Modern Times (The Criterion Collection) (1905)

MODERN TIMES opens with its credits being printed out over a close-up image of a clock ticking interminably forward. The film's first real shot is of mindless sheep being herded through gates, which fades into an image of factory employees exiting a subway stop on their way to work. Looking at this from a modern standpoint, one can only think that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

This is a film that I can watch over and over again. It's not just that it's an incredibly funny film. It's not just that its satire of modernization and industrialization still rings true today. It's that each aspect of the filmmaking pulls together to form something greater than each individual part. The story ranges from big topics concerning the Great Depression and dehumanization, while successfully balancing that with the small love story between the tramp and the gamin. In a theme that would be revisited even more powerfully in LIMELIGHT, the two characters need each other, depend on each other and simply have no reason to exist without the other. The comedy tickles while the tragedy touches. No other director in film history managed to find that equilibrium with such skill.

This is rightly hailed as the last great silent movie, albeit one made several years after sound has become the norm. I still get a kick out of the fact that the only intelligible voices come solely from machines. Chaplin is making a silent film using sound technology, meaning he has the option to take the best of the both worlds. His next film, THE GREAT DICTATOR, wouldn't quite get this mixture right, but it's a success here. The film can go for several minutes at a time with no meaningful talking or sound effects, and then suddenly jump into an unexpected gag involving voice. The mixture of sound and silent set pieces was inevitable at this point in film history, but I've never seen it pulled off as well as Chaplin does it here.

While disc one contains the film itself in beautifully restored condition, the second DVD is full of extras. Most important is the "Chaplin Today -Modern Times" documentary. This is more or less structured around two French directors (Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne) discussing the film. Absolutely fascinating stuff. They analyze the film's jokes, its metaphors and its themes. They talk about everything from the number of frames per second shot to the number of gags that revolve around food. Also included in the documentary is some footage of Chaplin meeting Gandhi. I have nothing to add; I just had to mention it.

Chaplin's nonsense song, the tune he sings at the end of the film in faux Italian, is the subject of two extras. The first is an extended version, featuring a final verse that never made it to the final edit. The second is a Karaoke version of the song (I'm not making this up). And speaking of Chaplin's music, there's an excerpt from 1950s TV of Liberace himself (of all people) performing "Smile" -the theme from MODERN TIMES. Great rendition of a great song.

There's also a short (ten minute) documentary from 1967 called "Por primera vez" ("For The First Time") in which peasants in a tiny village in Cuba are shown a movie for the first time. It's a fascinating look at what film means to people who have never actually watched one before. The reason for its inclusion on this DVD is that the film in question is, of course, MODERN TIMES. It may be an odd choice for their first film experience given that the story of a factory worker undergoing a nervous breakdown may not be something that relates well to people who rarely even see automobiles. But the villagers laugh at the right places and seem genuinely enthused. The documentary is well worth watching and will fascinate anyone with an interest in the societal ramifications of film.

The picture restoration on the main feature is also fabulous. The image has never looked crisper. While this is nominally a silent movie, the original release did feature a synchronized soundtrack of sound effects and Chaplin's musical score (which means, unlike other "silent" DVD releases, we connoisseurs don't have to argue about whether this particular sound track is wonderful and totally keeping in the spirit of what would have been played at the time, or a complete outrage that should result in everyone responsible being shot). The sound quality is excellent, bringing one of my favorite film soundtracks to life superbly.

If I was going to recommend one Chaplin movie to someone, I think I'd have to choose this one. It has two major things going for it. It's a great film, but it's also extremely representative of his body of work. It has comedy, it has pathos, it features the tramp, it has a message. And it's also one of the most influential movies that Chaplin ever made. Everyone, from film to television (remember Lucille Ball working at the candy factory?), has either made reference to MODERN TIMES, or just plain stolen some of its gags. The image of Charlie being dragged into the heart of the gears and cogs of a giant unfathomable machine is familiar to even those people who haven't seen the movie. If you like this film, then you should already own this release. And if you haven't seen it before, then this is absolutely worth a gander. You'll be surprised at just how modern and fresh this classic movie is.

Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times is one of my favourite films and arguably one of the best films ever made. The movie remains incredibly funny while also managing to be a significant artistic achievement in cinema design and social commentary. For Chaplin fans, it marks the last appearance of his "little tramp" character and, not coincidentally, his last film without full synchronized sound. The film does include music, sound effects, and the occasional voice, including a segment at the end where we get to hear the tramp sing a short nonsense song. However, as a film released 10 years into the sound movie era, the film is also something of an enigma. It presents perhaps the most famous silent film character in a film that purports to be silent, yet it features futuristic factory machinery (reminiscent of Metropolis) and large close-circuit flat screen video displays that would have looked almost like science fiction back in the 1930's.

This new Blu-ray release from Criterion continues their standard of releasing historically important films with significant audio/video remastering and a variety of enticing special features. However, in this case, Criterion is competing with an already excellent release of this film on DVD from Warner/mk2 in 2003. The new Criterion release mentions that the "new" transfer was created in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna, who were also credited with the previous Warner/mk2 release. I am not sure if this release actually includes a new transfer or just an upgrade of the existing one to 2K-resolution for Blu-ray. I performed a side-by-side comparison of both versions, and the Criterion Blu-ray version contained noticeably better detail and superior contrast. However, it also contained a great deal more digital grain that I found a little distracting at first. This can easily be seen in the opening frames where the clock face that seemed so steady on the old DVD version now has a multitude of dancing pixels that give it a strange shimmering quality. As the film progressed, I became accustomed to the new graininess of the image and began to appreciate the increased detail. For the first time, I could see some of the horizontal wires used to secretly operate the "feeding machine" in the second chapter. Chaplin's face also looked a little older throughout. The old Warner/mk2 DVD version looked softer and textures, including faces, had a much smoother feel to them. I did notice some extra grit and fibres showing near the edges of the frame in the Criterion version that were absent from the Warner/mk2 DVD, so this does suggest that the transfer or at least processing of the transfer is different. Overall, I preferred the more detailed Criterion version but still think that a better compromise between the two could be reached with some more processing and cleanup of artefacts done to the Criterion version.

Sound quality for both versions was similar with a slight nod going to the lossless Criterion mono version. The old DVD also includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack absent from the Criterion version. This is not really worth the effort for a film with 1936 sound technology.

As far as special features go, the Criterion version really shines. It adds a new and informative commentary by Chaplin biographer, David Robinson. The old DVD included only a six-minute introduction by Robinson. Other features from the old DVD are also carried through to the Criterion Blu-ray. These include the 26-minute "Chaplin Today Modern Times" featurette, two deleted scenes of very minor importance, some theatrical trailers, and a 10-minute Cuban documentary about peasants seeing Modern Times as their first movie experience. The old DVD includes some additional materials that are not included on the new Blu-ray such as photo/poster galleries, plus some vintage featurettes from the US government and Ford motor company related to assembly line labour, and a performance of "Smile" by Liberace. None of these is a major loss.

New to the Criterion version are two excellent "visual essays" which are essentially a series of stills (many from the galleries on the old DVD) with substantial and informative commentaries by two Chaplin historians related to the making of the film and the locations used. There is also a very interesting new featurette about the visual and sound effects used in the film. It includes some fascinating explanations of effect shots presented in the film, although their very detailed explanation of a glass matte shot used in the roller skating scene does not seem to take into account that the camera moves during the sequence.

Also included is a very interesting interview with music arranger, David Raskin, taken from an old Laserdisc version of the film. I was glad to be able to see this again. Finally, an old Chaplin short, "The Rink", and a home movie with Alistair Cooke, "All at Sea", are included. These are available elsewhere but are presented here in superior quality (the former) or with an additional interview (the latter) not available elsewhere.

Criterion also includes a nice 36-page black and white printed booklet with chapter stops, cast and credits, plus two informative historical essays.

Overall, I think this is a nice package. The film presentation is more detailed than it has ever been in any previous release, although some additional digital manipulation of the picture and cleanup of artefacts would be welcomed by my eyes. The bonus features are extensive and interesting, although I would like to have seen more of the image galleries (including stills, script elements, publicity and financial material) that have been included, albeit at much lower resolution, on previous DVD and Laserdisc versions. My only gripe with the bonus materials is that both on disk and in print they refer to poor or at least "diminished" box office performance of the film because it did not have full sound. All vintage box office information I have seen related to the film indicate that it was one of the top five grossing films of the year. Then or now, it is a fun ride.

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The more I watch it, the more I feel that Charlie Chaplin's sublime silent MODERN TIMES (1936) is his finest film. THE GOLD RUSH (1925) is too desolate for my tastes, and CITY LIGHTS (1931) does not have the exquisite Paulette Goddard (then Chaplin's wife) as leading lady. MODERN TIMES is more episodic than other Chaplin features--six or seven one reel comedies strung together for 83 minutes. There are two incomparable segments set in a dehumanizing factory (in this silent film, the boss speaks over surveillance photography)--Chaplin gets caught inside the gears of a machine, while much later his boss, Chester Conklin from the Keystone Kops, has the same thing happen during lunch hour. It is hysterical to see Chaplin feed lunch to the upside down head of Conklin inside the machine. It is also pricelessly funny when Charlie is guinea pig for a new mechanized lunch demonstration that fails miserably.

Meanwhile, out along the waterfront (location work was done at San Pedro harbor), an indomitable Paulette Goddard watches as her father is killed by a mob, feeds bananas to children, and is helped by Chaplin out of a robbery of food when she is starving. The scenes with Goddard are heartbreakingly lovely, while Charlie is having a great time in prison--no work to do and free food! "Can't I please stay longer?" he asks the warden on a title card as he is being paroled. He will get his wish when he inadvertently becomes the leader of a labor rally waving a red Communist flag.

Eventually, Chaplin and Goddard set up housekeeping together in a waterfront shack. She tags along when he gets a job as an all night watchman in a department store. Paulette tries on a fur coat and goes to sleep on a bed up on the fourth or fifth floor. Charlie will wake her before the store opens. But first she watches aghast as he roller skates blindfolded, oblivious to a giant hole in the store four or five stories deep! Then while Paulette sleeps, Charlie tries to be a good security guard on the first floor. There is a story robbery, but one of the criminals recognizes an old pal from prison so they leave Charlie alone. He gets drunk on a barrel of booze, then eventually falls asleep in the lingerie department under a pile of clothes. Unemployment again in the morning.

Finally, Charlie tries his hand, with major coaching from Goddard, as a combination waiter and singer in a fancy restaurant. This is the very first time the Little Tramp talks in movies, singing a gibberish song. But Charlie quits the job when Paulette is arrested for vagrancy. Eluding the police, the two of them head off into a sunrise and bright new future in one of the loveliest endings in all of modern movie history for me. Chaplin's swansong to The Little Tramp forever. Movie comedies just don't get much better than this Depression era gem.

I have MODERN TIMES as part of the two-disk Chaplin Collection authorized by the Chaplin Estate. It looks and sounds like a million bucks, but curiously seems to have been trimmed by a few minutes from the 87 minute original. (All of the Chaplins seem slightly trimmed--for heaven's sake, why?) Disk two bonuses that will take you a good two hours to see--thus a full evening for everything--include a 30 minute chat with two Belgium filmmakers analyzing the movie as they watch it, deleted scenes, the nightclub gibberish song done as Karaoke to try and understand what on earth Chaplin is singing, the classic theme song "Smile" sung by Liberace, a Cuban village seeing their very first movie (MODERN TIMES) with great excitement, U.S. Labor shorts (which I could not get sound on), and a huge 250 stills production gallery.

MODERN TIMES is, quite simply, one of the great comedies of all time and, arguably, Chaplin's most sublime masterpiece. It is sold individually, as a double bill with CITY LIGHTS, as part of one of two Chaplin archives boxed sets, and probably rentable from Netflicks. With so many wonderful Harold Lloyd silent comedies now available in restored 35mm archive prints, along with the same for Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin is getting ignored again. Do watch MODERN TIMES to see the great Charlie at his greatest. Or near greatest.

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It helps that Modern Times is one of Chaplin's best films, period, running a close second behind City Lights (I hope that's next on the re-release list). And happily, unlike The Gold Rush, which was ruined by awful sound choices, the Modern Times DVD offers a clean transfer of the film with all the beloved original elements intact as far as I could see and hear, plus a host of extras.

The film itself is the most briskly paced of Chaplin's feature-length films. And his writing is sharp, unhindered by the sermonizing which permeates his last works. The dilemma facing our Little Tramp this time is something all of us can relate to: For the first time, we see him thinking ahead, wanting to have a future, to form a family, and working towards that end. Chaplin's physical-comedy skills are at their peak: Witness the extended takes of the rollerskate scene, and the factory assembly line. Even if the 18fps (sometimes 16fps) film speed made everything look faster than it really was, it's still impressive physical co-ordination requiring flawless execution, since Chaplin rarely edits using coverage.

In Modern Times we see one of the first truly well-rounded Chaplin heroines. The radiant Paulette Goddard was Chaplin's best leading lady, her high spirits and lively presence being a much better foil for Chaplin than the starry-eyed icons of perfection that were Georgia Hale, Edna Purviance, or Virginia Cherrill. She just has more star quality and brings a quirkier, more animated personality to Chaplin's films, balancing them nicely.

And the gags -some of the best in the Chaplin canon. The eating machine always has me rolling on the floor; the nonsense song is terrific (the DVD offers a "karaoke" version which, though a novelty, does tell us finally what the lyrics actually are); and all the machine gags are fast-moving gems.

The bonus materials include a long outtake and several documentaries. "Chaplin Today" features guests Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, the French filmmakers behind the film Rosetta, and though their film-historian banter is not entirely to my taste, they do bring up some insights that I hadn't observed about Modern Times.

In all, a great release, and a great DVD to have for movie nights. It's a wonderful presentation of a comedy classic.

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Modern Times is among the Best 100 American movies of all time (#81), and it is among the Best 1000 Movies on DVD by Peter Travers. I rate this movie 5 stars or 9 over 10. This movie is timeless, a masterpiece, a pleasure to watch and watch over and over again. It was the last silent movie Chaplin did and the last to feature the Little Tramp (beautiful ending with the two lovers walking arm and arm into a sunset.) The theme of the movie is how technology alienates the human being. Accidentally converted into a working class hero, Chaplin spends some time in jail, where he'd like to stay forever. There we watch one of the funniest scenes of the movie, the lunch with some "white powder". I couldn't stop laughing! In the times of the Great Depression, Chaplin portraits the unemployed and the hunger. Trying to find a steady job, he ends up in a Caffe where he waits on tables and sings. Yes! He does. The nonsense song (with Chaplin original voice in there) stands as one of the best moments in movie history. I can't quit this song off of my mind ... Paulette Goddard, Chaplin's wife at the time, appears here in what's considered her best and liveliest leading lady. This DVD is beautifully repackaged for the Chaplin Collection (a wonderful collection, thanks Warner!) It includes an all-new digital transfer and a soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as original mono. The second DVD comes full loaded with many speacial features, like a documentary about "Chaplin today", deleted scenes, an introduction by Chaplin biographer David Robinson, a Karaoke of the nonsense song, the wonderful song Smile, sung by Liberace, a Behind the Scenes in the Machine Age 42 minutes documentary, and lots of more extras!

I recommend this DVD to everybody, you will not be disapointed, and I would say it's a MUST for movie collectors. A classic, a masterpiece, a timeless movie!

P.S. If you like my review vote YES. You can read all my other reviews if you wish to. I modestly write them to help people form an opinion about movies, music and books, but if nobody reads them (if you don't vote I do not know if you did) there is no point in writing them

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Secret Beyond the Door (1947)

Secret Beyond the Door is told by the main character (Joan Bennett), a new bride of a man she met on vacation (Michael Redgrave). She finds that her new husband has kept many things from her, most notably that he was previously married to a woman, now deceased, with whom he had a son. She feels lost and out of the loop in the home the two share with his sister and secretary. Soon, instead of feeling disoriented, she feels terrified for her life, and with good reason.

Fritz Lang directed this film and there are many characteristic elements. First, the initial foreshadowing by use of symbolism is evident both in Lang's silent films and in his film noir talkies. There are several other elements of film noir in this film like narration, flashback, and realistic, imperfect characters.

Joan Bennett is beautiful, like a slightly more plain version of Hedy Lamarr. She is relatable enough to like which makes the viewer more interested in the film.

Michael Redgrave plays the husband, a moody man almost to the point of being bi-polar. He runs a gamut of emotions throughout the film.

The great thing about this film is constantly not knowing what will happen. Although one can guess, other things arise that constantly surprise including a twist near the end. The music is agonizingly tense in moments or extreme danger which keeps one engaged and aching to find out what happens.

This lesser known old dark house thriller from Lang, comes highly recommended. It's not about a haunted house actually, but I'd still call it spooky. I first saw it only a few years ago, but it's already become a fave of mine in this particular category. -Sort of, anyway; the beginning is a bit slow and too romantic, and manages to look completely un-interesting to a Horror fan, but the wait is worth it. While on vacation in South America Bennett falls for stranger Redgrave, and promptly moves in with him. -He's strange indeed; with all the secret rooms in the big house, and two other just as strange occupants. I'll say no more; now go check it out. If you enjoyed the British "Dead Of Night" for instance, Lang's long corridors and the eerie atmosphere here should be a sure pleaser.

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Secret Beyond the Door was a case of fourth time unlucky for Fritz Lang and Joan Bennett, who evidently put the past triumphs of the Woman in the Window and Scarlet Street behind them to fight like cats and dogs throughout the acrimonious and over budget production while at times reducing co-star Michael Redgrave to a nervous wreck with the director's tyrannical behavior to emerge with a film hated by its star, preview audiences alike and critics alike (one memorably described it as `a woman's picture made by a misogynist') that proved a disastrous box-office flop. Add to that censorship problems, Lang being singularly unimpressed by cinematographer Stanley Cortez (The Magnificent Ambersons, Night of the Hunter) because Bennett overruled his original choice of Robert Krasker, the studio dropping his idea of having actress Colleen Collins deliver Bennett's voice-over narration as too confusing and having an affair with the screenwriter, Silvia Richards, that apparently led to some unfortunate rewrites, not to mention his leading lady and his co-producer Walter Wanger's marriage disintegrating throughout the shoot and the studio taking over and re-editing the film amid a flurry of lawsuits and it's no wonder that he dismissed it as `a very unfortunate adventure.' But it's certainly a fascinating one even if it never turns into the rediscovered masterpiece you'd like it to be to give all that blood, sweat and tears a belated happy ending.

Almost from the start there's a tangible air of suppressed perversity, be it Bennett's morbid pre-wedding thoughts about dreams set against opening Disney animation of weeds stretching out in the water like pained claws to her listless heiress being so transfixed by a knife fight and so jealous of the pride a peasant woman clearly feels that two men are willing to kill for her that she doesn't even blink when a blade lands an inch away from her. And that's before she falls for Michael Redgrave's architect with money troubles who collects `felicitous rooms,' has a strange son he never bothers to tell her about and more skeletons than closets. It turns out that he's been dominated by women all his life, and those rooms he collects, like something out of Madame Tussauds without the waxworks but with a bigger budget for furnishings, are all the scenes of famous murders of wives and mothers... and there's one murder room he claims is finished which he keeps securely locked at all times and forbids her to enter.

Playing like a perverse combination of the Bluebeard legend, Rebecca, Spellbound, Suspicion and all points east of sanity, it's an intriguing enough mystery even if the climax isn't entirely convincing as Lang later noted, "Our solution was too glib, too slick. It would be very nice if a mentally disturbed patient could talk with a psychiatrist for two hours and then be cured; but such things cannot be done so quickly." Lang's dictatorial behavior may have made it an unpleasant set, but it pays dividends in the performances, with Bennett going from confidence to trying to assert some kind of control even though she doesn't know what on Earth is going on while Redgrave's own repressions come to the fore in a performance that's schizophrenic in all the right ways for the kind of man who dreams of putting himself on trial for murder and plays both defendant and prosecutor as logic gives way to an increasingly Freudian Liebestraum. Despite Lang's misgivings, Cortez's cinematography is particularly striking and is well represented on Olive's region-free Blu-ray, but the film's misfortunes have extended to the sound quality, with a combination of poor sound mix that seems a little dulled and a surprisingly low sound level for a film where much of the dialogue and voice over is already spoken very softly meaning you'll have to turn the volume way up to hear it properly (no such problems with Miklos Rozsa's floridly dramatic score). As usual with Olive Films' titles there are no extras.

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Psychiatry, plus a suggestion of the Bluebeard legend, plus a lot of Gothic glooms, was the essence of Fritz Lang's thriller...

The situation is the familiar one of the girl who falls in love and marries a millionaire about whom she knows little, and finds that the home to which he takes her is one of those gloomy mansions which seem to have been built for the mysterious shadows they throw...

She meets there three people whose existence she had not suspected: her husband's sister, who has been running things and wants to carry on (does anyone remember Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers in 'Rebecca'?); his secretary, who had hoped to marry him, and always wears a scarf round her face to hide scars from a fire; and his rather hostile son, who had no more been mentioned than the fact of a previous marriage...

The moody husband (with a death fixation...) has a 'collection' of reconstructions of rooms in which murders have been committed... We visit them all except one: this is kept hurtfully locked...

Is this the room of the first wife, and did her husband murder her? Well, although he too has a guilt complex, he did not kill her. Not loving her, he wished her dead and blames himself... To get this across, Lang stages an imaginary trial, with the husband as both accuser and accused... We end up, many shadows later, with Redgrave and Bennett having a showdown in the locked room...

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The powerful talent of Fritz Lang was indomitable. The relentless energy he put around every one of his films denotes the admirable capacity to weave a story.

This is far from being the most relevant issue in his extensive career but there's an admirable performance of both of them. Joan Bennet and Michael Redgrave.

She, alone and closed inside an emotive bubble searching for someone; he hides a secret. The progressive tension will lead you to discover what's beyond that closed door.

Don't miss it.

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Tenebrae

To be honest, the only reason I purchased this is because NF does not offer the blu-ray. I had seen it a few years ago, long enough to forget who did it, and weighed my options. For me, the overall stylishness is what made it worth owning on blu-ray as opposed to renting again on DVD. Beautiful poured concrete architecture, '80s women with powdered faces and red lips, old synthesizers, etc. The arterial sprays and other death scenes are impressive and make me queasy to think about. But it's the modern art deco which makes this sort of a 1930s murder mystery, but with more murder and lots of bright red blood.

4 stars because the story, although good, isn't any better than an episode of "Murder She Wrote". Also, there are only two options for audio: all Italian or all English. This means English lines are dubbed over in the Italian version and most lines are inauthentic in the English version. The DVD I remember was mostly subtitled with any English dialogue coming through in English (the main character is an American and his English lines match his lips). I wish there was this third audio option, but the ones presented here are good enough. Two subtitle tracks are available, one which exactly follows the English audio and one which seems to be a closer translation of the the script.

Many people jump on this Blu-ray transfer and yes it may not be the best transfer but its all relative to the print negative. The DVD was rough around the edges too but I will tell you this Blu-ray is sooooooo much of an improvement from my Anchor Bay DVD. It actually looks quite nice at times, definitely worth the upgrade.

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What is this the reviewer below me talking about?The blu ray transfer is amazing and a lot more sharper and better than any us version i have seen....Do Urself a favor and ignore the other review as of now and snatch this up before it goes out of print..comes with 4 reversable artwork and a booklet amzing blu-ray for collector's....

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Dario Argento's 1982 giallo "Tenebrae" is what I feel to be the legendary Italian filmmaker's best film. It features a great cast, an unsually strong plot/script for an Argento film, breathtakingly violent murders and some of the most unique & virtuoso camera work either before or since. If you haven't seen any of Argento's classic output, "Tenebrae" is a great one to start with!

As for Arrow Video's blu ray release of the film, if you scour the internet you'll see a lot of grumbling & controversy about a supposedly inferior hi-def transfer. This couldn't be further from the truth! I own bot the anamorphic Anchor Bay DVD and this blu-ray and have done a direct comparison and I can safely say that the blu-ray blows the DVD out of the water and is truly like seeing the film again for the first time. Where there is possibly a slight problem with the film is that throughout the movie, there is a slight layer of video noise that isn't film grain that is somewhat noticeable but not intrusive at all in my opinion. A lot of recent blu-rays of Italian films have had the same slight visual peculiarity so maybe it's just how the negatives were back then or the production house used to author the hi-def transfers themselves. Colors though are very strong and the detail is truly astounding compared to past DVD releases.

There was also a slight issue with the old Anchor Bay DVD in which it was missing approximately 30 seconds due to print damage with the only print they had access to at the time. The Arrow Video blu ray is the full 1 hour 40 minute 54 second uncut version. Extras involve some interviews with Dario Argento, actress (and Dario's former wife) Daria Nicolodi and composer Claudio Simonetti. You also get two commentary tracks and a live performance by Claudio's former band Goblin too. The audio includes both the Italian & English tracks.

So, if you've been on the fence about picking up this particular blu ray, don't be and pick it up immediately. The film looks truly stunning and the nice array of extras compliment this classic giallo very nicely. Highly recommended!

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Since this is one of my favorite Dario Argento films, I was really pleasantly excited to be able to get this great giallo on Blu-ray. However, upon watching this version, my excitement quickly turned to disappointment. Instead of seeing Blu-ray sharpness, the picture is grainy and mushy. Picture resolution is not nearly as good as on the older, standard DVD. It appears that transfer on this one was made straight from an old, VHS tape without any clean-up being attempted. It's really a shame, too, because this item comes with a really informative booklet describing the film, a film poster, and an appreciable number of disk extras. I have a substantial collection of Blu-rays and Tenebrae has absolutely the worst picture quality of the lot. Maybe someday, someone will issue an acceptable edition of this great thriller but this one is better to pass!

Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011)

Big Mommas House 1 was good. Big Mommas House 2 was much better. Big Mommas House: Like Father Like Son was better then the the first movie, but not as good as the second movie. I enjoyed this movie a lot. I wasn't crazy about the musical dances. I'm not crazy about musical movies. But I enjoyed it any ways.

I am not sure why this movie is getting so many bad reviews.

What I Can Tell You: I have seen all the Big Momma Movies and still crack up when I see Martin Lawrence as Momma/Malcolm. Come on, too funny. Lawrence and Jackson are funny together. My favorite scenes were any that Jackson had to act like a chick with hot dorm girls walking around in towels. Classic comedy at its best. A dude in drag, done a hundred times, but still funny. Oh, and I have got to mention Momma does nude modeling. Hahahaha...hysterical.

Although I missed Nia Long, as Malcolm's girlfriend I thought as far as a third attempt goes, this was funny.

This is obviously not an Oscar worthy movie, but, if what you are looking for is a good time, a few laughs at hidden identity and some physical comedy, this is a good choice.

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I have the other two DVD's of Big Momma so I knew I had to have the 3rd DVD. This movie is funny just like the other two dvds. I always like a good laugh.

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Personally I preferred part 1 and 2 the best.

This 1 is lacking some of the humor and comedy of it.

It is a good film and well worth watching. But I suggest watching part 1 first if you have never seen it.

It was much Much Better.

I couldn't wait for this to be aired so I could watch it then When I seen it I was glad I never Spent extra on it.

All in all yes I am sure I will watch it again. But it is not as funny as 1 and 2

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I love Big Momma but this one is the stupidest he has ever made. On top of that, it's very small Widescreen Version. You'd think they'd atleast make Anamorphic. If there is a 4th Big Momma in the future, Please come up with a sense able prequel.

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Batman: The Movie (1966)

The key things to know about the DVD are:

1) The colors jump off the screen, it is a great transfer

2) The featurette with Adam West (Batman) and Burt Ward (Robin) is good, though they cover a lot of the same ground in the commentary

3) The Batmobile feature is very cool

4) The commentary is awesome. Adam and Burt have a great chemistry and really seem to love both the movie and the show. Their tongues are firmly in their cheeks druing the commentary (Adam West's views on Bruce Wayne alone are worth the price of admission), but you will learn about the production and such secrets as:

Why did ABC tear down the Batcave so quickly after cancellation?

What did Burt Ward really think about the BatCycle?

How and why did Lee Meriweather get to play Catwoman?

Why did Adam and Burt have to spend two hours each week getting oxygen at the Fox infirmary?

The team at Fox had a lot of love for this movie and it shows. Buy this DVD and get Fox to release some series episodes with Adam, Burt, Julie Newmar (Catwoman) and Frank Gorshin (Riddler)doing commentary!

Who knew that the campy 1960s' take on the dark superhero Batman would age so well? 39 years later, "Batman: The Movie" still is wholly enjoyable even for the most adrent Batman fan.

The plot of the film is paperthin. Batman (Adam West) and his sidekick, Robin (Burt Ward), are out to thwart the four most dangerous villians in Gotham: Catwoman (Lee Meriwehter), The Joker (Cesar Romero), The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) and The Riddler (Frank Gorshin, who recently left us, sadly) from taking over Gotham. To lure Batman into a trap, they kidnap Batman's secret identity, Bruce Wayne. This is more or less all the plot there is. There's also somehing about destroying people with a dehyrdator, but other than that, there's no real plot. And that's the film's charm.

It's a great piece of 1960s' nostalgia. The "holy (insert random word or phrase here), Batman" schtick is still hilarious, and the cast is clearly enjoying themselves. The extras for the dvd are surpisingly enjoyable. The commentary is awesome and the other extras deliver, but it's the movie that is really worth watching.

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I'm old enough to recall the 1966 previews, aired on ABC, for a mid-season replacement series based on the longstanding comic hero, "Batman". The trailer just hinted at what the show was about: a masked crime fighter, driving a souped-up car unlike anything coming out of Detroit, and a mystique that served to pique interest in the series.

But, when the show hit, it hit BIG! Wednesday and Thursday nights were its domain, having hold on the 7:30 8:00 time period for two of its three years aired.

This disc is the film adaptation of the series, made during the first year hiatus, as explained by stars Adam West and Burt Ward in the DVD's commentary. The movie features the same supporting cast, as did the series (Neil Hamilton as "Commissioner Gordon," Stafford Repp as "Chief O'Hara," and Alan Napier as devoted manservant "Alfred"). Also rounding out the cast are frequent "guest villains" Frank Gorshin ("The Riddler"), Caesar Romero ("The Joker"), Burgess Meredith ("The Penguin") and new "Catwoman" Lee Meriweather, who replaced Julie Newmar, unavailable due to previous theatrical commitments.

The movie also has the series' trademark comic book action "sounds" ("POW!" "BANG!" "ZOWIE!" et. al.), the gaudy colors (brought to life in vivid Technicolor), the crazy sound effects, and the tongue-in-cheek dialogue and winks that made the show so cool.

Speaking of the color, I couldn't help but be taken as to how great the set pieces look, even those "recycled" from other shows filmed on the Fox lot. As one whose household didn't get a color set until after the show's end, this DVD allows me to see what I had been missing. Granted, I did have the View Master reel set of the show but it was just an "appetizer" to how "Batman" really looked on screen.

Best of the DVD extras is a four-minute "visit" with George Barris, the designer of The Batmobile. It's not long on info, but any chance to look at what is perhaps the best "ride" to come across the big or small screen is cause for celebration.

Read Best Reviews of Batman: The Movie (1966) Here

If you love all things BATMAN then you'll enjoy this childish adventure. If you already own the previous DVD you do not need to buy this...there is nothing new to offer. It is a reissue in a new box...all the content is the same...down to the transfer!

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I admit that this review is entirely biased, myself being a huge fan of the 1960's Batman television series. Anyone who is less than a hardcore fan will likely be either bored, disgusted, or render utterly apathetic by the film's conclusion. Granted, the complete lack of any sort of character development or serious plot developments does tend to grate on the length of the film only 90 minutes, but seems like ages as the Dynamic Duo sprint from escapade to escapade. For the fan, however, the movie is a near-perfect representation of the series. Gratuitously campy? Certainly. Ridiculously buffoonish dialogue? Of course. Who would have it any other way? The Boy Wonder and Caped Crusader do an admirable job of acting (for their parts, that is), and, although Julie Newmar is disappointingly absent, the Rogues Gallery of Villains (Villains? There were others? Admit it, you spent the whole time staring at Newmar's replacement, Lee Meriweather, as Catwoman), stacked with original series actors Burgess Meredith, Caesar Romero and Frank Gorshin, is superb in their comic evil. Really 3.5 stars due to its inacessability to non-Batman-addicts, the movie is still very enjoyable to hardcore fans of the original series.

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Body of Lies (Two-Disc Edition + BD Live) (2008)

I have been awaiting the release of this dramatic action thriller directed by Ridley Scott and Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crow for a long time and I was not disappointed.

DiCaprio plays a C.I.A. agent in the middle east who is trying to collect intelligence and is running into twists and turns around every corner. DiCaprio's performance is outstanding. You completely forget who he is and become immersed as him as a C.I.A. agent who is undercover. This is quite an acting job considering that he is the furthest thing from that. He has the grizzled appearance of someone undercover and his scenes are so strong and commanding that he doesn't have that baby boy aspect to him that I've seen in other of his pictures. His was an Oscar worthy performance.

There is the eye in the sky tracking DiCaprio by camera from above as he goes about his seemingly rouge missions for the C.I.A. Russell Crowe plays the older C.I.A. family man who is in contact with Ferris (DiCaprio) as he walks the minefield that is intelligence gathering in the middle east. Crowe is absorbed in his daily life in America and seemingly is oblivious to the hardships and deadly consequences that Ferris is facing. This is an understated role for Crowe who also very good performance. He does not look at all like that same man who played The Gladiator. And I think this is the most relaxed character I've seen him play yet.

This film was expertly directed by Ridley Scott to the point that at times I felt as if I were there. You can almost feel the sand in your lungs and the stink of death and open air markets as you feast your eyes on this gem.

Although I'm not typically an action movie man this one reeled me in because you really didn't know what was next around the corner. The action scenes are great, by the way, even though that's not why I pick movies to watch.

This is a great movie and if you like the actors, director, and genre of this film then it is a definite for you to watch.

I give it all five stars and will watch it again.

Kevin W. Mattingly

Harrisburg Times.

You really have to admire Ridley Scott's moxie.

Even though the 70-year-old director has long established himself as one of Hollywood's best and most durable directors; having helmed some of the most entertaining films of all time, in virtually every genre (including sci-fi classics like Alien and Blade Runner); and having been nominated no less than three times for the Best Director Oscar (Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down), to decide to take on theme that has produced exactly zero blockbusters thus far the Middle East and terrorism takes an incredible amount of chutzpah.

But it does help if you have the help of two of the biggest actors in Hollywood at the moment, those being Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe (who has worked with Scott on two previous films, Gladiator and A Good Year). It's ironic to think that the last time these two actors shared the screen was back in 1995, with the clichéd-but-entertaining oater The Quick and the Dead. Of course, at the time, Crowe was a complete unknown and DiCaprio was a 21-year-old newcomer with only a couple of notable titles under his belt. But oh, how that's all changed now.

It's not easy to describe the plot of Body of Lies without giving too much away. DiCaprio plays CIA operative Roger Ferris, who is trying to flush out a terrorist leader named Al-Saleem in Jordan. He gets his orders from Ed Hoffman (Crowe), a man for whom results are the only satisfactory outcome, delivered with a fair amount of arrogance and a cocky Southern drawl. Ed plays the situation like a kid playing a video game, and has the resources to change the rules anytime he feels like it, dispensing his orders from his office, from his backyard, from his daughter's soccer game, for Pete's sake! This, of course, infuriates Ferris to no end, because he is the one who is in the trenches, chasing the bad guys, dodging bullets, ducking explosions, and procuring the badly-needed intelligence that Hoffman needs. Ferris is also trying to build a productive working relationship with the head of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), a relationship that is made even more tenuous by Hoffman's double-dealings and hidden agendas.

There are so many ways that Scott could have screwed this up. A lesser director might have chosen to ramp up the action, sacrificing intelligence for entertainment. A lesser director could have taken this story of espionage and twisted it into a convoluted and indecipherable Gordian knot. A lesser director would have gotten less convincing performances from his lead actors.

But Ridley Scott is not a lesser director. Though the plot is indeed complex, with many layers and sub-layers, deceit and treachery, Scott never lets you lose sight of the overall picture. He tells a solid, wonderfully entertaining story, without the need to drive home its message with sledgehammer subtlety (after all, very few things are black and white). And most of all, he gets electric performances from Crowe and DiCaprio, whose symbiotic relationship with a thinly-veiled veneer of mutual contempt is a pleasure to watch.

I don't know if Body of Lies will end up breaking through the barrier that every movie in this genre couldn't; but for what it's worth, I hope it does. One thing's for sure... if anybody can, Ridley Scott can.

Buy Body of Lies (Two-Disc Edition + BD Live) (2008) Now

Ridley Scott delivers again in a long line of excellent films. Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray], Alien (The Director's Cut), Thelma & Louise (Special Edition), and Black Hawk Down to name some of the more influential films he has directed.

The common theme, repeated again in Body of Lies, people's struggle to do the right thing, to fight for good. Scott also has a particular film style that he uses to great advantage in this film. This story in other hands would not be nearly as powerful. The pacing in Body of Lies is very similar to Blade Runner.

This is essentially a series of three short stories, or a play in three acts. Each act starts out calmly, building to a huge climax, and then there is the resolution. The common thread through each act is Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. It would appear at first that this is going to be a very complicated film, mideastern conflict films or news articles are usually incredibly complex and mind numbing. However, Scott has managed to use the appropriate names and complicated cultures, but keeps the film focused on the critical story line Roger Ferris (DiCaprio). In fact, the film is very simple and easy to follow.

In the first two acts, DiCaprio was believeable with his beard, dirty clothes, and speaking arabic languages. His character was a bit less believeable in the third act and as he started the relationship with Aisha. There were a few moments where the film wandered a bit. It was especially when Roger drove himself in a vehicle. That may sound strange, but it was emphasized several times, "do want to ride in the front or back?", that he was not driving. There was a loss of focus with him at the wheel.

Russell Crowe plays an overweight, southern boy, CIA director, named Ed Hoffman. He is simply perfect through the whole film. Never a misstep. Crowe has an amazing range in his acting ability.

The story is somewhat like 24, terriorist chases, a relationship with the pretty woman, trust me I know whay I'm doing, etc. But Body of Lies moves much farther ahead, and makes a stronger more believeable message than 24.

From a production standpoint, Ridley Scott is a master. This reviewer noted only a few missteps. One sadly obvious one was a pan to follow Roger walking across a hallway late in the film. Roger walks way out of focus and then back in the camera movement was too radical and quick to keep focus. It sadly was not on purpose. Otherwise, everything else was spot on perfect considering the film genre.

This is definately an R rated film. There is a fairly brutal scene at the end, and some punishing (this was the term used in the film) earlier on. There's enough language and violence to land appropriately in this category. Probably not a film for younger viewers at all. There is no nudity.

The DVD contains no bonus features at all. Simply the movie, sound choices, and chapters. But that's the way it should be, the focus was on the quality of the transfer and DVD. Ridley Scott is actually a bigger fan of releasing different versions later on, instead of bonus features.

This was an exciting, easy to follow and understand film from start to finish. The ending was well near perfect.

Read Best Reviews of Body of Lies (Two-Disc Edition + BD Live) (2008) Here

"Body of Lies" is a taut, riveting thriller that weaves a tale of terrorism, espionage, and betrayal amid the current landscape of violence and retribution in the Middle East. The film is based on the novel by David Ignatius.

Leonardo DiCaprio continues to prove that he's got the acting chops and is believable in action films. Here he plays Roger Ferris, a CIA operative working to track down a bin Ladenesque terrorist named Al-Saleem. Al-Saleem's trail leads Ferris to Jordan, where he must balance working with and between his CIA handler (played with relish by an overweight, aged Russell Crowe) and the head of Jordanian intelligence (brilliantly played by Mark Strong), who are working at crosspurposes with each other. Ferris further complicates his mission by falling for an Iranian nurse (played by Golshifteh Farahani).

The movie uses wild technology, lies and counterlies, torture, and Ferris' growing disdain with the intelligence community. Some of the movie seems quite fanciful, and maybe it is, but except for a couple of places, it holds up as a brutually honest thriller.

"Body of Lies" isn't perfect, but it doesn't have to be. It's fiction. Some may find it unbelievable, but it's a movie, and that means it doesn't have to get everything right. It just has to entertain, and it certainly does.

Want Body of Lies (Two-Disc Edition + BD Live) (2008) Discount?

This movie is based on the novel of the same name by David Ignatius, Editorial Colmnist for The Washington Post.

Mr. Ignatius recently posted a column about the passing of the real-life spy, Gen. Saad Kheir, on whom he based the character 'Hani Pasha,' played by British actor Mark Strong in the movie.

Mr. Ignatius wrote:

Jordan's ace of spies

By David Ignatius

Sunday, December 13, 2009

When the spy movie ends, the suave intelligence chief -having outsmarted his enemies -dusts off the lapels of his perfectly tailored suit and disappears into his world of illusion and control.

That's not how it ended in real life, alas, for Gen. Saad Kheir, the brilliant but emotionally wounded spymaster who headed Jordan's General Intelligence Department (GID) from 2000 to 2005. He died in a hotel room in Vienna on Wednesday of a heart attack, the official Jordanian news agency reported. He was just 56.

Kheir at his best was among the greatest Arab intelligence officers of his generation. He ran a series of masterful penetration operations against Palestinian extremist groups and, later, al-Qaeda. "He set the standard for how we do it," said one former CIA officer who worked closely with him.

I got to know Kheir five years ago when I was researching a novel about the Middle East called "Body of Lies," which was later made into a movie that starred Leonardo DiCaprio. Kheir was the model for my fictional Jordanian intelligence chief, "Hani Salaam." Like all GID chiefs, Kheir was addressed by the Ottoman honorific of "pasha," so I gave the sobriquet of "Hani Pasha" to my fictional version.

Hani Pasha (played in the movie by British actor Mark Strong) stole the show, and for a simple reason -he was based on a true master of the game. My character's tradecraft, manners, even his wardrobe were all modeled on those of the real pasha.

It was George Tenet, then director of the CIA, who first described to me Kheir's brilliance as an operator. I asked Tenet in 2003 if any foreign intelligence services had been especially helpful against al-Qaeda, and he answered instantly, "The Jordanians," and continued with Tenetian enthusiasm, "Their guy Saad Kheir is a superstar!"

So the next time I was in Amman, I asked the royal palace if I could meet the legendary intelligence chief, and it was duly arranged. I was driven to the GID's fearsome headquarters, past its black flag bearing the ominous warning in Arabic "Justice Has Come" and escorted upstairs to the pasha's office.

Kheir had a rough, boozy charm -somewhere between Humphrey Bogart and Omar Sharif. He was dressed elegantly, as always -in this case, a cashmere blazer, a knit tie and a pair of what looked to be handmade English shoes.

The pasha told me a few stories, and others filled in the details: He made his name penetrating Palestinian extremist groups, such as the Abu Nidal organization. Once he had burrowed into the terrorists' lair, he was able to plant rumors and disinformation that set the group's members fighting among themselves. Before long, Abu Nidal's fraternity of killers had imploded in a frenzy of suspicion and self-destruction. I stole that idea for "Body of Lies."

Kheir researched his targets so thoroughly that he got inside their lives. A former CIA officer told me about one sublime pitch: Kheir tracked a jihadist to an apartment in Eastern Europe and handed him a cellphone, saying: "Talk to your mother." The man's mom was actually on the line, telling him he was a wonderful son for buying her a new TV and a couch and sending her money. "The spoken message was, 'We can do good things for you.' The unspoken message was, 'We can hurt you,' " explained the CIA officer. I took that scene, too, verbatim.

Like many Arab intelligence services, the GID has a reputation for using brutal interrogation methods, and I'm sure that it didn't get the nickname "the fingernail factory" for nothing. But Kheir's successes in interrogation often came from a different kind of intimidation. Colleagues recall him standing behind a suspect, his voice deep with menace, as he talked of the suspect's family, friends and contacts. That was much scarier than physical violence would have been. He waited for them to break themselves, and it usually worked.

Kheir ran afoul of his boss, King Abdullah, when he began pushing into politics and business. It was the classic overreach of intelligence chiefs in the Middle East, and he was sacked in 2005. His dismissal took a cruel toll: Kheir could be seen carousing late at night at his favorite restaurant in Amman, no longer a master of the universe or even, fully, master of himself. But in his prime, he was a genius, and it's hard to think of a foreigner who helped save more American lives than Saad Pasha.

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War Wagon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Reservoir Dogs (15th Anniversary Edition) (2007)

Just wanted to leave a helpful review for those that are trying to decide whether they should buy the new 15th edition if they already own the 10th. Well, the transfer is much much better than the abysmal one that was put on the 10th. The 10th anniversary edition transfer was a very dull one at best, a step down from the bare bones dvd that was first released by Live when they were still around. The blacks in the Dogs' suits were more dark grey and the overall look was faded. I was never sure if this was a creative choice or that it was simply screwed up. There was plenty of online debate when the disc came out as to the worth of it. This new transfer remedies all of that, the picture is anamorphic, with rich colors, making the film look exactly like what I saw when I used to watch it in the 90s. The 10th also, for some inexplicable reason, dropped a line of Mr. White's dialogue ("I think he's just passed out") but it is thankfully restored here. So if you want the most solid transfer of Reservoir Dogs ever on DVD, this is your buy.

The extras, unfortunately, pale in comparison to the 10th, and this is why you'll probably want to keep the 10th around if you're a filmmaking fan. The 10th edition has a documentary interviewing most of the key players in the film as well as some priceless footage from Tarantino's filmmaking lab workshops at Sundance where he (poorly) played Mr. White(!) These are all missing on the new 15th disc, but the new 15th disc carries over "Reservoir Dolls," the torture scene played out by Reservoir Dogs action figures. The 15th also has retrospective commentaries by some of the cast and crew, 2 movie critics, and a film historian all on separate tracks while watching the movie. Rather interesting too. There are a couple of retrospective documentaries discussing the film's impact on the cinema world. There are also deleted scenes carried over from the 10th, but other than that, mostly fodder to get you excited about Reservoir Dogs, including a short featurette about the new video game.

So, I suppose I would recommend this double dip if you're a hard-core fan of the film, especially with the superior transfer. You can get it at Circuit City for $12.99 this week which is an excellent price for what you get, but I would hold on to the 10th edition for the filmmaking extras which were not carried over. Oh, and if you're into packaging, this is the best packaging I've ever seen. An aluminum gasoline can where the top comes off and the discs are inside in a large matchbook (I believe the matchbook is limited edition). Sick and brilliant.

Acting that will blow you away and characters that disgust you even though you're drawn to liking what little likeable part of them remains.

Depraved criminals that are racist, sadistic and keenly intelligent are somehow very human and compassionate on one hand and disturbingly evil on the other.

This movie is not for those with weak stomachs. Although the psychological element of fear is much stronger than anything you actually see in this film, there are a couple of gory scenes that will scar your memory forever once you see them... the type of deliberate, up close & personal cruelty to another human being that surpasses the desensitizing we've been through by watching other violent scenes on tv and movies. The isolation of the movie taking place almost entirely in one room makes even the most tame scenes un-nerving and uncomfortably intense.

Tim Roth's performance is definitely the most piercing. Michael Madsen, Harvey Keitel, Chris Penn and the rest of the ensemble cast are also riveting.

You will never listen to the song "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel the same way again. A song I once really liked still gives me the willies each time I hear it.

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This is the third version of Reservoir Dogs that I've owned, so I was hesitant to buy it. I loved the 10th anniversary edition so when I saw this one I wasn't sure if it was a trade up or not. The packaging is really cool and the actual movie itself seems to have been improved upon from both previous versions. Those are the positive aspects of the disc. The negative are the new special features. If seeing Harry Knowles heap praise on "Res Dogs", or having a tipping scale to see how much the characters would tip a server, or seeing an interview with a game designer are your ideas of great special features then this disc is for you. However, if you would actually like to see the cast and crew talk about the making of the movie then go with the 10th anniversary. The new specials on this one suck. All in all if you're a big fan of the movie, having both versions is probably the best bet because of the new transfer. If you simply want a copy of Reservoir Dogs with some cool special features, go with the 10th anniversary.

Read Best Reviews of Reservoir Dogs (15th Anniversary Edition) (2007) Here

"Reservoir Dogs" is another one of my favorite movies. Despite what critics think, this is a Tarantino masterpiece with unforgettable characters, smooth and cool dialogue, and a shocking finale.

I had the older version of this movie on DVD, and it was all right. The picture wasn't too bad, sound was so-so, and there were virtually no special features. So when I found out that a new remastered and fully-loaded version of the movie was coming out, I knew I had to have it. And I am very glad that I did purchase it.

Since this is a crime flick, the plot and storyline isn't that complex or deep, and there is no reason for it to be. It's pretty simple. Perfect strangers plan the perfect crime, but end up in a bloody set-up. With only four of them left alive, they must uncover the rat in the house. But which one is it? That is something they must find out before the cops get a hold of them in this unforgiving and spectacular crime/noir movie.

The writing is off the hook. Tarantino is a master when it comes to dialogue. Why? Because the characters talk like real people. In ordinary movies, all the characters ever talk about it the plot or scheme. In THIS movie, they talk about everyday normal things that we would talk about, which makes them seem more realistic and convincing. His writing reminds me a lot of Raymond Carver, except with more humor.

The cast is terrific. Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney, and Steve Buscemi all did their roles justice. Michael Madsen is awesome and cool as Mr. Blonde, who will always be remembered for that very particular role. Buscemi is hillarious, and your eyes never leave his sight when he's on screen. But really, everyone is outstanding in this movie.

The DVD itself is very high quality, including two disks. The picture is remastered in high definition, which really makes it clear. Ten times better than the other version. You can either watch in widescreen or in fullscreen. The sound is also much, MUCH better. You can watch it in dolby digital or in DTS. Considering that this was a really low-budget film, the movie looks and sounds amazing. You will especially appreciate it if you had the previous DVD of the movie.

And there are tons and TONS of extras that will keep you more than happy. Way too many for me to list, but the ones I liked the most were the interviews. (Watch the one with Michael Madsen. That has to be one of the funniest interviews I have ever seen. Just trust me and watch it! I don't want to give too much away.) So, if you are a big fan of bells and whistles, this DVD is the one for you. You will not be disappointed.

Overall, I was more than pleased with this edition of "Reservoir Dogs." I did not mind re-buying it at all. If you still have the original DVD and love this movie very much, GET THIS ONE AS SOON AS YOU CAN! You will not regret it. This is one of my favorites, and proves just how talented Quentin Tarantino is when it comes to writing and directing.

Want Reservoir Dogs (15th Anniversary Edition) (2007) Discount?

Many say he's just an overrated hipster who rips off other movies. Well, in my opinion (and I've seen a lot of movies), Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs had a lot of originality to them (as did Natural Born Killers and to a lesser extent True Romance), but he does have influences. There's nothing wrong with that. He makes good movies and is developing his style. Reservoir Dogs stand as possibly his best movie.

First the background: Reservoir Dogs was based on an obscure Chinese film called City on Fire, which was about a detective who infiltrated a jewel thieving ring and went with them on their big heist. Reservoir Dogs is, at it's most basic, the last part of City on Fire. However, the characters and dialogue are all Tarantino's own. And those are the two things that make the movie great. The writing is outstanding. The performances are very good, especially Harvey Keitel as the doomed Mr. White, Michael Madsen as the pscyopathic Mr. Blonde, and Steve Buscemi as the nervous Mr. Pink.

As I said above, the dialogue is great. The way the criminals talk is exactly how you'd expect them to, and they play off each other very well. The very minimal plot moves along rapidly, and the movie never lets up for a second, although there is some time distortion concerning flashbacks of the characters (pre-heist and during the heist).

Reservoir Dogs is a classic crime movie, and quite essential.

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Twins Of Evil (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

"Twins of Evil" is a Hammer vampire classic of note for several reasons. First, it is the conclusion of the Carmilla trilogy which began with my favorite of all Hammer's works, The Vampire Lovers -which closely followed the original novellaand continued with the lame cash-in Lust for a Vampire, which relied entirely on sex appeal. "Twins of Evil" was also notable in that it combined two different horror genres (witchhunting and vampires) into one seemless entity. Then there is the fact that the horror studio's premiere hero, Peter Cushing, played a character whose righteousness was dubious at best. While the film itself may not thrill or chill as much as Hammer's best, it still stands as a solid entry to their (un)hallowed pantheon.

While it is generally implied that this film is sexploitation, that is not at all the case. But considering the twins in question were Playboy playmates and given the rife sexuality and lesbianism present in the preceding films of the series, it is an easy thing to assume. There is actually only one nude scene and the film often deliberately cuts away from unclothed ladyparts, which is actually quite annoying in a film from this era where the girls were so impossibly beautiful and charmingly seductive. But in the end, it helps the film that you stay focused on the central conflicts of the story rather than when the next sex scene is coming up. There is a rather suggestive shot involving a candlestick that will raise eyebrows, but gratuitous nudity is pretty nonexistent. But there is some decent blood, violence, and miles of cleavage so straight exploitation fans need not pass this by.

Cushing plays a fanatical witchhunter terrorizing the women of a town where Count Karnstein openly worships Satan under the protection of the emperor. Since the Count himself is untouchable, Cushing's character tries to find solace in purifying the young girls he feels may have been corrupted by his influence with fire. Meanwhile, Karnstein sates his increasingly vile appetite by offering a human sacrifice to The Devil, who in turn sends him an apparition of his ancestor Mircalla (check the anagram), who bestows upon him eternal unlife. The wicked Count then sets his sights on the witchhunter's beautiful twin nieces whom nobody can tell apart but are as different in personality as they are similar in appearance.

The main theme of the film is the grey area in the conflict between good and evil. While Cushing's character feels he is doing God's work in purifying corrupted souls, he knowingly allows the source of the corruption to thrive, fearing the consequences. This makes him a hypocrite and as good as a murderer as he waits for each victim to take out his personal anger on young girls. The Collinson twins play their parts well (though their voices were dubbed), and make for a mesmerizing onscreen pair. The cast is solid all around.

The region 2 DVD release features a lame musical deleted scene, a very cool image gallery, and extensive liner notes chronicling the film's history and even features some actor bios. Not a ton of special features, but better then most Hammer films get treated over here. "Twins of Evil" is not must-see material, but it is certainly a decent addition to any vampire fan's collection.

3 1/2 stars, rounded up for originality.

Director John Hough steers this Hammer Films Classic with absolute relish ~ The film stars Hammer Master 'Peter Cushing' as Gustav Weil, leader of the 'Brotherhood', a Puritan Witch-hunting vigilante group determined to stamp out vampirism ~ the 'Twins' are played by identical twins Mary & Madeleine Collinson, born in Malta in July 1952 ~ they were the first twins to appear in Playboy ~ like many Hammer films, sex was always an underlying theme used to sell the production, & explicit pre-production artwork made the film more like an expensive X-movie ~ much of which showed up in the films publicity shots, depicting the female cast clad in very loose nightgowns & less ~ even so, the film is stubborn in its anti-pleasure theme ~ ...'Twins' was to be the last round in the "Mircalla Trilogy", based on characters & settings by le Fanu ~ Mircalla is mostly absent, as Hammer concentrates on decedent Count Karnstein, praised as perhaps the most promising successor to Christopher Lee's Dracula ~ of great worthy note is the fact that just two months earlier Cushings wife had passed away, & yet he continued on, giving possibly his hardest & most gritting performance ever, casting himself fully into the role ~ he left production of Blood From the Mummy's Tomb due to her illness, & such a return makes the film even more important ~ though looking taunt & tired his performance alone makes the film worth watching ~ dark moody & atmospheric settings, horrifying special effects, & great acting by all involved make it a winner ~ Fun Stuff!

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When Synapse Films announced that they would be releasing the Hammer Films which I always eluded to as the elusive three, I had great reservations. The titles were only available on Japanese Laser Discs and were promised to be released many times over the years. Anchor Bay Entertainment released many of the 20th Century Fox titles, Warner Home video and Universal Pictures released their output, Paramount sporadically released a handful and finally Sony/Columbia released their titles. But what about 'VAMPIRE CIRCUS', 'TWINS OF EVIL' and 'HANDS OF THE RIPPER'? 'THE VAMPIRE LOVERS' and 'COUNTESS DRACULA' were released by MGM as part of their Midnight Madness series and finally Synapse took up the gauntlet and came through with the DVD/BLU-RAY release of Director Robert Young's 'VAMPIRE CIRCUS'-1972 last year. It was an incredible set which destroyed my doubt about their announcement of the other titles. Now they have come through with their promise once again with Director John Hough's 'TWINS OF EVIL'1971, a prequel to the Mircalla Karnstein characters derived from screenwriter Tudor Gates and a film in Hammer's horror canon that was severely butchered by Universal Pictures when released in the US making it look like a costume picture peppered with the occult resembling Director Michael Reeve's 'WITCHFINDER GENERAL' aka 'THE CONQUEROR WORM'-1968 and a few fangs showing up amongst the characters. Synapse has gone back to the original negative released by the Rank Organization in a gorgeous high definition transfer and restored the film to its erotically bloody glory. After over 40 years, the film shows why any release by Hammer was an anticipated event at that time. The film has also one of actor Peter Cushing's greatest performances as the tortured Gustav Weil who appeared in the film after the death of his beloved wife, Helen. It is an astonishing characterization and he incinerates the screen every time he appears. There is also an appearance from past vampire femme fatale Isobel Black who erotically charged another Hammer opus, Director Don Sharp's 'KISS OF THE VAMPIRE'-1964' which also deals with a vampire cult. The highlight of the set is an excellent documentary called 'THE FLESH AND THE FURY: X-POSING TWINS OF EVIL' clocking in at over 85 minutes and gives you the history of Author Sheridan LeFanu's character Carmilla and how Hammer adapted the character within their trilogy of films. It explains everything about the state of eroticism and horror of that period with interviews with many top horror writers and critics and we also have interviews with Director John Hough and actor Damian Thomas who played Count Karnstein. There is also an extra on the rescued props from Hammer sets by Mr. Wayne Kinsey from his personal collection , a deleted scene which should have been deleted, two theatrical trailers including the double feature with 'HANDS OF THE RIPPER', and a stills gallery. Synapse promises the release of 'RIPPER' next year and also a BLU-RAY release of Director Peter Sasdy's 'COUNTESS DRACULA'-1970(will it contain a longer version?). Every Hammer Horror fan living or undead deserve to have this in their collections. Bravo, Synapse.

Read Best Reviews of Twins Of Evil (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) Here

This region free DVD offers just the film in an enhanced anamorpic presentation. This transfer won't blow you away like some of the recent Hammer film releases via Sony. Some digital artifacts are present but overall this is a decent if unremarkable transfer.

It should be noted that my DVD arrived without a DVD case! It was mailed flat with just the DVD and the DVD insert. However, I did buy a used copy. No playback issues to report.

Rumor has it that Synapse films has aquired the rights to VAMPIRE CIRCUS, HANDS OF THE RIPPER and TWINS OF EVIL for release on DVD and Blu-ray(!) in the United States by the end of 2010! So you might want to hold off on this title for a bit longer.

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I recently received TWINS OF EVIL as a gift in the form of a DVD not yet available in this country. I must admit that I was not particularly enthusiastic, for I typically find "Hammer Horror" more than a little too obvious in style--but this particular title surprised me with its understated atmosphere, and was all the more effective for it.

Loosely based on characters created by author Sheridan Le Fanu, TWINS OF EVIL concern twin sisters Maria and Freida (Mary and Madeline Collison) who have been recently orphaned and are sent to live with their guardian and uncle Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing.) Gustav is a most unpleasant man, the leader of a religious "brotherhood" whose ideas of salvation and repentance involves routing out every attractive woman in the district and burning them alive at the steak. Ironically, Gustav's hapless victims are innocent, and he finds himself unable to attack the real evil of the locality: the devil-worshiping Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas), who enjoys the protection of the Emperor.

Needless to say, it is not long before the sisters catch the attention of the Count, who has now been transformed by the black arts into a vampire--and one of the sisters soon falls under his sway. But truth be told, Gustav is such a distasteful creature himself that it becomes difficult to know which of the two men is worst.

Like most Hammer Horrors, TWINS abounds with well endowed women in plunging necklines and enough colorful gore to float a small boat. But in this instance, the splashes of blood are all the more effective for the muted background against which they are seen. The usually baroque settings of most Hammer films is not in evidence here, little is romanticized, and the atmosphere is quite tense.

The Collison twins (whose last film this was) give reasonable performances and are so attractive that you do not mind the fact they have very obviously been dubbed by English-speaking actors. Damien Thomas makes for an impressively suave vampire, and David Warbeck is appealing as the hero of the piece. But the real drive of the film comes from Peter Cushing, who gives a surprisingly powerful performance as the maniacal Gustav; if given the choice between facing him or trying to ward off Thomas' vampire, well, most of us would probably feel we had a better chance against Count Karnstein! It is an unexpected effect, and it is quite powerful.

This is not to say that TWINS OF EVIL is without flaws, and now and then some pretty big ones. The script is no winner, and the details of the story are a bit loose, to say the least. The sisters are supposed to be from Vienna, but they somehow wind up in what seems to be a very unappealing area of Germany where the men all dress like American Puritans! There are also one or two scenes that border on the unintentionally comic. But most viewers will be able to suspend disbelief for the film's duration. Recommended for fans of both Hammer and gothic horror.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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A Christmas Carol (1984)

Christmas just isn't Christmas unless you watch at least one version of A Christmas Carol, and this is by far my favorite. George C. Scott gives one of the greatest performances I have ever seen an actor give; he truly becomes Ebenezer Scrooge to the fullest degree possible. Scott can say more with just the slightest hint of a facial movement than many actors can say during the course of an entire movie. All of the performers here are excellent, bringing to life adored characters such as Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and Scrooge's nephew Fred. All four spirits are remarkable, none more so than Scrooge's old partner Jacob Marley; having Marley's jaw drop after untying the burial cloth holding his mouth closed is an important aspect of the story and certainly does make an impression on the viewer. This is just one example of the moviemakers' faithfulness to Charles Dickens' original story; another would be the inclusion of the two miserable children, Ignorance and Want, beneath the robes of the Ghost of Christmas Present.

This timeless tale works extremely well on its own, but the unsurpassed acting skills of Scott make it almost more than real. The change wrought in him during the course of the night, as he changes from a man of crass materialism and unkindness to a repentant soul pleading for a chance to change his ways, is powerfully presented and really touches the viewer emotionally. The simple happiness revealed in the lives of Bob Cratchit and others are as heart-warming as the forgotten mistakes and pains of a younger Scrooge are agonizing. If there is any heart out there that is not touched by the goodness and courage of Tiny Tim, I don't even want to know about it. No matter how many times you watch this movie, it proves itself capable of bringing a tear to your eye, a lump in your throat, and ultimately the very spirit of true holiday cheer and Christian charity that Dickens intended it to convey.

I cannot say I have seen every adaptation of A Christmas Carol, but I really cannot believe any other version could exceed the quality and emotional impact of this one. No matter how many times I read the story or watch the movie, it remains a source of eternal joy to me. This is more than a movie for me; it is an important and necessary part of each and every Christmas holiday season.

The celebrated version of "A Christmas Carol" is the one starring Alastair Sim, who gives the definitive version of the traditional, crabbed miser performance of Scrooge. It indeed is very fine, but this version is better. It is probably the most faithful of all the screen "Christmas Carols" to the original Dickens story. It pulses with color and life, and the ancient Midlands town of Shrewsbury makes a delightful stand-in for 19th-century London. But what really makes this version unforgettable is the superb, surprising casting, beginning with George C. Scott as Scrooge. Scott plays Scrooge not as a crabbed old coot, but as a man whose imposing, smug facade masks enormous sorrow and insecurity--a man who suffered greatly, lost his way because of it, and needs to find that way again. It is a brilliant performance, and the supporting players shine like rubies: Frank Finlay as a truly terrifying Marley's Ghost; "Tom Jones" co-stars David Warner and Susannah York as Bob and Mrs. Cratchit; Edward Woodward, taking time out from "The Equalizer" to make a delightful Ghost of Christmas Present. This version of "A Christmas Carol" remembers that the story is, first and foremost, a ghost story; when the Ghost of Christmas Present reveals Ignorance and Want to Scrooge, every viewer will be thoroughly unnerved, and thoroughly moved. The terror, of course, is all the better to appreciate the abundant joy with which the story ends. Once you see this version of "A Christmas Carol," you will settle for no other.

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George C. Scott makes an outstanding Scrooge in this 1984 TV production of the Christmas classic. The story is once again told of a miser, miserable and alone. He shuns Christmas and helping others, only doing things that will increase his personal wealth. But then one fateful Christmas Eve, he's visited by four spirits who try to show him another way. Will it be enough to redeem him?

I love this story, usually enjoying it in a couple forms over the course of December. This particular film version is my favorite. Probably helps that I've watched it almost every year since it came out. The acting is superb, especially from Scott. The costumes, scenery, and effects are wonderful as well, and they stick very close to the original story. Just watching a few minutes, I get... in and want to watch the whole thing all over again.

This DVD is the perfect way to watch the film. The picture and sound are remarkably clear for an almost 20 year old made for TV film. Definitely better then my old recorded from TV tape. The film is presented in its original ratio full frame. While it would have been nice to have an extra or two, the quality of the movie makes up for this absence in my opinion.

If you're looking for a film version of this classic story for the holidays, look no further. This movie is sure to become a tradition in your family.

Read Best Reviews of A Christmas Carol (1984) Here

Every winter, I enjoy watching A Christmas Carol on TV whenever I can, and the 1984 version is my favorite. The production and performances add up to a moody, realistic and touching adaptation of the Charles Dickens' classic.

Director Clive Donner (editor of the much celebrated 1951 Alastair Sim version of Scrooge) presents a stunningly authentic recreation of Dickens' London. From effectively foggy streets to Ebenezer's own cobwebbed-infested manor, Donner provides a gritty, appropriately dark atmosphere, enhanced by the wonderful score.

The film's pacing is exquisite. In showing Ebenezer the error of his ways, the filmmakers give equal time to his past, present and future, never once lingering to the point of boredom. Thus the story seems to fly by compared to the other adaptations.

George C. Scott is excellent as Scrooge. Like all of those who've portrayed the character, his old miser starts out mean and bitter and ends up joyous and thankful! But throughout his performance, true sadness runs deep. Scott makes his emotional transformation subtle, painting a realistic portrait of a man haunted by the mistakes of his past, taking his pain out on the world.

But what separates the 1984 production of Christmas Carol from all others is the terrific supporting cast. David Warner may give the warmest performance of his career as Bob Cratchet (all the more poignant considering the many villains he's played over the years). Frank Finlay is the most compelling Jacob Marley I've ever seen. You can almost feel this man's torture just by gazing upon his unblinking expression. Edward Woodward brings great depth to the Ghost of Christmas Present, communicating tremendous power, yet just the right touch of humor. Finally, this adaptation of the Dickens' tale features the scariest, most intimidating Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come you'll find anywhere!

Most of us look forward to a healthy dose of A Christmas Carol at the end of each year and we all have our favorite version. Thanks to the handsome production values, expert pacing and perfect cast, led by the magnificent George C. Scott, I believe they truly got it right in 1984!

Want A Christmas Carol (1984) Discount?

It would be an understatement to say that there have been many filmed versions of "A Christmas Carol." They run the gamut from somewhat scary to lighthearted, from straight drama to musical, and everything in between.

Myself, I tend to dislike the musical versions and prefer the story to be straight drama, with a touch of scariness. As such, this version is my favorite. While it is not a completely faithful adaptation of the book, it is true to the spirit of the book and to Dickens's firm sense of social justice.

George C. Scott as Scrooge is one of those rare examples of absolutely perfect casting. With his jowly, scowly face and gravelly voice, he is completely believable as the miserly, miserable Scrooge, yet at the same time, he shows the humanity that is buried beneath, especially when the Ghost of Christmas Past is showing him the path he took that led to his lonely, bitter existence.

The Ghost of Christmas Present is a harsher, more judgemental spirit. As played by Edward Woodward, he laughs a lot, but at the same time is oddly humorless. There are times when he is actually rather frightening, which of course sets the stage for the terrifying Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

The supporting cast is extremely good (save for maybe Susannah York as Mrs. Cratchit), and the production values are much higher than one would expect from a TV movie. In fact, one could easily mistake it for a theatrical release; I was surprised to learn that it wasn't.

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