Brenda Sykes is lovely. Heavyweight boxer Ken Norton, who won over Mohammed Ali (and broke his jaw) in 1973, made his impressive screen debut as Mede the Mandingo.

This film is a mass of contradictions, which is probably what keeps one glued to the screen, and makes it memorable years after seeing it. It is manipulative yet unpredictable, gratuitous and raw but thought-provoking; some of it might be absurd, but many of the situations shown did happen.

With all the brutality, nudity, incest, and most of all, the repellent language, this is not a film for the young, or anyone squeamish about violence.

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I saw this picture several times in the theater when it was first released and the cinematography, printed in Technicolor, was stunning. I particularly remember the first dining scene with the room having a strong amber glow from the late afternoon sun streaming in through the half-drawn window shades. The colors were consistently bright and brilliant throughout the entire picture. This latest DVD release is good, but it is not nearly as good as it could have been. It is apparent that Paramount did not care enough about this release to restore the color. It seems the studio simply used the original film elements, which have faded a little with age, as is. This is especially sad since Paramount released "Houdini" at the same time in beautifully restored Technicolor with stunning results. Shame on you, Paramount. "Mandingo" deserves your best efforts, too.

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