Hello Dolly! (1969)

The debates over this film have been raging for years, and now that HELLO, DOLLY! has been released on DVD, they're likely to continue for years to come. Opinions are certain to vary, but let's clear up a few misconceptions right from the start -

After 20th Century-Fox purchased the screen rights to HELLO, DOLLY!, producer/screenwriter Ernest Lehman was fairly certain he'd be asking Carol Channing to recreate her stage performance for the film that is, until he saw her in the 1967 movie THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE; to put it as delicately as possible, her features didn't translate well to the big screen. Fox executives were equally doubtful about Channing, so the search began for a new Dolly. After flirting with (and subsequently dropping) the idea of Elizabeth Taylor, the leading candidate became Barbra Streisand. The powers-that-be suspected (correctly) she was headed for major film stardom, and they hoped a fresh, younger Dolly would give the multi-million dollar project greater appeal. Lehman immediately revised his script, eliminating all references to Dolly losing her husband fourteen years earlier, and after concluding that audiences wouldn't accept Streisand as an Irishwoman changing the character's name from Dolly Gallagher Levi to simply Dolly Levi. The studio made the offer, Streisand signed on the dotted line, and Lehman surrounded her with the creme de la creme of the MGM/Arthur Freed movie musical unit Gene Kelly (director), Roger Edens (associate producer), Michael Kidd (choreographer), Lennie Hayton (musical scoring), and Irene Sharaff (costumes).

Skeptics, however, dug in their heels, and a period of bad press followed; there was outrage a film novice like Streisand had taken a role they considered her ill-suited for. A wave of sympathy engulfed Channing, who received a consolation Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (even though Beatrice Lillie received the film's best reviews when it was released).

The bad press began to wane when Streisand's first film, FUNNY GIRL, was released to critical acclaim, box office success, and a Best Actress Oscar; suddenly there was great anticipation for HELLO, DOLLY! And when the film finally opened in December of 1969, it played to packed (and enthusiastic) houses from New York City to Hollywood. Even critics who questioned Streisand's appropriateness for the role agreed she put on a hell of a show.

After a solid start, however, the film's success was mixed; HELLO, DOLLY! received seven Oscar nominations (including one for Best Picture), but Streisand was overlooked. And though it ranked as one of the top ten box office attractions of the year, it hadn't recouped its production costs by the end of 1970; it was neither the runaway success the studio was hoping for, nor the disastrous flop its critics made it out to be. But to the dismay of naysayers who wanted the film to die an ignoble death, DOLLY kept attracting new fans first on television, then on video, and later on laser disc. Obviously, somebody had done something right.

Watching the movie now on DVD, it's hard to believe such a good-natured, visually spectacular film could have provoked the feelings of animosity it did (and apparently still does). As for Streisand, I think Lehman was absolutely right to cast her; there may be times when she seems too hip for this wholesome slice of Americana, but her funky irreverence is what makes HELLO, DOLLY! so much fun. Not only is she in excellent voice throughout if anything, she sounds better here than she did in FUNNY GIRL but it's hard to imagine anyone else bringing the poignance she does to Dolly's monologue in the park ("Ephraim, let me go"), or being as raucously funny in the dinner sequence at Harmonia Gardens ("You salt your beets, and I'll salt mine"). In fact, her energy and charisma are so dynamic that the film's pace falters whenever she's not around no disrespect to either Michael Crawford or Marianne McAndrew, but the subplots involving Cornelius Hackl and Irene Molloy, while pleasant enough, are hardly enthralling. Walter Matthau, however, makes a surprisingly effective Horace Vandergelder, and his scenes with Streisand have some genuine comic vitality. If there were offscreen tensions between the two, they weren't apparent when the cameras were rolling.

But more than anything else, DOLLY on DVD offers great opportunities for those of us who just want to concentrate on musical numbers (we know who we are). There are moments worth savoring again and again in "Just Leave Everything To Me," "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "Dancing" (Danny Lockin and E.J. Peaker are particularly impressive here), "Before The Parade Passes By," "The Waiter's Gallop," and, of course, the title number with Louis Armstrong, but Streisand's best number is probably her simplest "So Long, Dearie." It isn't hard to understand why her character gets a marriage proposal after that one.

As for the age issue yeah, it's a little strange to see a woman in her late twenties being referred to as an "old girl." So why didn't Ernest Lehman ask Jerry Herman to alter the lyrics? Hard to say maybe he didn't think anyone interested in realism would be watching HELLO, DOLLY! in the first place. And ultimately, that's what this movie is all about pure escapism on a grand scale. The quality is apparent in every frame, so just kick back and enjoy the show.

HELLO DOLLY has received a bum rap over the years. Its oversized budget and colossal New York-circa-1890 back lot set is said to have sunk 20th Century Fox. This is far from the truth.

Now, almost 35 years later, DOLLY can be seen in proper perspective: it's a well-done, old-fashioned movie musical. Its only sin is that is dresses up a flimsy Broadway musical in the form of a big-time movie musical. Let's face it, HELLO DOLLY's book features situation-comedy type scenes of hiding in closets and mistaken identities. It doesn't have the weight of the Nazis (i.e. SOUND OF MUSIC) or the Americana of OKLAHOMA. It is, nevertheless, frothy fun -with a great, hummable score!

Barbra Streisand is also blamed for accepting the role of Dolly Levi, too. Dolly should be middle-aged; Streisand was 27. Also, Carol Channing was famous for the part (she won a Tony for it) and Streisand is considered to have "stolen" the movie from Channing. (I personally could not fathom watching Carol Channing for 2-1/2 hours.) Streisand was too young. But does it really matter? She's absolutely hilarious in DOLLY, and sings the score wonderfully. It was Streisand's second film, and one of her too few musical films.

The DVD features a wonderful featurette from 1969. The featurette contains great behind-the-scenes footage of filming the "Before the Parade Passes By" scene, as well as the "Sunday Clothes" scene. Gene Kelly, Michael Kidd, and Irene Sharaff are all included.

Fox has restored HELLO DOLLY and this DVD features the restored print. DOLLY has never looked better! From the multi-colored feathers on the back of her hat in the opening scene, to the canary-yellow "Hello Dolly" dress in the Harmonia Gardens, Streisand looks fabulous and colorful and bold. Throughout the film you will notice various shades of purples pop out. The paint-speckled trees in the "Parade"park scene are an interesting detail! The only scene that misses is the dimly lit "Love is Only Love" song. The colors look faded and the picture quality drops a notch or two.

I must also sing the praises of this WIDESCREEN release! I've watched DOLLY for years on a pan-and-scan VHS tape. The movie looks excellent in widescreen the way it was originally filmed and it's great to see some of the action in the extremes of the frame. For instance, this is probably the first time I've ever seen what Streisand was doing in the right part of the frame while dueting with Louis Armstrong!

So enjoy HELLO DOLLY. Dolly'll never go away again.

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I got my advance review copy for the region 1 release of Hello Dolly and had to write a review here. This is one of my favorite films, and I will concentrate on the tech specs for the disc. It is enhanced for widescreen 16:9 and says Dolby Surround on the packaging but is actually Dolby Digital 4.0. This is one of the best sound transfers I have yet seen for a classic film. There's no doubt that original master tapes were used for the sound transfer. The seperation is so good, the voices of the singers move from left to right with extreme clarity, and when the entire cast is singing, it reminds me of the best of the RCA VICTOR recordings, the ensemble comes at you from all around including the surround. I give the sound a 5 out of 5.

The video quality is another story and a good one. This is flawless, it is like watching a new movie. It is so clear it almost seems like 3d on my Sony front projector. The colors have been restored and I believe the transfer was from 70mm negatives because this is one of the clearest conversions of a classic Fox has done. Extras are several trailers, a featurette, which isn't alot (I was hoping to see the 20 minutes that were cut and maybe a commentary and extras like the SOUND OF MUSIC disc had).

For the price,... this is a steal, to be enjoyed over and over as it is like going to the cinema again.

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"Hello Dolly!" is the elphantine musical film based on the long running stage play that in 1969 failed miserably to find its audience at the the box office. Directed by legendary song and dance man, Gene Kelly and featuring the meticulous choreography of Gower Champion, this is a big, brassy, spectacular production, the likes of which we aren't likely to ever see again. Barbra Streisand plays Dolly Levi, a matchmaker whose heart is set on landing stuffy hay and feed owner, Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau). The off camera bickering between the two co-stars may have been legendary, but none of it shows up on the screen. Streisand and Matthau are ably assisted by Marianne McAndrews, Michael Crawford, Tommy Tune and the incomparable, Louis Armstrong. Removed from all the angst, hype and negative publicity that branded musicals box office poison from about 1959 onward, "Hello Dolly!" emerges as one of the best of the genre, an outstanding, tune filled epic production that never fails to entertain!

FOX VIDEO has given us a handsome looking DVD. Colors are rich, bold, vibrant and extremely well balanced. Black and contrast levels are only slightly on the weak side but adjusting one's television contrast and brightness fixes this right up. There is NO EDGE ENHANCEMENT, ALIASING or PIXELIZATION or FILM GRAIN or AGE RELATED ARTIFACTS for a visual presentation that is as smooth as the plot. The soundtrack has been remixed to 5.1 surround but suffers slightly from a muffled characteristic, perhaps because of noise reduction equipment used in the remastering effort. Still, most of the film has a crisp, clean and not overly bright sound to it that, while dated, nevertheless is easy on the ears.

EXTRAS: A Theatrical Trailer. That's it.

BOTTOM LINE: I should fault Fox for given us no extras but with the film looking as though it were shot last week I have to stop myself and just proclaim, "Well done!" An absolute must for your DVD library!

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Hello Dolly is truly one of the last great musicals from the golden age of Hollywood. It seems like no expense was spared--it took one month just to film the "Hello, Dolly!" sequence in which Dolly returns to the Harmonia Gardens. This scene lasts about ten minutes in the film--but still, one month to get ten minutes footage is a lot of time to get so little footage! Barbra Streisand works well, actually, as Dolly Levi--her husband could have died early in life and that's all it would take to explain a younger woman in the role of Dolly Levi. Moreover, the other cast members turn in fine performances, too.

When the action begins, Dolly Levi from Manhattan takes a trip to Yonkers ostensibly to arrange a marriage for Horace Vandergelder's (Walter Matthau) niece Ermengarde Vandergelder (Joyce Ames). However, Ermengarde doesn't want any part of it--she's in love with a young artist named Ambrose Kemper (Tommy Tune); and Ambrose feels the same way about Ermengarde. What's more, Dolly eventually has plans for helping Horace's two clerks, Cornelius Hackl (Michael Crawford) and Barnaby Tucker (Danny Lockin).

A few days later, they all wind up in Manhattan and fate--with Dolly's help--begins to weave its magic spell. Cornelius and Barnaby become smitten with Irene Molloy (Marianne McAndrew) and her hat shop assistant Minnie Fay (E. J. Peaker). They all spend time together having fun; but Dolly has her hands full trying to manipulate Horace into marrying her instead of Irene Molloy--or the not terribly appealing Ernestina Simple (Judy Knaiz).

Of course, from here the plot can go in so many different directions. You may know the plot but there are no plot spoilers in my reviews! Will Dolly manage to get these two young couple together--along with Ambrose and Ermengarde--so that they can find a happy life romantically? What about Dolly's feelings for her late husband--to what extent will they get in the way of Dolly pursuing Horace? Will Horace, who is a very cranky and somewhat negative man, ever come around to marrying Dolly? Watch the movie and find out!

The song and dance numbers are fantastic. The "Hello Dolly" number alone was fantastic. Look for a wonderful cameo by the great Louis Armstrong who just happens to work in the Harmonia Gardens restaurant! It's great to see Armstrong on film with Streisand. The cinematography and choreography impressed me greatly during the scenes from the parade down 14th Street in Manhattan as well as in the Harmonia Gardens restaurant.

The DVD has an optional commentary and there's a 1969 featurette that shows how they organized and coordinated the parade down 14th Street in Manhattan. It's excellent! You can also choose languages but there's not much more. Oh, well. The film is very good and it still can stand mostly on its own.

Overall, Hello Dolly is a fine classic musical from the very tail end of the golden era of Hollywood musicals. The actors give extremely good performances; their acting is very convincing. I recommend this film for fans of Hollywood musicals as well as fans of Barbra Streisand.

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Towanoquon Complete Collection (2012)

Basic Overview:

Centuries ago there were many people who had special abilities but as time progressed their numbers became fewer and fewer. Those people without abilities began to fear those that had abilities. Over time those with abilities became known as the demons and monsters of the mountains and valleys. As the fear grew in those who lacked abilities they began to hunt down those who were different, reducing their numbers even more.

In a futuristic Tokyo, unique human beings who have awakened distinct powers are being hunted by a secret organization named Custos. Known as "Attractors", these exceptional humans are joining forces to defend themselves. They are led by a boy named Quon, an idealist who is determined to save all the Attractors he can.

My Review:

Towanoquon is definitely a must watch anime, it is very engaging, has great character development for the series I've seen recently, and a pretty straight forward type of story telling. The first part of the series will definitely get you hooked but the story tends to speed up a bit and be a little rushed in the last part. Admittedly the last episode has the best quality of art, the others are all quite good as well, just not as good as the last. The last episode is a bit rushed, I admit, but I felt it did have a rather satisfying ending, which I haven't seen much of lately in anime series. Though in retrospect as you watch the series you will notice at the end of a episode/movie there is a tribute to the director at the end of a episode (though I can't remember which one at the moment) as he died of lung cancer, which may have resulted in them ending the series, that could have been longer, before planned.

I've read a lot of places where this has been compared to X-men, and while it is a little like that I think a better comparison for it would probably be Towards the Terra (which the art style reminds of a bit too). It also could compare a bit to Blassreiter, it reminds me of the people with abilities from Towards the Terra having something like a transformation into something like the demoniacs from Blassreiter (not to mention the cyborgs). It is most definitely not for kids, there is plenty of blood, gore, violence and a bit of fan service to go around. I would give the series a 9/10 overall as I enjoyed the story, characters, art and ending.

I would also like to note I watched the dub, though from looking at the Japanese cast I'm sure that track is amazing too, but it wasn't as bad as some I've seen. I didn't notice any spots where they missed the mark, it was very enjoyable as well. They seemed to have done a very good job casting as they voices seemed to match the characters very well. I was rather impressed.

Packaging:

I bought the DVD set (not the blu-ray) which has episodes 1-3 on the first DVD and episodes 4-6 and a commentary for episode 6 on the second DVD from what I remember.

I saw Towanoquon as I was browsing for new anime to watch. I threw it on my preorder list and waited for it to get to me.

As far as the packaging goes, this item came in a typical blu-ray case and contained two discs. The 1st had 4 of the 6 movies on it, while the other had the other 2 movies and some extras. The extras were just your typical clean opening and endings and some commentary.

The show itself was very enjoyable. The action was well done and the plot line kept me interested throughout the entire show. I think the only bad thing I noticed about this show is it reminds me too much of X-men. It has some originality, but most of the basic concepts are repeated.

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Let me start off by saying I did enjoy Towanoquon. It was fun. It had action, some mild comedy, and an engaging story. However, my main problem with the show is the feeling of "been there, done that". All forms of entertainment borrow from previous works but the whole time i felt like i was was watchint X-MEN: THE JAPANESE VERSION. Overall the story is about "Attractors" who are basically mutants. They are people with special abilities. The main character finds newly awaked Attractors and tries to save them before the villians destroy them. He then takes the Attractors/mutants to his Theme park (very reminiscent of Xaviers school for the gifted) and helps the children better understand their abilities and how to use the. Overall the show is fun and not a waste of time. I would never bash the show for being unentertaining just unoriginal. If you are bored and looking for something to watch its not a bad pick up. But if you have a long list of anime you are trying to see you may wanna pass on this one or move it down the line and watch some better shows before this one.

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The show was good and completed itself well, It's nothing amazing but it's definitely worth watching.

The story line it's self was was good but a bit used, that's not a problem but its not the best adaptation of the idea of mutated people with powers being hunted,Killed,discriminated against and experimented on by an origination.That's acceptable cause the action in the show was amazing in this show that kept your eyes glued to the screen.

The packaging was just a normal blu-ray case with two disc containing all 6 films

Japanese audio subtitles optional to turn on or off

And English dub, which wasn't that bad.

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This show is amazing action drama it looks fantastic. It got here 2 days after i bought it so thats the fastest shipment i've received ever not paying for next day or overnight very satisfied!!

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The Infidel

Great movie. It jokes around with both Jews and Muslims, but never in a mean-spirited way. Good to see a movie representing moderate Muslims in some way on film Americans need to see more of this. The British sense of humor is very sharp as well.

I saw this movie at the Tribeca FF 2010 and it's great. It's so funny. It takes on a really dangerous subject and makes it hilarious, and, in the later sections, moving. It's a comedy that has something to say. Plus you don't have to be Muslim or Jewish I'm neither to get the great gags!

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Mahmud's mother passes away, and while cleaning her house, he finds out he was adopted. And it gets better; he was born Solly Shimshillewitz. Oy vey.

A Londoner of Pakistani descent has a enough trouble; his dad past away a while ago and his mom just died, his son is marrying the step-daughter of radical imam, but his wife loves him despite his numerous flaws. Then he finds out he was born Jewish, and it is off to the rodeo as he tries to come to terms with his heritage and upbringing.

The more you know about both Jewish and Islamic culture, the funnier this movie will be. Mahmud nee Solly learning how to shrug properly, and his dream/nightmare sequence are worth the price of admission. It's only a movie, and a comedy at that, but it does hint at interesting dynamics in London Pakistani homelife, and the complexities of both cultures.

I enjoyed it a lot, but a lot of the comedy will pass by folks not familiar with the cultures involved.

E.M. Van Court

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I'm glad this popped up as an instant play title on a movie rental site I subscribe to. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with a title like "Infidel", with a man dressed in Muslim attire eating a bagel! Well I was pleasantly surprised and entertained this is a movie that pokes fun at two different cultures but does so in an irreverent and funny manner.

Mahmud (comedian Omid Djalili) is a moderate Muslim who may not be fully observant but considers himself a true believer and takes pride in his family (wife, son, and young daughter). His mother's death brings a secret to light Mahmud was adopted, and his birth name was Solly Shimshillewitz! This revelation predictably upsets Mahmud and causes him great confusion. What is he to do? Can he reveal his secret to his wife, children and close friends? Given the strife between the Palestinians and Israelis and the general climate of distrust between Muslims and Jews, how is Mahmud to reconcile his Jewish heritage and his Muslim identity?

Fortunately, Mahmud finds help in Lenny (Richard Schiff). Initially, both men are almost enemies, constantly bickering and fighting, but when Mahmud discovers his Jewish background, he turns to Lenny out of desperation. This results in some truly funny moments Lenny teaching Mahmud how to shrug, how to say "oy vey", and prepares Mahmud for a 'rite of passage', accompanying Lenny to a bar mitzvah! This may all be funny, but there is also a sense of poignancy. Mahmud's efforts at getting in touch with his inner Jew has to do with his attempts to meet his dying Jewish dad who is in a nursing home.

Amidst all this, Mahmud also faces the problem of how to handle his son's impending marriage to the step-daughter of a radical Muslim cleric. The scene where the cleric comes to Mahmud's house to check his family out is one of the funniest in the film. Mahmud can't bear to think what will happen if his secret is found out...what is Mahmud/Solly to do? The acting by Omid Djalili is amazing, and he is able to credibly convey the comedic elements of his character's plight as well as the poignant moments. The portrayal of the Muslim and Jewish cultures is well done and though the movie does poke fun at both cultures, it is a balanced portrayal. The supporting cast is equally brilliant and the result is a farcical comedy that entertains.

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I bought this with high hopes after reading the amazon reviews, but unfortunately the reviews don't include a few details that some may find important. First of all, the movie sounds like a lot of fun, but if you are not into the F-word you may have a hard time with it. The dialogue is filled with the F-word, to the point that you begin to wonder if any other single word is used as often. I realize that some people may talk like this (apparently the director does), but it did not seem to really fit the personalities (or the circumstances) of the characters, seeming forced and oddly disconcerting. For me (and the friends I watched it with), it took away from the message of the movie, which I really liked and had high hopes for. I would have liked to share this with family members, again because I think the premise is great, but will not be doing that. In fact I can't imagine watching it again so will probably just toss it. Without the language I'd have given the film 5 stars. Anyway, if you don't mind the overly coarse language you may enjoy this, but you should at least know what you are in for.

The Blood Trilogy (Blood Feast / Two Thousand Maniacs! / Color Me Blood Red) (1965)

Herschell Gordon Lewis is one of those rare directors who is so inept and clumsy that his films become wildly entertaining. He and others such as Ed Wood and Doris Wishman consistently made terrible movies that, while incredibly silly, are still engaging through and through. There are plenty of bad directors who made a few films that are fun to watch and there are plenty of bad directors who made films that are just pure tedium, but most every HGL film is a treat for those of us who enjoy the finer points of exploitation cinema.

"Blood Feast" is easily HGL's most infamous film one that most gore fanatics know quite well. Although it's a bit tame by today's standards, it hasn't lost its edge. There are some incredibly bloody scenes and they're surrounded by some of the worst, most wooden acting anyone has seen outside of "Plan 9 from Outer Space". It turns even the most bland dialogue scenes into laugh riots.

"Two Thousand Maniacs!" is not amongst my favorite HGL films, but it does seem to be fairly popular with most fans. It's basically a remake of "Brigadoon", (yeah, HGL has a PhD in literature honest) but this time with hillbillies and gory, violent deaths. It's a nice crossover between HGL's hillbilly films and his gore films.

"Color Me Blood Red" is another classic. The blood is plentiful, as is the campy atmosphere and typically awful acting. Any HGL fan will enjoy this.

Just like Something Weird Video's "Herschell Gordon Lewis Collection" (which I also highly recommend), there are plenty of extras. HGL and his partner on these three films, David Friedman, provide great commentary tracks, both hilarious and informative. We also get some trailers and a few shorts. Overall, excellent extra features. SWV did a typically excellent job with this.

This collection belongs on the shelf of any serious exploitation cinema collector. Buy it and enjoy!

It would be easy to pass this up as being a package of movies that was put cheaply together for a quick buck if you didn't know better. Don't make that assumption.

These are three examples of early gore from the pioneers of the genre, Herschell Gordon Lewis and David F. Friedman. While not exactly Oscar-worthy, they have their place in cinema history. The transfers on the Blu-ray discs aren't exactly reference quality, but they're fine for these films, and probably far better than they ever looked on drive-in screens. In some scenes, you could argue they look TOO good. The main audio tracks are PCM mono.

BLOOD FEAST If you ever wondered where modern horror started, look no further than this cult classic. A caterer puts together a feast using body parts of his victims. Filmed on a budget of $24,500 (according to Friedman in the commentary), it is one of the most horribly acted movies you will ever see...yet there's something appealing about this film even today. The gore, cheesy by today's standards, was like nothing ever seen before in its day. The movie became a sensation at drive-in circuits around the country and birthed a segment of cinema that simply hadn't existed previously.

TWO THOUSAND MANIACS After making names for themselves with "Blood Feast", Lewis and Friedman made "Two Thousand Maniacs" with triple the budget. A small Southern town celebrates the anniversary of the Civil War by tricking some Northern tourists into town and killing them in various community events. Most of the actual residents of the shooting location were all too happy to participate in filming, which made the movie look far bigger than it was.

COLOR ME BLOOD RED A frustrated artist can't find his color...until his girlfriend accidentally cuts herself. After creating his masterpiece with her blood, he needs more to continue painting. You know where this is going.

Watch them all twice...once without the commentary, then once with. Lewis and Friedman provide some great stories, especially if you're a fan of drive-ins and understand the history of exploitation cinema. And don't miss the extras "Follow That Skirt!" (possibly the best thing on the disk) and a vintage short about cutting meat called "Carving Magic!".

For the asking price, this is an outstanding value.

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Blood Feast

Herschell Gordon Lewis made Horror history with 1963's BLOOD FEAST, widely considered to be the first "gore" film. In the years before the MPAA, filmmakers were only limited from showing excessive nudity on-screen. With no rules preventing anyone in the movie industry from depicting gratuitous violence or horrifying bodily dismemberment, H.G. Lewis and business partner David F. Friedman embarked on a series of films that exploited these loose regulations in an attempt to compete with the major studio releases in the drive-in circuit. The two did not ease in to this newly established genre with just a few missing limbs or a severed head, but (literally) covered the screen in blood and butchery from start to finish. This simply had never been done before, and even to this day, BLOOD FEAST continues to serve as one of the most shocking and gruesome films in the genre.

Mrs. Fremont is throwing a dinner party for her daughter's engagement, so in order to impress her guests, she has hired the exotic caterer Fuad Ramses to put on an extravagant feast! What she doesn't know is that Fuad has worked up a special menu made from bits and pieces of the missing girls from around town, which he will be serving as the main course in an Egyptian blood feast to appease the goddess Ishtar!

PSYCHO, this is not; Lewis' listless direction shows all of the style and finesse of an early stag film (another genre with which he was fondly familiar). BLOOD FEAST tastefully implies nothing, and instead plasters the screen in one lurid image after another, using as few camera set-ups and shots as possible for the minimal amount of coverage provided. Lewis and Friedman would tap Playboy playmate Connie Mason to star as the beautiful young bride-to-be, who would return for their follow-up 2000 MANIACS the next year. Mason, along with her fellow cast members, produce truly horrible performances, but the roles are so poorly acted and outrageously over-the-top that they give way to the highest level of camp. As if the subject matter was not forward enough, Lewis' editing clearly demonstrates his lack of concern with plotting or characterization, as the camera holds on the disfigured remains of Fuad's victims much longer than it ever does for any of the characters in the film.

Using gallons of red paint and nearly an entire butcher's shop of animal entrails, BLOOD FEAST offers everything from a beach full of splattered brains, to a torn out tongue, a hacked off leg, and more in eye-popping color film stock! While this may not seem like much, the method in which the murders are filmed and the absolutely absurd amount of bright-red blood make these moments as memorable as they are completely revolting.

Herschell Gordon Lewis, the "Godfather of Gore," has left behind a bloody trail of influence in the wake of this seminal shocker. BLOOD FEAST has had a profound effect on countless young filmmakers, and will continue to live on in the annals of Horror for many years to come.

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Two Thousand Maniacs

A conveniently placed detour sign on a remote country road lands a group of Northern vacationers right smack dab in the middle of Pleasant Valley's Centennial celebration. The jovial Mayor Buckman invites the newcomers to participate in each of the town's festivities, but what the visitors don't know is that they are being lead to the slaughter as part of the locals' bloody revenge for a Civil War defeat! Herschell Gordon Lewis' drive-in classic TWO THOUSAND MANIACS is a vast improvement over his first gorefest, BLOOD FEAST, complete with a highly imaginative plot and several of the most memorable executions in shock cinema. Of the many carnival games the travelers 'participate' in, the bloodiest include a spiked barrel roll, a four-way horse race, and a smashing game of Hit the Target! The outrageously over-the-top acting and absurd dialog only add to the film's campy charm, but Lewis' no-budget approach to filmmaking only produces the same flat results in terms of the actual production. Regardless, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS is the Godfather of Gore's greatest film, and an early milestone in the history of splatter pictures.

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Color Me Blood Red

His third gore film in three years, COLOR ME BLOOD RED is the last of the three pictures that make up Herschell Gordon Lewis' original 'Blood Trilogy.' It is also the most sophisticated of any of his films, and one that is likely his most personal. It tells the tale of Adam Sorg, a struggling artist that only finds success after he begins painting in his victims' blood! The theme of the tortured artist is taken to absurd new heights (or lows, rather) in this gruesome black comedy. Lewis instills his frustrations with his own lack of critical acclaim through his preferred medium, while commenting on how his only means of receiving any recognition in film was to include more blood and gore. Surprisingly, COLOR is even more visceral than either of the other entries in the series, containing everything from the disemboweling of a model to a brain-splattering shotgun blast to the face. Gordon Oas-Heim also provides an intense performance as the lead, closing out the thrilling climax with a bang! While it rarely ranks as a favorite among fans, this truly is one of Lewis' better films.

-Carl Manes

I Like Horror Movies

Read Best Reviews of The Blood Trilogy (Blood Feast / Two Thousand Maniacs! / Color Me Blood Red) (1965) Here

I just got my blu ray in and popped it in the player, so excited to finally see these wonderful H.G. Lewis films in HD, but to my REAL shock and horror they have cropped the image at the top and bottom for that fake widescreen look and it really effects the picture! The picture IS otherwise brighter and clearer than the previous "Something Weird" dvd release but there is just too much cropped off at the top and bottom. For all you H.G. Lewis purists beware!

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It wasn't that long ago that going to the movies was a different experience. There were few multiplexes, and most theaters showed double features. When you went to the movies, you had to clarify that it was a "walk-in" theater because drive-ins were a popular alternative. It was a time when there were many low-budget movies produced by minor studios and making limited runs; these were a more charming version of the direct-to-video schlock that is made nowadays. H.G. Lewis was pretty successful at these low budget movies, especially with horror: Lewis was a pioneer in the field of gory movies, producing grisly movies decades before Jason, Freddy and Michael would make it standard film fare.

The so-called Blood Trilogy is actually three separate movies; the name was given in later years when they were released and shown as a set in theaters. The first film is Blood Feast, the tale of a madman killing young women to prepare a cannibalistic feast in honor of Ishtar. Lewis's formula is often the more blood, the better, but often the actual act of violence isn't really shown, only the result. We see the villainous Fuad Ramses making his attack, and we see the dead body, but we rarely see the actual stabbing (or other act). By many standards, this is a pretty awful movie: the acting is amateurish and the writing and sets are not much better, but it (and its two companion movies) has an Ed-Woodish appeal to it: it's in that so-bad-it's-good category that easily develops a cult following. It is also pretty much the first truly bloody movie, so even if flawed, it is a breakthrough film.

Two Thousand Maniacs is the best movie in the set, the tale of an isolated Southern town that lures unsuspecting Yankees to participate in a special celebration, which turns out to be the anniversary of some Union atrocities. Now, the residents are out to exact their own unique form of revenge against the North with murders taking place in a carnival-like atmosphere.

The final film is Color Me Blood Red, a take-off on House of Wax and Bucket of Blood with an artist achieving success through murder. In this case, it is a painter who discovers the color he needs to achieve his vision can only be gotten through blood. He apparently doesn't think of using animals (there wouldn't be much of a movie in this case). Instead, he starts with his girlfriend and moves on to people who wander too close to his home.

All three movies are pretty short and come with entertaining commentaries by Lewis and his producer which make it clear that they knew these were never going to win any Oscars. There are also trailers, a gallery of ads that show how these movies were promoted and a short subject on meat carving that features a very young Harvey Korman. Thanks to the movie Juno which shows a small clip from Lewis's The Wizard of Gore, it is likely that Lewis will get some renewed interest. The Blood Trilogy set is a good way to be introduced to him with his first three horror flicks.

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Disneynature Four-Movie Collection (African Cats / Oceans / Earth / Crimson Wings) (Blu-ray/DVD Com

This set includes all four Disneynature films (all of which can be purchased individually):

Disney Nature Earth (Blu-ray / DVD Combo)

Disneynature: Oceans (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Disneynature: African Cats (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging)

Disneynature: Crimson Wing The Mystery of the Flamingo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

These nature documentaries are some of the best around... my favorite is African Cats!

I know that the films "Earth" and "Oceans" did recycle some footage captured by the BBC team on "Planet Earth". So if you already own that set, you will probably recognize many of the key shots in these films.

The video/audio quality on all of these discs is above average. These would be excellent demo discs to show off your home theater. While many would prefer to see the majestic sights without commentary, these films are all narrated. I will say that the narration is informative and entertaining, and is particularly suitable for younger kids.All movies come in blu-ray sized packaging. In addition to the blu-ray disc, a standard DVD version of the movie is also included.

Just a quick note for anyone who thinks, as I did at first, that the "Earth" film here is actually "Planet Earth" put out by the BBC & Discovery. A lot of the footage is, in fact, the same; but this is a different, much shorter production: Planet Earth = 550 minutes; Earth = 90 minutes. So proceed to either buy this package or not buy it with that knowledge!

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So I must agree with the other review saying all of this is recycled from Plant Earth and other BBC documentaries. In addition I wanted to point out that this "collection" is just the four blu rays shipped together (four separate cases wrapped together). There is no collector's box or anything like that. In addition I want say that my family owns pretty much all of the recent BBC nature documentaries on Blu Ray (not just the well known ones like Planet Earth and Life but also The Galapagos, Wild Pacific, Madagascar, Rift Valley, etc ). That being said, Earth had no new material. We only started watching Oceans but we're pretty sure that's all recycled material too.

Crimson Wings was pretty much all new material. The only problem is it's really slow and this is coming from a family that loves nature documentaries. After watching it, we all came to the consensus that it would have been much better if they had edited it to about half the running it actually was but then people would probably complain it wasn't worth the money for such a short doc.

African Cats was pretty much all new material with some recycled shots we think but it didn't matter because it was much faster paced and whole family loved it. We've already watched African Cats multiple times.

My recommendation is if you don't have many other nature docs, you could consider this collection. Though, I would recommend the longer BBC ones over Earth or Oceans. But they are longer and more expensive. In hindsight had I known what I'd be getting I would have just got African Cats and maybe Crimson Wings if it was on super sale. I don't regret having the longer BBC docs. Having seen them, Earth and Oceans just doesn't have as much material.

Read Best Reviews of Disneynature Four-Movie Collection (African Cats / Oceans / Earth / Crimson Wings) (Blu-ray/DVD Com Here

My grandson loves these movies. He gets so enthralled with them it is difficult to pull him away! I love the educational aspect of them. Nice change from the everyday movie or cartoon.

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Most importantly this package deal is a rip off. You can buy all four these Blu-ray/DVD combos individually and the total is less than $65.00 this is well below the $95.40 listed for this movie collection. Ordering this collection is paying the person who merely put them into a box and mailed them an extra $30 for their effort.

It is not often I am disappointed with Amazon, but this is one time I am very disappointed with this Amazon offering.

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High School of the Dead: Complete Collection

Highschool of the dead is a zombie anime with plenty of action, ecchi, and funny situations. The story starts out in the private high school of the character Takashi when he first starts to see the zombie plague spreading in his school his first reaction is to try to save the girl that hes loved (Rei) since he was a small child by picking her up from her classroom and getting her to

a safe place. The situation quickly escalates as the infection spreads to the whole school and they quickly have to evacuate the school to get to a safer place. Along the way they meet other students and a nurse who have survived the zombie plague and they make their escape from the zombie infested school to the city.

Much of the film is spent running from zombies and taking shelter from place to place while showing how the world has turned into total chaos and anarchy all around them as the zombie plague spreads.There are so many scenes with bouncing boobies, naughty poses, revealing outfits and girls moaning over anything that it feels like im watching a porno film with action in it. Not to say thats a bad thing but sometimes it feels like its a little over the top for a normal anime.

The first season was pretty short (12 episodes) but it had some good foundations laid out for character relationships in season 2 (mostly Rei & Saeko with Takashi) or possibly even Saya with Kohta after seeing episode 12 (although she likes Takashi alot more). It will be interesting to see a season 2 if they ever make one to see if any of the other main characters familys survived the zombie plague and to find out what the cause of the plague was to begin with.

Pros

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Lots of Action (makes it fun to watch)

Lots of huge bouncing Boobies (what guy doesnt like boobies?)

Nude scenes (The shower episode was epic)

Never a dull moment

Funny Jokes and scenes (Example: "All these zombies and im going to get killed by an Asian woman driver" -Kohta)

No Fillers

No Censors (who would want all the good stuff cut out?)

Great Music soundtrack

Cons

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The credits play before the end of each episode, never seen any other animes do this only this one. Why would they play the credits before the whole episode is finished? they probably really want people to read the credits.

No Second season out yet.

Price is a little high at $39 for 5 hours worth of content on 2 blu-ray disc (12 episodes).

Conclusion

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It might be a really long time until they release a second season of this show but I definitely enjoyed the show enough to buy the first season for $39. I just hope that they make a second season soon as the first one was very entertaining to watch and im curious to see how the characters continue to develop.

I finally finished the Blu-Ray so I figured I would give my 2 cents on the anime. I was very impressed with the dubbing in this particular version of HotD. I've over time become somewhat used to bad dubbing in Japanese anime so I was glad to hear the voice actors putting in a lot of effort. They really did a good job of making the characters sound and act realistically.

The Blu-Ray itself has great quality and because of that and the fact that it's uncut I noticed things that I never noticed in the original airing. The audio quality is also top notch.

It has simple packaging with 2 Blu-Ray's. Eight episodes on the first disc and four episodes on the second disk.

Like others have mentioned it is an action packed zombie apocalypse style anime with lots of blood, fan service, and a bit of vulgar language. Nothing worse than the kind you hear on the streets. You can learn much more about its contents from the current highest rated review so I won't go into a lot of detail. I mainly just wanted to touch on how impressed I was with the quality of this version.

Overall Rating 5/5 stars. Enjoy the anime.

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By now we're all well aware of and are probably active participants in the media zombie pandemic. What began with classic horror films has spawned countless novels, comics, television, comedies, video games, and everything else you can see or hear, infecting pop culture with the undead virus. But I have been wondering something for quite some time now: when will anime represent for the walking dead? Well, that question has been answered, fellow animation fanatics. Highschool of the Dead is here and delivering the thrills of classic Romero and the coolness of The Walking Dead, while utilizing the full spectrum of the anime genre to make this zombie apocalypse stand out as it's own animal. And it is so close to perfectly awesome it hurts.

Before I whine about the show's failing, let me fill you in on the good. There's lots of it. Right from the get-go Highschool of the Dead gets your heart racing with pure horror and some of the coolest action sequences ever animated. As the sudden invasion quickly spreads through the halls of the high school, we are introduced to the individuals who will become our heroes. While most students panic and quickly become prey to the ever-increasing host of ghouls, a few individuals pull it together and improvise means to fight back. The otaku gun nut. The kendo princess. The ordinary kid whose best is brought out by extraordinary circumstances. The haughty intellectual. The airheaded school nurse. Over the first two episodes, these people will coalesce into a force to be reckoned with. The show does an admirable job of remaining character-based and developing the relationships between it's survivors well after the extremely hectic initial outbreak, and as far as opening salvos go in survival horror, this show takes the damn cake for sure. The art and animation are top-notch, the characters are instantly memorable, and also it's zombies! And anime! Sugoi, neh?

Okay, time for some of that old-time tough love. This show is one of the most exciting and cool anime series I've come across in a good while, and it ticks almost all of my boxes for a great zombie story, but on one front it really blows it. Rant mode: engaged. I'm writing this paragraph as an introduction speech to present Highschool of the Dead with the first annual Najica Blitz Tactics Award for Achievement in Moronic Fanservice. Hold your applause. This is not a good thing. God, this show could even teach Najica a thing or two. It's frankly embarrassing. I'm a big fan of sexuality in entertainment, but only when it is portrayed in a realistic and adult manner or at least matches the tone of the story. But in a show where high school students are seeing their teachers and classmates being torn apart only to rise again and attack them in turn, having a character with ridiculously enormous breasts that make boingy noises and fly all over the place independently of each other every time she so much as blinks around is not only distracting, it literally brings the entire show down a notch. I can deal with the pantyshots in every scene, but the incessant focus on the female characters' boobs makes this show infuriating. At one point we get a bullet's-eye-view shot as one girl's breasts use a scissor motion to dodge said bullet. And the bullet was fired from a rifle using another girl's breasts as a bipod (they slosh in slow motion with each shot fired). Jesus God, WHY?! Everything else about this show is so good! The immaturity shown in HotD's use of fanservice is probably the most atrocious thing I've ever seen in terms of bringing down an otherwise amazing production. Honestly, I'd be tempted to knock off another half star or so from the rating if the first season's second half didn't tone it down so much. Be warned.

[sighs] Glad to get that off my chest. Okay, the good of HotD far outweighs the idiotic breast and panty fixation in an otherwise great show. In fact, this would be instantly pushing for a spot on my favorite anime ever list if the childish sexuality had been presented in a more mature manner or omitted altogether. If you love zombies and anime, this is a must-see. This is brought to us by the same man who gave us the Death Note and Black Lagoon animes, after all. Each ep has a post-credits sequence that is often important to the story which makes the show feel even more theatrical than it already is and I like that the ending theme changes as well. A mere 12 episodes is far too short a season for a show like this, and once you see the nod to Romero that is the final shot of the first season, I suspect you will be as excited as I am for the next chapter in the saga. If they keep the fanservice manageable from here on out, we may just have a classic on our hands.

Read Best Reviews of High School of the Dead: Complete Collection Here

Not for children. That said...

The next time Im in the middle of a zombie apacolypse Im hopin Im surrounded by hot chicks. Especially samurai chiks in long skirts, with purple hair and bokkens! Ha! Wheres my chucks! Im ready!

This anime is horror and it does a great job at it! That said I found myself laughin a couple times. The mean pink haired chik i found very funny.

Great character development is much better than what i thought it would be, but thats typical with japanese anime.

Great action!

Lotsa fan service. Not so much fan service as to detract from the anime, but laughable at times too.

Fight scenes even got me pumped a couple times.

Guys n gals, this anime is a lotta fun.

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Sure, I've had my fill of zombiedom. Zombie this, zombie that. At first I thought "Man, another living dead knock off." It is, but as far as the genre goes, it's pretty darn good. The standard zombie rules apply, with some new twists. The guys are mostly natural zombie killers. The girls fall in to two classes: Brazier busting bazongas that are useless in a fight (bouncy eye candy) and Brazier busting bazongas that are phenomenal in a fight (even bouncier eye candy). Seriously.

The zombie fight scenes are cool this is Anime like Romero would do Anime. Most parts are pretty darn realistic, even if the girls are really, er, rhymes with twitchy. You really, really want to see a couple of them get killed off in the first couple of episodes, but things normalize around the fourth episode.

If you like quality Anime with the requisite bust size and high-school based plots, this is a no braiiner.

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Wyoming Outlaw (1939)

For the true dieheart JOHN WAYNE fan..like me.Keep in mind this was a "B"western...which means low budget..but a lot of action.And it had a very good story line.People seem to have forgotten the great actor..Donald"Red"Barry..he was so good as the Outlaw.He was a leading man during those days in a serial classic..."RED RYDER".His acting I felt really stood out.Ray Corrigan..always great to watch.Raymond Hatton...a great character actor.And of course...the great JOHN WAYNE.The music in these "Mesquiteers"have always played a very bug part.It's where music & action work side by side.Like in the serials of the day.This is a very good "B"top notch western to collect.

FUN MESQUITEER'S FILM LOVE THE MUSIC. TAKES ME BACK TO MY CHILDHOOD, NO BLOOD, WILD FIGHTS, GREAT CHASES ON BEAUTIFUL HORSES. FUN.

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I love The Three Mesquiteers, they are one of the best trigger trios of the b-westerns only licked by the Hopalong Cassidy trios. The Three Mesquiteers are here played by John Wayne, Ray Crash Corrigan and Raymond Hatton. We have good Mesquiteers action, fights, shooting and riding but midway the plot brings the Mesquiteers in the background and Don Barry takes over in the role as the Young criminal who can't get out of the mud because of society and the real bad guys. To have his revenge he goes to his own destruction. In this way the film foresees western noirs with Joel McCrea and films like Lonely are the Brave with Kirk Douglas and Willy Boy with Robert Blake. It is a very interesting twist but I guess the B-Western Police will say that the plot goes too far. The print is super!

Read Best Reviews of Wyoming Outlaw (1939) Here

was goodit helped to compleat my set of john wayne movies that i am colecting still have some of the early ones to get

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RV (2006)

Okay, I actually loved this movie...I thought it was funny and entertaining and just what I needed to see, something pointless and yet does the trick perfectly. You can always rely of Robin Williams for that. No, it's not the smartest comedy but it's not like we thought we were walking into 'Fargo' people, we were walking into a family vacation comedy that's full of slapstick laughs and gross humor, and that should be what you expected. Robin Williams plays Bob, a man whose a slave to his job, a job he's afraid he may lose. He's so afraid that he actually cancels his family's vacation to Hawaii and takes them on an RV trip to Colorado with hopes to sneak off to a meeting with his germaphobe boss in order to keep his job. Along the way (of course keeping his true intentions secret) he tries to recreate the bond he once had with his family. This of course starts of shakey since neither his wife (Cheryl Hines) nor his children, teenage daughter Cassie (JoJo) whose going through her rebelous "i hate mommy and daddy" stage and his young son Carl (Josh Hutcherson) whose insecure about his small size, are supportive. But after all the problems with sewage, weird hillbilly RV neighbors the Gornicke family (led by Jeff Daniels and Kristin Chenoweth) and some pesky racoons their is a family bonding moment that is shattered by a bowel problem (sort-of) a sinking RV and the exposure of Bob's secret meeting. In the end, RV may be predictable family fun, but the point still remains that it's family fun, and that's gotta amount to something.

I've read reviews of RV, and they uniformly panned the movie as piffle; humorous tripe that reinforced family values and light humor, wasting the talents of Robin Williams.

Give me a break.

See, the implication that the family road trip movie is somehow a form of high art is fallacious to begin with. Although my family (and my wife's family) venerates the National Lampoon vacation movies as the ultimate in comedy, the truth of the matter is it's all a string of silly gags and ridiculous foils. It takes real skill to play a perpetually optimistic patriarch in the face of modern indignities and family squabbles. If anything, the family road trip movie is really just a condensed version of half the sitcoms on television. And there's a reason those sitcoms are still around, even though the critics patiently explain over and over how dumb they are.

They're right. It IS dumb. But then, so is having to deal with the inanities of modern life. RV is merely an update of a long established tradition of pitting a man (Bob Munro played by Robin Williams), his hot wife (Cheryl Hines), his teenage daughter (Joanna Levesque) and pre-teen son (Josh Hutcherson) against the world and seeing who comes out on top. And we root for Bob all the way.

What makes RV so appealing is that it doesn't deviate at all from the formula but cleverly updates all the trials and tribulations. Bob's affection for his adorable daughter at two years old is sharply contrasted by her wisecracking personality as a teenager. How many parents stare at their kids and wonder what happened to the darling who never wanted to leave their side? Bob's career hinges on finishing a presentation, and much of the movie is taken up with his personal struggle to find a signal for his Blackberry. Road warriors feel his pain. And as an older, funnier man, Bob constantly has to watch his back as younger, inexperienced climbers try to steal the spotlight.

In short, the Monroe struggles are the new struggles of the middle class. Sure, Clark Griswold didn't have these problems, but then the National Lampoon movies were made decades ago. RV brings it all up to date with one difference: unlike Cousin Eddie and his brood, the country folk are actually the wiser and more decent family. We could learn a lot from their home values, preaches Brother Sonnenfeld. Maybe he's right.

When RV was playing at my parents' house, we were waiting for my brother to join us to watch a DVD. Instead, we watched (and laughed at) RV all the way through.

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In the mode of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S FAMILY VACATION is not a negative thing. This is an energetic and often quite funny family film. The theater we saw it in (Palm Desert, California) was nearly full with a cross section of seniors to kids. People laughed together and often.

The movie is fast paced with great outdoor cinematography. The plot has some twists and surprises and a real treat is Jeff Daniels and Kristen Chenoweth as parents of a permanent RV living (Christian?) family that are not treated as buffoons or easy targets for satire.

And that's the other thing that I liked about this light-hearted comedy; i.e., it has a moral center. Without being preachy in any way, the right things happen as all the loose ends are tied up in an unexpected (to me, anyway) and satisfying ending.

It's nice to see Robin Wiliams in a family film comedy again.

Jaded newspaper and TV reviewers weren't all that enthusiastic about this film, but audiences sure are. It was the top box office new movie the week it opened.

Better than expected and recommended.

Read Best Reviews of RV (2006) Here

I must say I didn't think much of this movie when I first saw the previews in theaters, and so I let it slide to DVD before renting it. And I was suprised. It's not just a stolen script from the famous "Vacation" movie with chevy chase, who was a father that acknowledged their family problems and tried to fix them by going of vacation. This revolves around the theme of a workaholic father, the "perfect" stay at home wife, and their two spoiled kids, in which the father who is actually using this RV expedition as a selfish work tool, feeding the poor system. And what a better setting for a comedy than the roads of america in a huge rolling tin can, or turdmobile, whichever you prefer. Robin Williams was the perfect choice for the Father roll and did a masterful job at portraing it. And in the end, the family finds out what it really means to be a family, and what greatness it can actually be. A real delight to watch, and a suprise. So again, another case of not judging by the first short preview.

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The large picture of this movie is probably missed by most folks. It is about a family who is in relative distress and them finding what makes a family a family again. The on the go, upper middle class family with spoiled kids, a trophy wife, and a workaholic father, sign of the times. Quite a bit different than the "Vacation" movies of chevy chase. Robin Williams was a great choice to pull this role off. Overall a very good movie, enjoyable, and I hope you like it to.

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Street Kings (+ Digital Copy) (2008)

Keanu Reeves has come a long way as an actor. If you watch his early films you can see how he struggles to make his emotions authentic, without always succeeding. I think this was a break-through film for him. He is very believable as Tom Ludlow the soused "street fighter" cop who bends and breaks rules to get the job done. Whether he is romancing his gal, grieving over a dead cop, or exploding with rage the emotions feel "real". And he is even more handsome than he was in his youth.

This was an exciting film from start to finish. There is not one dull moment where your mind begins to wander. The soundtrack was excellenta menacing heartbeat that always forewarns us of dangers to come. The beautifully done cinematography included vivid colors, wrenching close-ups and sweeping panoramas of L.A. Great work! I think it is too bad that so many movie critics gave this one luke-warm reviews because "Street Kings" is a good film worth seeing. I know I will be eagerly awaiting the dvd release.

"Street Kings"--James Ellroy--deepest corruption, unrelenting violence, hidden acts, provocative coverups--this is a world that Joe and Julia Citizen will never see. The average citizen might assume corruption in police departments, but will never ever guess its extent as "Street Kings" shows.

Governmental and military black ops are kept secret with no written records in efforts to make a dent on destroying evil (philosophically speaking) in the large world. "Street Kings," through the pen of James Ellroy and the direction of David Ayer, exposes a layer of police work that parallels that of black ops. Written records are required in this case but highly filtered and altered.

Keanu Reeves is a surprising choice as Tom Ludlow, police op extraordinaire, but quite convincing as the take-no-prisoners kind of guy--one of the Street Kings of the police underworld. However, his work eliminating evil is protected by his boss, played his usual soft-spoken way by Forest Whitaker, the king of the Street Kings. Perhaps not playing his role viciously took the onus off his character's ultimate revelation.

Once the first scene rolled with its explicit violence and the take-down by death of vicious thugs, the tone of the film is set. Tom Ludlow shows his mettle and his job--ridding the world of dark evils. At a group gathering of police ops for ritual drinks, Ludlow again shows his nature--roiling underneath a seemingly calm exterior, willing to act NOW, and barely containable by his boss, Whitaker's character.

On the other hand, Whitaker shows his hail-fellow-well-met persona, appreciative of Ludlow's work to enhance his own political inside clawing to the top. By movie's end, we see just what Whitaker's character truly wants.

The plot becomes quite complex with the addition of two men--Hugh Laurie as Internal Affairs and Ludlow's former partner who decides to go to IA. More murder, more mayhem. Through it all, believe it or not, Ludlow remains true to himself and to his necessary role in the police underworld.

The film's conclusion is a shocker. I never guessed the depth of the police underworld and what our guardians of the streets would do for public safety and their own protection. Is this just a movie based on a book for entertainment value, or does the movie show truth filtered through fiction?

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I was intrigued when I heard that writer James Ellroy, of LA Confidential fame, was attached to this movie. Street Kings plays like a modern version of LA Confidential, albeit much darker and more cynical.

You have similar parallels to the original LA Confidential. Chris Evans of Fantastic Four fame, plays Detective Paul Diskant, more akin to the idealistic Guy Pearce. Keanu Reeves, no introduction needed, plays the bruiser type with an honest heartmore along the lines of Russell Crowe's Bud White. Lastly, Forrest Whittaker gives an entertaining performance as the politically savvy and corrupt vice squad captain, much like James Cromwell's Captain Dudley Smith.

Keanu put on some weight for the movie, I found his performance fine. He's often criticized for being too wooden, but I didn't notice anything that detracted from his performance. It's a genre movie, so certain plot points are predictable, yet I was also pleasantly surprised by a few twists.

If you liked LA Confidential, and are looking for the modern update, then look no further.

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STREET KINGS is the latest police thriller by director David Ayer, responsible for other police thrillers such as "Training Day" and "Dark Blue". Police corruption has been the main theme for most police dramas, and this film is no different. The screenplay by James Elroy is full of intrigue and bleakness that delves into the dark side of the LAPD.

Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is a cop on the edge, an alcoholic and would stoop to the most extreme measures to solve a crime; usually his suspects turn out dead. He does get the job done though, and is favored by his commanding officer, Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker). As a result, Tom's past sins have been covered up for years, he works tightly in a special unit and his existence is a melting pot of violence and death. One day, his former partner (Terry Crews) becomes an informant for Internal Affairs, is killed in a convenience store shooting. The incident had awakened some "intestinal fortitude" in Tom, and now he must find those responsible along with a young detective (Chris Evans). Little do they know that they are opening up a huge can of worms.

"Street Kings" does have all the elements I like in a cop film; it's gritty, very violent and fast-paced. The film isn't going to be recognized for originality, it has all the usual formulas we've all seen before; corrupt authority figures and the hunger for money and power. The film does do one thing right and it does convince the audience that it is worth watching. The heavy and mean dialogue combined with gunfights which are quite bloody and full of intensity, it has all the qualities of a film that any male movie fan would love. The director understands what he has set out to do, and he has structured the film to move as pure adrenaline as it goes through the insides and outs of the LAPD. The film is full of detail as to how and why the corruption is inherent in the "cop system".

The screenplay plays a bit like a morality play as hotshot cop; Tom Ludlow goes through the workings of evidence tampering and cover ups. Tom's character is a man who barely sees injustice due to the things he has seen; his phrase "Bad creates more Bad" actually sums up his bleak view of his world. The script is full of "bad language" that it sometimes makes Tom's use of complex terms a little out of place. Keanu Reeves is a decent actor in my book, but I did somehow see his limits with this role.

The film does have a complex plot and is quite intense, and this is where the problems begin. The film needed to breathe at times and relax and let all its complexities settle in. The unraveling of its main twist in the third act seemed a little too `cardboard' that seemed to fail its maze of intrigue and controversy in the film's set up. The film made a compelling point when it made the darkness of the police system come full circle, with a lot of paranoia and mistrust that suggested a strong clever resolution to all the mayhem. I expected something more than a climax full of cliché that is quite familiar in action films. Forest Whitaker's final speech seemed a little too melodramatic that the film's primary set up just didn't match up.

It would be really difficult to express as to why I would say "Street Kings" is a good film because honestly, it did have a lot of faults. Some parts of the investigation seemed a little too convenient and too easy, while the final act seemed to lose much of its forward momentum when it proved less than stimulating as I've hoped for. However, I did enjoy "STREET KINGS"; it's full of attitude and the sharp-tongued dialogue did convince me to look beyond its holes. Director Ayer knew the film's limits and knew exactly what he needed to do in order to hide its flaws. It does provide an exciting ride while seeing through the eyes of a burned-out cop. The film is cleverly paced, and its action and grittiness will definitely see you enjoying its tough-guy thrills with a lot of bloodshed and body count.

Recommended! [3 ½ Stars]

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If you like the genre, this product won't disappoint you.

The plot is convoluted enough for me to try to give you an idea. It bears some resemblance to Ellroy's "LA Confidential" of course, but SK is more messy.

I laughed on how "American values" this film is. They show Detective Tom drinking so often one has to think "he's an alcoholic". His chief, who knows he kills lawlessly, criticizes him for this "vice". But we saw Ludlow rescuing those underage hostages. Then "he's good". How come, is he bad or good? Can he be both? And they pay script writers for this "moral dilemma" ... :).

I would have liked Naomie Harris to play the "female beauty". Martha Hilgareda is OK anyway.

I expected some great lines like in Training day. I know this by heart: "Jake Hoyt: Its not so fun when the rabbit has a gun. Or Alonzo Harris: It's not what you know, it's what you can prove". Or the best: "Alonzo: You gotta see the streets. You gotta feel it. You gotta smell it, you gotta taste the streets. How's your Espanol?"

Slang is all around anyway. Hard to twig if English is not your mother language, but anyway, you get the meaning . Overall, I liked this movie. It may not last in your memory more than weed, but ...

PS: Real time cop Daryl Gates' presence steals the show.

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Crazy Heart (2009)

Have you watched the "extra features" yet on the BLU-RAY edition of "CRAZY HEART"? I did so last night with a rental copy ("89 cents, Thursdays only") -from my neighborhood mom & pop grocery store [which may yet outlive a nearby Blockbuster that wants six Canadian dollars for similar rental.]

As an aside, may I say I'm one of those odd folks who watch ALL the closing credits of movies - the last guy left in the theatre, watching the credit roll to the bitter end (usually to find out "who wrote that song?") Glad I watched all the "deleted scenes" from this one as they included one that would have been my `favorite scene' (in an otherwise solid, '4-star' film).

I'm thinking too that, from the perspective of any male who ever fathered a child `out of wedlock' -and didn't get to meet his child for a couple of decades -the most powerful scene (I believe) was left on the proverbial `cutting-room floor.'

The segment that runs at least seven minutes, opening with the 28-year-old son, whom "Bad" has never met, or even communicated with, returning his call to say, reluctantly, "and only because my wife says I should," that he's agreed to meet with his dad after all. (We don't get to see him in the film.) "I'll be on the next plane," says his gratified father.

Immediately, we see a cab drive up a long gravel driveway to a farm house, where the young man greets his father with distant politeness, and introduces him to his pretty wife. And though she has only a couple of spoken lines, the superb actress (not named, obviously in the closing credits) conveys the most endearing blend of patience and anxious hope -trying to will this meeting, which she has arranged, into a genuine, heart-to-heart reconciliation: It is not to be.

When things begin to turn sour, she diplomatically exits to the next room, telling "Bad" - "You could use another beer." The camera intercuts to her face (only twice) as she listens-in on a conversation going all wrong. Her lovely face is SO expressive -conveying perfectly her misplaced hope for a reconciliation between father and son a hope crushed within minutes of "Bad's" arrival.

After some cynical parrying -with Bad's meagre attempts at conversation ("I saved this money clip for you and always meant to give it to you") his son says, in a flat-toned voice that drips contempt,

"You know, since you got here, you haven't asked a single thing about US -my wife and me," [and that] "you must be the most self-absorbed S.O.B. on the face of this earth."

`Bad' says, "Call me a cab," and gets up to leave; unable to look his son in the eye, he declares in obvious self-pity, "Well, at least I TRIED." And the viewer realizes that self-pity is the ONLY emotion left to this self-absorbed, alcoholic, `has-been.'

It's a scene so poignant (and so real) it reduced this viewer to tears. How can it be left out? Usually scenes are cut if they don't actually advance the plot: But THIS scene (you may agree) is a mini-masterpiece, fleshing out an aspect of "Bad's" character to make him even more 'three-dimensional.' And since no other reviewer has mentioned it, I thought it was worth pointing out this one "deleted scene." (See if it doesn't speak to your heart!)

Thanks to the screen writer (or the book's author) for composing this `note-perfect' slice of life; thanks as well to the film's director (or producers) for making sure it was included in those 'extra features.'

Mark Blackburn

Winnipeg Manitoba Canada

It's easy to understand how Anthony Hopkins won a Best Acting role for playing Hannibal Lector--that's a mighty big step away from one's core. But to win the Academy Award for playing a low-key role, such as Bad Blake, a washed-out, mostly drunk country singer, is a fine achievement for perennially excellent actor Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart." In fact, I suspect he won for a lifetime achievement with this latest role, simply the next in a long line of outstanding acting.

This is a film I wanted to see because of Bridges but dreaded because I know he plays a man who drinks. My father was a drinker. It's not a pretty sight or experience. Instead, I saw a working drunk, a man who could and did work right through his drinking, just as my father did. But the bottom line: working drunk is not living fully. And that's what this movie is about: not living a life fully and directly.

Bridges plays a washed-out (repeated phrase for a purpose) country singer, clinging to a living just enough to get the next bottle for the gig. Just how low has Bad sunk? He drives himself from one bowling alley lounge to bar to truck stop in the hot, arid western states, the heat simply reflecting the unwashed appearance that Bad carries with him, clean or not. That nasty film of drink, smoke, rock-bottom life clings to him, clean or not.

How many years has Bad lived this way? Too many. How many more until he drinks himself to death? In the beginning he wrote songs that paved his way, but that was long ago. Until he has a gig in Sante Fe in a little nightclub where he promised the owner/piano player to allow his niece to interview him. Maggie Gyllenhaall plays Janie, also a drifter through life, at a crossroads, a single mom trying to find her way as a reporter. I was touched by her also perfect performance. For some reason she is attracted to this stinky, sweaty, aging country singer.

The redeeming grace--as there must be one in such a story--comes through Janie's son. Bad really connects with the boy as much as he does with Janie. The horror scene involving the boy displays that award-winning acting by Bridges. Oh my, his facial expressions, his body language made me feel his own terror at what he had done--or not done. What place Bridges had to go in his psyche to find that terror must have given him nightmares!

That point in time changes Bad. For a rare moment in my movie watching history, I found myself not hoping or cheering or wishing for the character, just watching to discover what he would do. That next section of the story, that acting also congealed Bridges's winning performance. It is so perfect.

To his extra credit, Bridges sings. Frankly, he could make a living at it. He sings a number of times. Colin Farrell as Bad's former friend and current nemesis (only in Bad's mind) also sings. It's a country music movie with excellent performances, alone worth the price of your ticket. But to see Jeff Bridges take a simple role of a less-than-admirable man and make the viewer want that man to be better is the real reason to see this film. The singing is just part of that performance.

It's the quiet dramas that reflect life in all its aspects that make us want to continue going to the movies. "Crazy Heart" is one of those quiet dramas of the heart with a touching story and excellent acting. I might even buy the soundtrack!

Buy Crazy Heart (2009) Now

I know Bad Blake, don't we all know someone like him? Lovable but trouble with a capitol 'T'. You can't really trust him, but you want to.

Jeff Bridges puts his heart and soul into this film, and he becomes Bad. He is so believable that it is difficult not to trust him. He is that lazy, hazy cowboy drinking and singing his way through life, leaving those broken hearts behind. A broken down cowboy, trying to get through life the best he can. He has friends who help him, who are there for him, and that may be his best legacy. He is 57 and was once a big name in the cowboy singing business. Now he goes from joint to joint singing for his supper. He meets a woman almost every night, and leaves her as soon as he can. Until one day, a journalist,Maggie Gyllenhaal, touches his heart, his crazy heart. She has a 4 year old son and even though we hope it works out, we know he will mess it up.

Colin Farrel plays Tommy Sweet, the young singer who has won fame and fortune with Bad's songs, gives him a chance. Both Colin and Jeff sing their own songs and they are true country. This is a film for everyone, has something for everyonegreat acting, good singing, love and romance and kids. What could be better, not much.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 04-20-10

The Big Lebowski 10th Anniversary Edition

A Home at the End of the World

Read Best Reviews of Crazy Heart (2009) Here

Nicely done dramtatic tale of redemption and salvation from a drinking and smoking life on a dusty road filled with meaningless relationships and a generally cantankerous attitude A talented singer begins the road back to living a cleaner and more fulfilling existence after a traumatuic incident and health-related problems that escalate out of control. Shares a strong thematic affiliation with "The Wrestler." Parenthetically, the music in this film sounded a lot better in the theater than the sound on the soundtrack CD and I'm not sure why. Could simply be that I need a new sound system.

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One of the true good things to happen this past Oscar night was to see Jeff Bridges win for best actor. He's done a number of great roles and should have been so honored several times in the past. So I was anxious to see if his performance in this week's release of CRAZY HEART was the best he's turned in. The answer lies in personal preferences, but he did do a great job here.

Bridges stars as Bad Blake, a once legendary country star who's seen better days. After years on the road, years of drinking and smoking, years of bad marriages and managers, Blake is doing the only thing he knows how. He travels on his own from town to town playing small locations to make a living. The first of which we see is a bowling alley with a bandstand.

Life on the road has taken its toll on Blake. His health isn't seen as fatal when we first meet him but the excesses he's lived through seem to be catching up with him. Along with those excesses comes a certain amount of stubbornness as Blake continue to turn down attempts by his protégé from years back, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), to help him by buying new songs from him. Having not written one in 3 years, Blake continues on his downward trail.

And then Blake meets a young woman who comes to interview him after a show. Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has seen better days and yet goes through life with a smile on her face. A single mother, Jean is attracted to Blake and the two begin a romance that starts with one night and moves into the possibility of a more permanent arrangement.

When Blake falls asleep at the wheel on his way to visit Jean, she ends up having him stay at her place until he recovers. Before leaving the hospital, Blake's doctor sets the record straight for him: he's an alcoholic, he has emphysema, the possibility of a stroke is there and if he doesn't get his life together he won't be around a lot longer.

Unfortunately Blake doesn't take the doctor's advice. Once he's able, he heads home to heal. But he misses Jean and her little boy Buddy and invites them to his home. Can Blake make the changes necessary in his life to have the family that he longs for but lost so long ago? Or will his desire for drinking and a hard life rule over those dreams?

The movie works well because it doesn't focus totally on the ills that Blake puts himself through. It offers us enough to realize what his problems are without having to dwell on them or on the effects that his alcoholism has on him and his life. Rather than long passages showing us what's going on in his life along these lines, we get small glimpses instead. But these are enough to make their point and allow time to show the other side of Blake as well.

We get to see the side of Blake that wants to make amends for his life. We get to see the side of Blake that shows him wanting to take his life in a new direction but finding that there is no easy route to do so. And we get to see a side of Blake that through all the bluster and talk of being the big time country star, he's still a simple man at heart.

Bridges characterization of Bad Blake gives a depth to the character that some would not have been able to carry off. Blake here is a man that you want to succeed, that you want to see change, that you want to find a better life. At the same time, the story doesn't move in the normal pattern where everything ends hunky dory half way through.

The actors that support Bridges here also turn in great performances. Gyllenhaal offers a subtle approach to her character. She's not the doe eyed fan who is overwhelmed by the star presence of Blake. She's interested in him first as a person she's interviewing as a journalist and only later becomes romantically inclined.

Collin Farrell (who I had no idea was in the film based on trailers and the like) does a great job as Tommy Sweet. The character is one that could have followed directly in the shoes of Blake, but has instead embraced the fame and fortune in an entirely different way.

Both Bridges and Farrell sang themselves as the characters and it adds a nice touch. It's always better to hear the actual actors rather than see them replaced in voice over. It adds a nice touch and both actors do a commendable job here.

CRAZY HEART might appear on the surface to be just another story of a musician who fell from grace or another alcoholic tries to find redemption flick. But it's more than either of those tales. It's the story of a man who has a chance to change his life for reasons he didn't know still existed inside of him. And that makes for a great picture and a performance that is indeed Oscar worthy.

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Ship of Fools / Lilith (Double Feature) (1965)

Mill Creek Entertainment offers two wonderful films in lovely sharp finely grained transfers that both look fantastic in the blu ray format. What a great deal, too! I just hope that they continue to produce twofers of this caliber. They have a deal with Sony, whose classic film library is sorely under-represented in the BD form. I'd sure love some widescreen technicolor doubles like TARAS BULBA and KINGS OF THE SUN, SOLOMON AND SHEBA and ALEXANDER THE GREAT, or maybe for Easter, BARABBAS and SALOME. But, beyond wishful thinking, whatever they do in the future will undoubtedly be superior in quality if this is any indication. Mill Creek, you've got a fan in me, and keep 'em coming but, please, more like this for those of us who are classic movie fans.

This is a great two-fer blu-ray of two obscure 60's classics, courtesy of Mill Creek.

"Ship of Fools" stars Vivien Leigh, Lee Marvin, Jose Ferrer, Simone Signoret, George Segal, Elizabeth Asley, Charles Korvin, Michael Dunn and Heinz Ruehmann, and was directed by the great Stanley Kramer.

"Lilith" stars Warren Beatty, Jean Seberg, Peter Fonda, Kim Hunter, Anne Meacham, James Patterson, Robert Reilly and Gene Hackman in one of his first roles.

The PQ and AQ on these are excellent.

Recommended for fans of classic cinema!

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Who would have ever thought to see Lee Marvin & Vivian Leigh on the same screen together In "Ship of Fools"? There's a healthy smorgasbord of classic actors here in this film as well as some great performances, especially that of little person, Michael Dunn. The camera just loved him. They don't make 'em like this anymore as they say. Cast ensemble pieces as such, written for TV or even the big screen, not everyone can handle. The rythm, pacing, and putting people where they need to be so the material isn't cluttered is so cruicial in assisting the actors in character to help tell the story. No movement is ever wasted in this film. If you understand the film making process this screen work just packs a wallop ever so subtlly. With such a large group of performers and a unique story to tell here, Stanley Kramer though, handled this film with kid gloves. He was a master craftsman as a director and over all story teller. He certainly showed this in when he directed such other films as "On The Beach", "Judgment at Nuremburg," & "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World." As a director he is certainly missed even to this day, who had such a lasting impact on cinema he made for the big screen. On Blu-ray it looks just beautiful and already I've seen it 4 times on my home theater. The other film on this double feature is called "Lilith" and stars Warren Beatty directed by Robert Rossen. You know it's all there: the acting, directing, camera work. Though the story might not be everybody's cup of tea it's worth a look simply because the performances are quite good. Let's not forget that Rossen directed "All The King's Men", with Broderick Crawford, "The Hustler", with Paul Newman, and "Body and Soul", with John Garfield. Mr. Rossen passed on way too soon. Nevertheless this is a solid film which I've also seen a few times on Blu-ray and am very pleased with.

Read Best Reviews of Ship of Fools / Lilith (Double Feature) (1965) Here

Ship Of Fools is one of the hallmarks of motion picture making as any cinephile will tell you. The cast is absolutely incredible and it features the swan song of Vivian Leigh who will make you believe she knew it at the time of her performance. Some find Stanley Kramer's style of film making a bit heavy handed but in the case of this adaptation of Katherine Anne Porter's hugely successful novel his style served him well in every regard. From the black and white play of light and shadow of the cinematography (the best since Casablanca) to the exquisitely nuanced and finely tuned performances of the actors brought together in 'Grand Hotel' Hollywood tradition you get a slice of time offering a prelude of horrors to come with the rise of Nazism and its effect on social stratum encompassed within the confines of this ship of fools. Shakespearian scale human folly acted out by a dream cast that surpassed the novel in laying bare their foibles before an audience that ate it up in 1965...as well they should have with the likes of Oskar Werner and the great french superstar Simone Signoret in the movies most telling love story lifting the art of acting to new heights (especially Werner)...Jose Ferrer's high handed and often superbly masked gleeful urgency as an anti-semitic ghoul...the wonderful German actor Heinz Ruehmann as the perpetually upbeat Jew effectively providing the thistle beneath Ferrer's facade...a totally surprising turn by Flamenco Dancing great Jose Greco...not to mention Lee Marvin as a has been baseball player delivering a dramatic performance to equal his peers (who would have believed?)...and to me the cleverest turn of all by George Segal and Elizabeth Ashely as cardboard cutout innocents expected in every production of the period and social level the movie is set in and they had the wherewithall to play it straight making them seem out of place and in another movie altogether as they would have seemed at the time... and last but certainly not least in my mentionings...the astonishing Michael Dunn in his Oscar winning turn as the greek chorus to all that happens onboard. The movie is a master acting class on all levels...including the steward level passengers who endure as do the masses through it all (with an incredible bit of acting by Oskar Werner as he witnesses their washing down by the crew) that speaks the message of the movie in bold strokes. But above and beyond it all Vivian Leigh commands your attention in a performance that is a culmination of all the triumphs and tribulations her career had provided her along with all the grief and humiliation with which her private life had lashed her...funneled into a performance for the ages...the grandest diva of them all dissimulating before your eyes even as her deterioration becomes self evident...and her resolve teetering on the brink of madness. Let's just say that Scarlett wars with Blanche and the explosive battlefield can be seen from shore. In the case of this movie Miss Leigh EARNED top billing...and how many actors can truly say that in a cast as talented as this? In case you haven't guessed by now I highly recommend this movie.

On to Lilith (it's as if whoever chose to pair these two features selected as his theme 'Actresses who's private lives were as tragic as their careers were successful). An early Warren Beatty drama with Peter Fonda (showing his acting chops early on) and Jean Seberg who is the poster child for tragic actresses...dying of an overdose at age Forty after 37 movies. Hounded by the FBI into a premature delivery (the FBI spreading unfounded rumors that the father was black in retaliation for her financial support of certain civil rights groups) and death of the child two days later. This moment seemed to have unhinged a part of her and despite her immense talent and beauty she descended into a kind of living hell toward the end of her life being institutionalized several times and marrying men in rapid tandem until she was found lifeless in the backseat of her car clutching pills and a suicide note written in French and in her own handwriting outside her Paris apartment in 1979. Why you ask did I let you in on all that? Because this movie is about a young girl who is a fragile beauty institutionalized and befriended by Beatty who falls in love with his patient and is engaged in a tug-of-war with another patient for her hand (Peter Fonda). It is a love story played out on many levels in an outstanding script. The centerpiece here being the performance by Seberg in a role that she knew far too intimately in what turned out to be a case of art imitating life. The film is hauntingly effective and the leads will turn your head and your heart. Not near the level of Ship Of Fools...but still...in its own right...a classic...and certainly a tragedy for the ages.

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This package contains two films that, while not especially well-known today, represent some of the better film-making of the Sixties. Ship of fools already has a pretty good reputation. Lilith is, in my opinion, better than its reputation would have it. Eacj can provide a very good viewing experience.

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