Gnomeo & Juliet [HD]

Great for the family.
A wonderful movie that my children loved going to. While maybe not the best animated movie of all times it was cute and explored a story line that was new....not just the villain and the super hero story line. It kept you interested and did not cause me to look at my watch to see "how much longer."

SPOILER ALERT:

For those who are disappointed that it did not hold true to Romeo and Juliet dieing...seriously...do we really need little kids to attach to a character who then in the ends commits suicide and "the love of her life" kills himself. Can't we leave the harshness out of a children's movie and let them laugh and be children.

Pretty good for what it is
I was not looking forward to watching this movie, My wife saw it for 8.99 new from a seller and BAM two days later it was in my mailbox!!

I almost threw it away and hope she would forget about ordering......however right when I walked in the door, "did my movie come!?!?!"

As you could guess an hour later I was watching it and to mu surprise this was not a bad little movie. not a great Disney classic but I have seen much worse as of late, very cute movie and would be great for any family or for any couple that like a little goofy in there romance.

I would actually watch this movie again and recommend for others to as well.

3.5* - Young children will love it
As parents to a six-year-old girl, my husband and I are constantly on the look-out for tolerable kid-friendly shows that we can take her to (at the movies). I say tolerable because quality is often lacking in many of these films and then there's the issue of PG vs. G ratings. Well, when we heard Gnomeo and Juliet was being screened at our local cinema, we decided to give it a try, and to our surprise, our picky 6-year-old loved it!

I have to say that this movie is mainly for young children. It is full of color, which will appeal to most kids, and there are adorable garden gnomes running around. My husband fell asleep within fifteen minutes (to be fair, he had had a long day at work), but my daughter's attention was riveted to the screen from the beginning till the end. Me? I enjoyed the music (thanks to Elton John who obligingly helped with the soundtrack featuring his classic hits - his partner David Furnish was a producer on this film). I also sort of enjoyed the silly...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Charlie The Lonesome Cougar [HD]

Great!!!
This one is fun. Couger Mayhem and Couger Love. My six year old loves this one. It's the kind of movie that is fun to watch on Sunday night with a bowl full of popcorn.

Definite winner
What a treat it was to purchase this VHS for my young children and find such a blast from the past for myself. This wholesome movie brings smiles to the faces of everyone that visits our house (adults and kids alike) and watches it. Light story, good laughs, super narration, beautiful scenery, simple message - animals belong in the wild. The kids watch this one at least once a week, and we've had it almost year. Great buy, money well spent.

Charlie aids those lingering in adolescence
Had I not found Charlie in the lonesome winter of 1994, I might have been stuck in the doldrums forever...THIS MOVIE CHANGED MY LIFE! Charlie's coming of age in the stunning setting of the great Northwest inspires me as much today as it did back in the trying times of the 20th century. With each viewing, I come a little closer to fully comprehending the intensity of Charlie's cuteness as a cub, and the hilarity of his madcap behavior as a scalawag teen roaming the great log drives of bygone days. Just TRY not to wince as he jumps into the ground beef at Potlatch's Bean Pot, or sets the floating kitchen on fire! Poor Jess Bradley was really asking for it when he took on a wilcat as his partner in forestry. And the emotional soul-searching of Charlie's later orphan years is heartrending. Action and drama aside, relish the total lack of political correctness in the old growth cuts, and the nubile nurse who utters nary a word in each of her pastel-clad appearances...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The National Health [HD]

The National Health
You can't buy this in the UK. Its a very funny, scathing attack on the National Health Service in the UK in the 1970s. I remember when my father was in a very similar hospital to the British hospital featured in the film in the late 1960s. I used to nurse, but did my training at the then Westminster Hospital which was an elite teaching hospital in the centre of London, now moved to Chelsea & called the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. The difference in standards between the ordinary suburban hospitals & the London teaching hospitals was enormous. Nurses from our hospital, Westminster, had nursed King George VI, our Queen's father during his final illness. Anyway there are two plots in this film, contrasting the dirty, rundown British hospital with an American hospital as seen in the Dr Kildare series which was very popular in the UK at that time. The contrast between the dirty British hospital & the gleaming space-age corridors of the American hospital is breathtaking. All British...





Click to Editorial Reviews

Living Free [HD]

Living Free
In my opinion, this movie was a genuine attempt to capture the resolve of the Adamsons to help Elsa's three orphaned cubs find their way in the African wilderness. Some have commented that the acting (and the actors) in this sequel to "Born Free" did not show the compassion for animals that those in "Born Free" did. I disagree. In accordance with the story line (which I assume to be more or less faithful to the actual events), the Adamsons had resolved not to become as attached to the cubs as they had been to Elsa. Therefore, they necessarily had to "keep their distance" as it were. I recommend this movie for good family viewing. I also enjoy the theme music and lyrics to this movie, which I think were well-written and appropriate to the content of the movie.

Forgotten and forgettable sequel
'Living Free' is one of those obscure sequels to huge hits that most people don't even know exist. In this case it's not hard to see why: it's pretty awful.

Susan Hampshire and Nigel Davenport make poor replacements for Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna. While you wouldn't expect them to match the original couple's easy familiarity, these two don't look like they've even been introduced yet. Worse, the film is a clumsy mess, the first quarter a clumsy rehash of the first film mixing stock footage with awkward reshot word-for-word versions of scenes restaged by the new stars with all the confidence of a blindfolded kid with both legs tied together trying to hit a piñata (although you do get to see Geoffrey Keene play a scene absolutely identically to his performance with the more experienced stars a few years earlier). When the plot does get going in the last half hour there are some genuinely tense scenes as they attempt to cage Elsa the Lioness's cubs to take them...

No Joy Here
The site of an immaculately turned out Susan Hampshire in thick eyeliner and gleaming white (flared) trouser suit prancing through the Serengeti should serve as an immediate red flag. This is about as far as you can get from Bill Travers' and Virginia McKenna's charming performances in Born Free, never mind invoking the real Adamsons, who led interesting and ultimately tragic lives. Doesn't seem much like Kenya in the fifties to me (I was there). Give it a miss.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Oklahoma Crude [HD]

Great actors and a good, underdog plot
Faye Dunaway plays Lena, a female Oklahoma wildcatter during the Great Depression. Along with a maginally helpful, drunkard of a hired man (The only help she can afford), and her not-much-help father, she struggles against prejudice, being flat broke, sabatoge, and a deadly villan in her attempt to bring in a producing well. No ERA, Equal Opportunity Employment, or feminista BS here. Lena doesn't need them. This woman has the competitive guts, courage, and determination any man would be proud to exhibit.

Saw this film when released in the early 70s. Sure wish they'd bring it out on DVD.

Great movie, good packaging and excellent video & audio quality
There are some that resist this type of media (on-demand DVD burn), but I have to tell you they are professionally recorded and use the same master and quality of reproduction equipment as prepackaged retail products. These DVD's are authorized by the content owner and they supply the master.

I love this film and was so pleased to see it made available. The video and audio quality is excellent and the DVD packaging is as good as most single DVD retail product. This is not the burn-on-my-DVD-player quality you may have purchased before from 3rd parties.

If you love this film, buy it . . . you will be very pleased. My guess is that you'll see the on-demand DVD burn delivery method used more and more for this type of older film with a smaller following.

Should absolutely be a DVD release
Saw this movie once in my life, when I was a 12 year old boy. Dunuways performance as women`s lib fighter in a gastly men`s word is great. And then there`s Mancini`s music that keeps haunting your mind. i can still hum the main tune, but never saw the film a second time. Afer more then 35 years!!!!!I do not understand why this is not yet a DVD release.

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Violent Men [HD]

Entertaining Glenn Ford Western
In The Violent Men, Glenn Ford plays a rancher who owns a small spread in a valley being consumed by a hardbitten, crippled rancher played by Edward G. Robinson. Robinson's character was a pioneer, and feels that he is entitled to get as much of territory as he can get his hands on, and is close to getting it all, except for Ford's ranch and a few other small ranches.

Ford is getting ready to sell out to Robinson when the movie begins, but quickly changes his mind when Robinson's tactics become more and more violent. Robinson is aided by a seemingly dutiful wife, play by Barbara Stanwyck (very different from the Helen Barkley character she would play years later on the television series, The Big Valley), and by Robinson's younger, hotheaded brother, played by Brian Keith. Robinson also has a daughter who is none too fond of his tactics.

When Ford decides to stay, he organizes the other small ranchers, and a fullscale range war begins, with scorched earth tactics...

LITTLE CAESAR IN BUCKSKIN
Lew Wilkison (Eddie Robinson) is a cattle crippled cattle baron who drives the small ranchers and farmers out of his valley............THE VIOLENT MEN, a superior Western has Brian Keith play Robinson's brother and Barbara Stanwyck play his wife Martha, a sort of Lady Macbeth of the plains, who helps her husband grab the land because she wants it for herself (this was before she married Tom Barkley!). Stanwyck also wants the brother - she entertains him rather regularly in her bedroom, and the two of them scheme for the day Robinson dies and they will own the whole valley. They make a splendidly unsavoury trio! Barbara Stanwyck is in full command of her characterization of the mean, power-crazed woman and she finally got a Technicolor Western she could be proud of. In England, the picture was aptly released as ROUGH COMPANY and it was admired for its action scenes: a horse stampede, a ranch fire, an ambush - plus much internal drama between the characters. Fascinating stuff...

Western Noir Drama
This is not your average western. This more like a Western Noir Drama. The violent men features a top notch cast. Glenn ford, Edwarg G robinson and the queen of film noir Barbara Stanwyck starr in this Rudolph Mate (DOA) directed take on your standatre western. It's basically about a shrewd, crippled land tycoon (Robinson) his wife, (Stanwyck) and his hired goons who are taking all of the neighboring farmers land. He has almost all of the land he needs except for Glenn Ford's land. Conflicts and mayhem aboud.

Sounds like about 100 other westerns everyone's seen a million times. Well, not this one. This is coming from a director(Mate) who directed a film noir classic so you know that the story wouldn't be that simple. There are quite a few twists and turns and more than a few wrinkles thrown in for good measure. The violent men is well directed with very good performances throught with particular nods to Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G Robinson who work here for the first time...

Click to Editorial Reviews

A Pyromaniac's Love Story [HD]

Not your every day romance
Offbeat, hilarious romantic comedy populated by weird, and weirder, characters. Avoids the typical cliches and expected characters, with surprisingly good acting from everyone. If only Hollywood made more like this....

More Romance Than Comedy
The title is the funniest thing about "A Pyromaniac's Love Story", this so-called romantic comedy has a lot more romance than comedy. The movie starts out as another tale of unrequited love as Sergio (John Leguizamo) explains in voice-over that he has long been in love with Hattie (Sadie Frost), the waitress daughter of a diner owner who thinks of him as just a friend.

Although Sergio and Hattie are the movie's core romantic couple, there are two minor romances going on at the same time. The gimmick of "A Pyromaniac's Love Story" is a series of mix-ups involving all three couples. The confusion could be easily cleared up if the persons in each couple managed to communicate with each other but the only communication is between couples. This might be very funny if the script was well written and clever but instead it is one of those movie situations which is only credible if you believe that all the characters are morons. So you have a decent love story with good messages...

underrated
Charming, romantic, funny are all great words for this film. I honestly don't understand why this movie didn't have greater success. Everyone I know who has seen it, loves it. Cult following like The Princess Bride.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Frank Mcklusky, C.I. [HD]

Frank Mcklusky C.I - A Must Buy.
I didn't know what to think of this film, I didn't know what to expect. Anyway, it has a great story and great actors. It also includes the *band* Hanson. I thought Hanson were finished in music until they returned in the film performing a new song called "Get Up And Go" from their forthcoming album, and I must say, Hanson are better than I thought.

I am still laughing!
I think people that did not like this movie does not have a sense of humor. Yes, this movie Is "outlandish", but one of the funniest I've ever seen. If you like "Zoolander", "There's something about Mary", "Austin Powers" or "Dumb and dumber", than this movie is definitely for you. If you find these movies stupid - skip this title.

Sheridan Strikes Again
Yes the movie is extremely silly and outlandish...but that's the point. I thought this movie was hilarious and laughed out loud many times watching it. It is definately not everyone's cup of tea as one must possess a sense of humor to appreciate comedy. Dave Sheridan was awesome as Doofy in Scary Movie, and he's great in this too. Frank McKlusky C.I. is basically a coming of age story about a man who leads a freakishly sheltered life. His partner (he's an insurance claims adjuster) is murdered and the cops think it's suicide. It's up to Frank to get to the bottom of the case, and in doing so he changes his life for the better. Co-stars include Dolly Parton, and Andy Richter, with cameos by many notable stars. The movie has a bit of Cabin Boy flavor. Definately one for the collection.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Open Range [HD]

Gus is back!
For those viewers who fondly remember, and miss, Robert Duvall's role as Augustus McCrae in the 1989 TV miniseries LONESOME DOVE, take heart. Duvall is back in the saddle again as "Boss" Spearman in OPEN RANGE. It's been way too long.

The lead role in this western actually belongs to Kevin Costner, who plays Spearman's trail partner and employee, Charlie Waite. Boss is a cattleman that practices free-range grazing, i.e. driving his herd from place to place, only staying long enough for the animals to deplete the available food supply. But it's 1882, ranchers are beginning to fence in the West, and freegrazers are an endangered species. So, its no surprise when Charlie and Boss are ordered to take their beeves and get out of Dodge, so to speak, by big time rancher Baxter (Michael Gambon), who also owns the local town and its sheriff. Waite and Spearman are soon backed into a corner when the latter's two other hired hands, Mose (Abraham Benrubi) and Button (Diego Luna), run...

OPEN RANGE--A Hopeful Revival For The Western
For all the hits and misses he has had in front of and behind the camera, Kevin Costner never fails to put his money where his mouth is. Such is the case with OPEN RANGE, which I hope will revive that most American of film genres, the Western.

Set in 1882, OPEN RANGE stars Costner and veteran Robert Duvall as cattlemen only trying to drive their cattle across the open prairie of Montana. But they soon run afoul of a ruthless land baron (Michael Gambon) out to rid the land of free-grazers like Duvall and Costner; and to prove his point, Gambon has one of Duvall's men (Abraham Benrubi) killed and another (Diego Luna) seriously wounded. The stage is set for a traditional but classic shoot-out to the finish.

If not on the epic level of Costner's 1990 Oscar-winner DANCES WITH WOLVES, or the standards set by people like Clint Eastwood, John Ford, Howard Hawks, or Sam Peckinpah, OPEN RANGE nevertheless demonstrates Costner's comfortability with the Western. His is a determined...

"Open Range" is Good Entertainment
As a long time fan of western movies, I eagerly look forward to new western releases. When I viewed the trailer for "Open Range", and saw that it had Robert Duval and Kevin Costner, I had very high hopes, as both actors have 5-star classic western movies under their belts (Lonesome Dove, and Dances With Wolves respectively). I am pleased that "Open Range" continues the tradition of quality modern western fare. Although certainly, not a "classic" western (thus my 4-star ranking instead of 5-star), "Open Range" still pleases with good character development, an interesting plot with a huge shoot-out, excellent acting, and a love story (for the wives and girlfriends of the men who primarily make up the western movie-going crowd!)

The movie boasts beautiful scenery shots that literally take your breath away, although these are best appreciated on the big screen of a movie theatre than one's tv set. Even so, the cinematography is gorgeous and the western town of Harmonville is...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Tomcats [HD]

FLIPPIN' HILLARIOUS
I walked into the "Tomcats" expecting a really bad movie with a few laughs every once in a while. MAN WAS I WRONG!

"Tomcats" is about a group of buddies who one day, after a wedding, make a little bet. They each place some money into a pot every year and the Tomcat who remains single the longest, gets all the money. Some years go buy and mostly every Tomcat is married except for two, Kyle (Jake Busey) a sex crazed maniac with a ton of cash to spend and a somewhat starving artist (Jerry O'Connel). Problems arrive at a casino and O'Connel's charecter owes a group of mobsters around 50 thousand dollars. Now the only way to get his money is to marry up Kyle, the only one who stands in his way of the pot. But an even bigger problem occurs when the artist starts to fall for the girl he tries to set Kyle up with (Shannon Elizabeth).

Throughout the entire film, many hillarious situatuions and scenes occur during the film. At times, I had to grab onto my stomach because...

Raunch At Its Hilarious BEST!!
Well at least I think so. Jerry O'Connell, most recently of "Kangaroo Jack" fame, is one of two buddies in a large group of male friends who have pooled money together betting who can remain single. Finally it is down to O'Connell, an artist with some scruples, and his friend Kyle who has none.

During a trip to Las Vegas, O'Connell runs up a $51K gambling debt to a hilariously vicious, yet deadpan Bill Maher and his goons. Although there is enough in the jackpot to free O'Connell from reposession hell as Maher takes all he owns as collateral, he has even tougher odds of getting Kyle married, since he is a complete louse to all woman kind.

In walks Shannon Elizabeth as a cop who once dated Kyle and was left with a role of quarters in the road for a cab after being deflowered and dumped. She was a bridesmaid at one of the many weddings attended by the bachelor gang as they all became married one by one. O'Connell falls in love when he meets Elizabeth, but to...

Funny
This 2001 sex comedy delivers the goods. It is very funny especially with its gross out humor bits. You will laugh from beginning to end. The acting in the movie is pretty good. And the beautiful Shannon Elizabeth looks so hot as she usually does. This movie is great fun and will have you wanting more.

Click to Editorial Reviews

High School High [HD]

This Film Is Not In Widescreen!
This Film Is Not In Widescreen!

If it is please tell me where I can get it.

I Love just about Everything The Zucker Brothers have had a hand in.

From "The Naked Gun" to "Airplane" to the lesser known,

"Brain Donors" & "Top Secret".

This Movie is pretty damn funny, but some of the "Jokes" are totally ruined

by the "Pan & Scan" Version of this movie.

So if you are into this Brand of humour, You will like this dvd,

This review only give lesser stars because the movie isnt in widescreen.

So 4 Stars for the actual movie,

1 Star deducted for being Pan & scan (Scam)

Underrated parody
Man, you people are harsh. I didnt think this movie was bad at all. Heck, the first time I saw I fell in love with its stupidity. Back when I first saw it, I would've gave a five stars but now its four stars because the movie loses steam after the i hour mark and the jokes start to become hit or miss. But for the first hour this film is a riot.

The plot is that Richard Clark(Jon Lovitz) leaves Wellington Academy to go teach at Marion Barry High School against his father's best wishes. Richard believes that he can make a difference there and on his way he falls for a gorgeous teacher called Victoria Chappell(Tia Carrere).

High School High was a spoof on those troubled high school kids movies like Dangerous Minds, Lean On Me and Stand And Deliver. Unlike the crap that passes for parody(like anything by Seltzer and Friedberg) HSH hits all its targets and actually has a story tied to the spoof. Compare that with spoofs that are just about picking on pop culture and...

DJMasterK - This movie is NOT Widescreen!!!
Yes, it is true. Although Amazon.com advertised it as being in both formats, it is only in Full Screen format. I bought it and I have to return it now.

For who wants to know, Columbia House has it in both formats (it came out on the market a few years earlier and they still have it).

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Stranger Wore a Gun [HD]

A Pleasant Scott Western That Could Have Been More
Any Western boasting the likes of Randolph Scott, Ernest Borgnine, and Lee Marvin should be an all-time great, but Stranger Wore A Gun proves that his films with Budd Boetticher were far superior to most of his films, and makes you wonder what Scott's Boetticher films would have been like if he'd had such great co-stars as he did in this film.

Scott plays a former Confederate spy who joins with an old war colleague to stage a gold robbery in Arizona. Scott changes his mind, and tries to stop the robbery. George Macready, playing the bad guy, is his usual despicable self, and Marvin and Borgnine are solid as usual as two of Macready's gang.

One of the problems with this film is that it was filmed for 3D, which is obnoxious and distracting, as objects and people point toward the screen for an effect which is no longer viable. The dialogue is also not as cleverly pointed as it was in Scott's better films.

Stranger Wore A Gun is not a bad film, but not in...

"Stranger Wore A Gun (1953) ... Randolph Scott ... Columbia Pictures Classic Westerns"
Columbia Pictures presents "STRANGER WORE A GUN" (1953) (82 mins/Color) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Starring Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Joan Weldon, George Macready, Lee Marvin & Ernest Borgnine --- Directed by André De Toth and released in August 15, 1953, our story line and film, Having been a spy for Quantrill's raiders during the Civil War, Jeff Travis thinking himself a wanted man, flees to Arizona where he runs into Jules Mourret who knows of his past ... He takes a job on the stage line that Mourret is trying to steal gold from ... When Mourret's men kill a friend of his he sets out to get Mourret and his men ... When his plan to have another gang get Mourret fails, he has to go after them himself --- Yep, that's both Lee Marvin & Ernest Borgnine in supporting roles --- from the book "Yankee Gold" by John W. Cunningham --- This western cannot be compared with Scott's best like the ones he made with Boetticher, but it is stll enjoyable --- And Mr. Scott was...

A Classic Western Starring Randolph Scott!!
Lt. Jeff Travis was a spy for renegade rebel William Clark Quantrell - who had torched and looted his way to a fortune. Now he's a wanted man - dodging his past loke so many bullets in THE STRANGER WORE A GUN. Travis arrives in Prescott, Arizona just as the law is leaving, and he finds the ex capital strangled by wholesale lawlessness. Holding the tightest grip is Confederate loyalist Jules Maurette. Maurette also rode with Quantrell - and takes credit for having once saved Travis' life. Stealing yankee gold is legitmate business to him - and with Travis' help as a spy, he hopes to "divert" pounds of it being shipped through Prescott aboard the Conroy Stage & Freight Company. With Lifelong flame Josie pulling his holster toward California and with the stage owner's daughter pushing his heart toward justice, Travis rides the narrow gold-route to a surprising depot. A Gold-meets-gun tale of wild west intrigue starring Randolph Scott and Claire Trevor.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Once Upon A Time [HD]

Loved watching this fairy tale again!!
I watched this film a long time ago, when I was a kid, and now being 35 years old, it made just the same effect on me, I was thrilled all the same. It is an innocent, naive little story from another time, that makes you feel like a child all over again!!

Grant's performance is excellent, as the cynical and self centered (at first) producer who, by chance, meets this little kid who states he owns a dancing caterpillar!! This child actor, Ted Donaldson, is absolutely believable as the kid, and gives a heart-wrenching performance, like an old pro.

James Gleason, once more, is all right as Grant's pal, and Janet Blair, a beautiful, lesser known actress from the '40s, is very good as the kid's elder sister, and besides, she's pretty, sexy and has a beautiful voice.

Apart from a couple of trailers, the dvd edition hasn't got any bonuses at all, and the picture quality is OK, but not as good as that of another Columbia Classic releases, but nevertheless, if you're a classic film buff,...

Better than anticipated, but subtle.
Subtly effective fantasy drama - you never see the dancing caterpillar in the box, but the movie is about the people and how they react to the simple, almost insignificant miracle, and the relationship between the sneaky showman (unusually cynical role for Grant) and the boy who owns the caterpillar. Their relationship is wonderful except for one thing: Grant is trying to steal the boy's pet and sell it to Walt Disney, though he promised he wouldn't. For a mild, subtle story, the surprise ending is surprisingly satisfying. The DVD quality is fine.

RIDICULOUS PLOT THAT STRANGELY WORKS!
Cary Grant had the uncanny knack for making even the most hollow of plots seem like high art. Consider the irrefutably light-hearted "Once Upon A Time" in which Grant is Jerry Flynn - a has-been Broadway producer who discovers an orphan with a dancing caterpillar. Flynn's savvy for creating a media event, turns the caterpillar into an off Broadway sensation. But when Jerry decides to sell his investment to the highest bidder, he must choose between fame and fortune and the respect and genuine love that the orphan has developed for him. The genuine surprise in this film is not how irrepressibly charming Grant is, but how willingly he steps into the unbecoming role of the villain who eventually chooses goodness over celebrity - a subtle bit of advice that most stars of today would do well to heed. "Once Upon A Time" is not high art, but it remains an enjoyable movie helmed by a finely wrought performance.
THE TRANSFER: Relatively clean for Columbia Tri-Star. The gray scale has been...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Ed Wood [HD]

One of the Best Films You've Probably Never Seen
Ed Wood (1924-1978) is generally regarded as the single worst film maker to emerge from Hollywood. This is not really true, for there were and are aplenty worse. But one thing has always set Wood above the pack, and that was his own unshakable faith in his talent. Unfortunately, the faith was misplaced and the talent was nonexistent--and although this Tim Burton film takes a slew of liberties with the facts of Wood's life and career, it does a remarkable job of capturing them as Wood likely saw them through the filter of his own outrageous ego.

The film has two tremendous assets: the performers and its visual style. Johnny Depp leads the cast in the title role, and it is a virtuoso performance, for he entices us to like a man whose self-blindness would normally lead an audience to reject him out of hand; the performance is incredibly witty, wildly over the top, and yet it contains just enough pathos to allow us to relate to Wood on a human level. But the real stunner in the...

A Loving Tribute to Ineptitude
Why make a movie about the man universally regarded as the worst filmmaker of all time?

Well, simply because the word "worst" does not even adequately describe Ed Wood. He was the absolute, undisputable worst, unrivalled in his mindless disregard for decent production values, coherent storytelling, credible scriptwriting, and competent acting. If he were just "the worst," he would be no more than a mere footnote in cinematic history. But by single-handedly redefining the standards of ineptitude, Wood achieved that rare status of lovable loser. I mean, really, you have to admire someone who approaches his craft with so much grit and determination and so little talent.

It takes an A-grade cast to bring to life this story of Z-grade moviemaking. And we have one. Johnny Depp delivers a performance of fire in the title role, giving us a lot of insight into the character that Ed Wood was. Martin Landau (in an Oscar-winning performance) doesn't just portray Bela Lugosi. By golly, he...

"You're the ruler of the galaxy! Show a little taste!"
At last, the whole (shocking!) story of Edward D. Wood, Jr. I enjoyed everything, from the acting down to the musical score (fans of "Dracula" will notice that movie's opening theme plays in several scenes). Johnny Depp is a hoot as Ed Wood, and Martin Landau absolutely shines as Bela Lugosi---he certainly deserved the Ocsar he won for the role.

The film is by turns hilarious and sad. There are loads of great one-liners ("Yes, but if you take that ... and put a star in it, then you've got something!") and other endearingly funny moments. Landau's portrayal of Lugosi provides most of the pathos, showing us the tragic decline of a man who tried his best to work until the very end.

"Filmmaking is not about the little details. It's all about the big picture!" Tim Burton has done a wonderul job with both in this movie.

Click to Editorial Reviews

$ (Dollars) [HD]

Superb thriller!
I saw this movie on television in the beginning of the 80's. I thought it was great fun then and when I bought the video last year I found it to be even better. Warren Beatty does a great job and so does the other actors. Quincy Jones great score adds to the suspense. My favorite scene is the chase on the ice. A wonderful movie that deserves more attention and respect.

On the money
Filmed on location in Hamburg and other northern Europe settings around 1970, Dollars has a great look to it, the story is tight and plausible and the casting is great. The opening is a little confusing as the interweaving storyline is set in motion but it all comes together beautifully a third of the way into the action. There is so much going on in Dollars that multiple viewings will be rewarded, and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard, especially if you like jazz, and is well matched to the action. Watching these veteran actors do their thing is a treat, so much more substantial than the lightweight junk being put out today. I can't believe this flick is so unknown.

and that one scene with Goldie Hawn, as someone said, how did that get past the censor!? Hilarious.

TAKE THE MONEY, HONEY
Vietnam era film that's all but disappeared! One problem is the title itself: it's listed as above and also $$$. (As an example, try looking up "The Departed" under "The"). Too bad, because Beatty and Hawn pull off an ingenious bank robbery in Europe, playing "Robin Hood" types preying on the gangland rich. Beatty's racing for safety scenes would make even Matt Damon (as Jason Bourne) jealous. The movie is both exciting and fun, a rare combination in 2007.You'd even think that Timothy Leary wasn't now among the "departed". Try to pick up a copy for the entertainment and/or for a collector's item.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Mary Poppins [HD]

Now available in a 2-disc DVD edition!
Mary Poppins may be =the= stand-out live-action movie that Disney has ever produced. Or will ever produce.

All the songs are very memorable. Who out there does not find themselves humming or even singing along with the likes of "Chim-Chim-Cheree" or "Spoonful of Sugar"?

Julie Andrews will always be remembered for her role as Mary Poppins, and Dick Van Dyke absolutely shines as Bert the Chimney Sweep. Van Dyke also plays the senior officer of the bank - and has his very best scene where he realizes that the punchline - "A wooden leg named Smith" - is funny. Andrews won an Academy Award for Mary Poppins, and the movie also won Best Visual Effects, and Best Music Score, as well as Best Song ("Chim Chim Cher-ee").

The scene where "I love to laugh" is particularly poignant. Ed Wynn died not long after the release of Mary Poppins, and shows some of his best comedy style in this scene. Very laughable.

The story is top-notch and has a wonderful...

Disney's Live Masterpiece Shines More Brightly than Ever!
"Mary Poppins" is one of that select group of films that can truly be called 'Classic', a project conceived in love and filled with so much child-like wonder that it will never grow old or 'out-of-date'. Certainly the crowning achievement of Walt Disney's remarkable career, the "Mary Poppins" 40th Anniversary Special Edition is simply magnificent!

Based on P.L. Travers' tales of a magical nanny who arrives to bring families closer, the rights to the stories had been pursued by Disney since 1938, but Travers had seen what studios had done to other authors' works, and withheld her approval unless she could maintain some creative control. Years of negotiations only whetted Disney's desire to make a definitive, truly 'special' film, and by 1960, despite the box office failure of another fantasy-themed 'pet' project, "Darby O'Gill and the Little People", he was more confident than ever in the story's potential, bringing together a remarkable array of talent, including...

Great for 1st Time Buyers; extras emphasize Broadway Musical
Is there really much new to say about this classic Disney film that helped launch the movie career of Julie Andrews? Probably not, but for the handful of people who haven't seen this film, this DVD is a must-buy. Strangely enough, Disney is not releasing a Blu-ray version just yet, so this edition will have to tide over video buffs until that occurs. The 1964 classic is based on the books of P. L. Travers, with a few Disney liberties thrown in. Travers' nanny, Mary Poppins, is somewhat more harsh and unpleasant in the books than in the film version. However, it is obvious that she is hiding a heart of gold inside and that she truly does love the children she takes care. Two of the children did not make the transition from the book, but they are definitely not missed. Julie Andrews is able to bring out the many facets of Mary Poppins without compromising the character, and of course her voice is legendary. The Sherman Brothers whipped up some of their most memorable tunes including...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Apache Territory [HD]

ALL DEPENDS ON LOGAN CATES
Taken from the Louis L'Amour 1957 novel, Last Stand At Papago Wells, this movie script is a western centered upon a small cavalry troop and a few civilians trying to hold out against odds of continual Apache attacks at a remote water hole. This life giving well is situated in the remote, sun-blasted and forbidding desert land.

The Arizona desert could easily kill a man, this Logan Cates knew well. He also knew the protection that this water well in the desert could offer. It was protected by rocks, a natural fort of sorts, and supplied with a few day's water. All the travelers were headed for Yuma and Cates knew full well that the water was all that could guarantee any chance of their hope to get there. If they could only outlast the seiges from the Apaches.

Maybe the storm Logan Cates hoped for, a sand storm in the offering, could aid in their escape and survival to Yuma.

Another interesting, psychological, and formulaic western with Rory Calhoun...

Apache Territory
I always liked this western film. A group of civilians and soldiers are trapped by warring Apaches in a little cul-de-sac in a canyon. The hero (Rory Calhoun) is competent and unafraid. Everyone depends on him, even the inexperienced cavalry soldiers. I especially liked the teenagers he rescues. This Columbia Classics DVD-R release is not perfect but not bad. I am glad they included the trailer. The picture is not as sharp and clear as I remember TV showings of this film to be, but it is still very good. I could be wrong but I think it is also edited by 2 to 3 minutes. Otherwise I recommend this film and this release. It may be the only release of this film ever available.

Could have been better
This was an o.k. movie for me and I like most all westerns.The acting was fair.I liked the cast.I liked the story line but not the direction that it sometimes went.For starters,the movie portrayed the U.S. Calvary as a bunch of bumbleheads.I just believe they could have done better(more indians)(better shooting),especially with the acting power of Rory Calhoun.On a scale of 1-5 the transfer is maybe a 3.5 as the whole movie is a little grainy.With that said-if you can get for the right price,its worth a watch or two..........support your favorite artists..........

Click to Editorial Reviews

Passionada [HD]

A flawed, but appealing, romantic comedy
(Note: this review is based on the theatrical release, not the DVD version) I am not generally a fan of romantic comedies; I drove 400 miles to New Bedford, MA, to watch this one purely to see Jason Isaacs, and I was not disappointed! The movie apparently went through a change of cast (Isaacs replaced another actor at the very last possible minute), it went through at least one change of ending, and I suspect the script was still being tinkered with the night before I saw it, all of which goes some way to explaining its somewhat uneven pacing and lurching storyline. The script was reportedly written on spec, at least in part to promote the town of New Bedford, last the location for a movie when Gregory Peck appeared in "Moby Dick", and the screenwriters have ladled on the atmosphere with a vengeance.
The basic storyline, as it finally comes down to us, has the *gorgeous* Sofia Milos, absolutely radiant here, playing Celia Amonte, the subdued widow of a drowned Portuguese...

Suspend disbelief and just enjoy it
Yeah, yeah, it's a highly unlikely situation, and it's not believable in lots of parts. But still. Just get over it and sit back to enjoy this lovely and entertaining movie. Set in New Bedford, a Portuguese fishing town, it tells the story of a drop deal gorgeous widow (Sofia Milos) who spurns all potential suitors, is living adjacent (duplex) to her mother-in-law (the mama from Real Women Have Curves), and is raising her teenage daughter very strictly. The only place she releases the soul of her passion is in restaurants where she sings fado music, passionate Portuguese ballads of intense drama.
Of course the daughter is no dummy and finds ways to sneak off to casinos; for inexplicable reasons, she yearns to be a card shark. She finds a guy who just might be willing to teach her a thing or two. Happens the guy also has heard Mama singing her fado gig and has fallen ace over deuces for her.
Some great scenes, some great music, some poignant scenes, lots of touching humor. A...

Sofia Milos Shines in Otherwise Bland Romance.
In the Portuguese community in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Celia Amonte (Sofia Milos) lost her fisherman husband to the sea. Seven years later, Celia works in a factory by day, sings passionate ballads by night, and still grieves for her husband. One evening, a professional gambler named Charlie Beck (Jason Isaacs) hears Celia sing and falls head over heels for her on the spot. But Celia is married to widowhood and distrustful of gamblers. Celia's brash teenaged daughter, Vicki (Emmy Rossum), proposes to help Charlie hide his lifestyle and woo her mother in exchange for lessons in card-counting.

"Passionada" was directed by Dan Ireland and written by Jim and Steve Jermanok. Setting this romance in Portuguese community of New Bedford gives the film a nice texture and sense of place. The cast is impressive. But somehow the story is just flat and not quite credible. Sofia Milos gives a charismatic and emotionally astute performance. She commands the audience's attention in...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Smith! [HD]

Great little story, a rare treat with Glenn Ford
STORY: Glenn Ford stars as the rancher Smith, who is driving his family to frustration with his gentle procastinating ways that have kept the farm from doing well. The hay needs to be cut, and he is distracted with his ongoing friendships with a local Nez Perce native american tribe. When a tribal member is wrongly accused of murder, Smith comes to his defense. As a sign of the tribe's gratitude, they help train a horse from the ranch, and they help get the hay crop in on time.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Keenan Wynn, Nancy Olson, and Chief Dan George also star in this movie, and a good song written by Bobby Russell for the movie is featured, "The Ballad of Smith and Gabriel Jimmyboy". While production was started initially by James Algar, Bill Anderson took over as producer fairly early. One of the studios greatest producers, Anderson saw the fim as a chance to appeal to a more mature audiance that a typical Disney film, vital to Disney's growth. Directed by Michael O'Herlihy. The...

Great little story, a treat with Glenn Ford
STORY: Glenn Ford stars as the rancher Smith, who is driving his family to frustration with his gentle procrastinating ways that have kept the farm from doing well. The hay needs to be cut, and he is distracted with his ongoing friendships with a local Nez Perce Native American tribe. When a tribal member is wrongly accused of murder, Smith comes to his defense. As a sign of the tribe's gratitude, they help train a horse from the ranch, and they help get the hay crop in on time.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Live action Disney classic. Keenan Wynn, Nancy Olson, and Chief Dan George also star in this movie, and a good song written by Bobby Russell for the movie is featured, "The Ballad of Smith and Gabriel Jimmyboy". While production was started initially by James Algar, Bill Anderson took over as producer fairly early. One of the studios greatest producers, Anderson saw the fim as a chance to appeal to a more mature audience that a typical Disney film, vital to Disney's growth...

Glenn ford
Just didn't enjoy this movie! Not as good as most of his others! Very PG! Fine for kids! Just not much of a plot. One of fords older movies I think!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Wild Things: Foursome UNRATED [HD]

Miami vice
I was prepared not to like WILD THINGS 4: FOURSOME. I usually don't like direct-to-video sequels that piggyback onto more successful films by association, but I was pleasantly distracted by WILD THINGS: FOURSOME

A cast of virtually unknown pretty boys and pretty girls make up the cast. The acting is good, which is to say that the screenwriters were smart enough not to strain the actors' abilities with anything too demanding. The storyline follows the overall concept of the original Wild Things. It's a kill-or-be-klled fest of backstabbings, betrayals, rip-offs, lies, and misdirection.

WILD THINGS: FOURSOME was made in sunny South Florida. In what amounts to a continuity problem, it takes place either in the fictional city of "Blue Bay" or in Miami. Never mind the contrivance, it's upscale Miami, impure and unsimple.

Surprisingly enough, the plot holds up really well through its...

More of a 6some
Wild movie. Not the greatest acting or maybe its just their style for the Wild Things series. The girls are hot ofcourse, but we dont see much of the 3rd girl. ANyways in typical Wild Things fashion,we have twists and surprises which can keep you guessing. Not a classic film, but one worth watching. Its a keeper for me.

Yeah, I knew it would be bad
The series of Wild Things movies wants desperately to be a part of neo-noir cinema, yet the characters are so cartoony, the audience doesn't really care what happens to them. The plot holes are so large that the director decided that the end credits should double as five minutes of filling in the narrative gaps. The movie is of course about greed, and there's a large amount of money at stake. It's not particularly clear how the people who end up with the money could actually access it legally. It's not worth thinking about though.

Click to Editorial Reviews

30 Days of Night: Dark Days

I've never been more dissapointed in a sequel
I love 30 days of night. Everything about it. I've read all of the comics, and really enjoyed the first film. Though there was a difference between the first film and the first set of comics, the first film effectively relayed the horror, and creepiness the comics had. The visuals where stunning and disturbing and the acting was brilliant.
When the sequel Dark Days was announced...I was immediately excited. I anxiously followed the production news and pre-ordered the DVD months in advance from my local DVD store. It arrived yesterday. First thing..if you think the DVD cover is poorly designed by looking at the picture on Amazon...wait until you see this turd in real life. It looks like a high school kids photo shop project. But like books movies should not be judged by the cover.
30 Days of Night: Night Dark Days starts out similar to the graphic novels, save for the fact that in this dvd the best looking scenes in the beginning are taken from the original movie and...

terrible... just terrible
I LOVED 30 Days of Night... this movie however is just terrible. It's bland, generic, predictable and just not good in any way in my opinion.
Seriously I predicted the entire Dane thing and Eben thing by the end of the opening credits.

It may be faithful to the second graphic novel, I don't know I didn't read it. I understand it was a smaller budget film but this was just inexcusably bad. the writing, the dialogue, all of it.

I'm actually disappointed that I could have bought the original on blu-ray for less than I paid for this. it's like they tried to frankenstein together "30 days of night", "Daybreakers" and "Blade trinity" into a coherent storyline using the cheapest actors they could find and get them to play characters that always make the worst decision possible.

Save your money, watch it online before you buy it and I don't see how this is getting 5-star reviews but clearly those reviewers saw something worthwhile I did not.

Waste of money!!!!
What a waste of 92 minutes! I've been awaiting the release of this sequel since i viewed the first. I loved 30 Days of Night, but Dark Days was such a disappointment. I'm not even sure why "30 Days of Night" was in the title. This movie was like a very bad cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Blade. The vampires didn't look the same, and regular bullets could fatally wound them. The story line made no sense and the end... well even more stupid. If you must watch this movie please don't purchase. RENT!!!!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Hardwired [HD]

Softwired
This movie fails on essentially every level it can fail. The idea is bad. The script is bad. The costumes and hair styles are bad. Even most of the acting is bad. How this ever got a green light is beyond me, particularly given that, though not a tremendously expensive production by any means, the money spent making it is far above what it deserves.

Science Fiction, or in this case Speculative Fiction, has always been a fertile ground for film making. And a lot of guys have figured out how to do it. Even some movies with really wild plots have been able to get the audience to suspend their disbelief. But if a viewer believes any of this they have serious issues.

Here's the scoop. The corporations own the world and one of them, "Hope Industries", figures that normal advertising is no longer effective and cooks a scheme to plant ads directly into someone's brain via a circuit implant. It's still in the test phase so they're working out the bugs. They stage a car...

Am being as fair as I can, but not worth it
For once, the unanimous slander and dislike for this film is adequately placed and accurate. I watched the whole film and the included documentary, and when it was all done - I wholeheartedly recommend skipping the film and to watch the supplement.

Cuba fills his role of the hero in a not-so-distant future where corporations control "everything". He is given a second chance at living after suffering a brain deadening accident. This new chance is having a chip implanted into his neck that allows him to live again, but with consequences. The bad guys, hilariously led by Val Kilmer (worst hair, worst lines, worst everything for him in years) and the good guys led by Michael Ironside (the only good point here) battle for control of Cuba's brain, coupled with his own fight for his memories. Bad effects and loopy writing make for a weak execution, but I have to give props for them doing the exploding head routine in minute one. All kidding aside, there was really nothing to hold...

was disappointed
Cuba Gooding is an actor I do appreciate. He carried his role just fine but in the end, I felt like I should've waited until it was $7 at Walmart.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Ducktales The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp [HD]

Great movie, but disappointing DVD.
In 2006, Disney released DuckTales The Movie: Treasure Of The Lost Lamp onto DVD for the first time in region 1 areas. However, instead of giving it a wide release, Disney decided to offer it exclusively through the Disney Movie Club. Later that same year, it also became a potential reward through their new Disney Movie Rewards program. Although some of Disney's DMC/DMR exclusives have since gotten wide releases, DuckTales The Movie has yet to do that.

The disc they've released is rather lightweight. Although it's still a steal for Movie Rewards members, the $19.99 it demands on the Movie Club seems about $5-$10 too high. (This isn't counting the prices poor suckers are paying for it on eBay or Amazon Marketplace, not knowing all that you need to do is join the Disney Movie Club to buy it.) The only bonus feature is a game that you won't play more than once. That's it. Not a trailer, not a featurette, not a cartoon featuring Huey, Dewey, and Louie - nada. It's not a matter...

Talk About Underrated
What a great movie this is. Actioned packed right from the start, quick-moving plot, and of course the ever-lovable Scrooge McDuck, just as you remember him.

Scrooge searches for a lost Arabian treasure, but is ignorant that the most valuable part of the treasure is an old oil lamp. (Of course you know where this is going.) Scrooge's niece and nephews discover a genie inside the lamp with the power to grant wishes. The genie advises the kids to wish for small things, because big wishes lead to big trouble. The niece Webby ignores this advice, and wishes for her stuffed animals to come to life. Scrooge sees all this magic happening and finally discovers he has a magic lamp.

The Genie tells Scrooge he better be careful not to attract too much attention, because an evil immortal villain with a magic talisman is also seeking the lamp. The crafty villian finds Scrooge after only one wish, and gets ahold of the lamp after Scrooge gets it confused with a gravy...

Disney's feature-length DuckTale is a lot of fun
The first of Disney's attempts to make some quick bucks from a feature based on one of their daily TV series, "Treasure of the Lost Lamp" sprawned from the enjoyable 80's cartoon series DuckTales and is likewise animated by the TV department. In this big-screen goround, Scrogue McDuck (Alan Young) travels with his nephews and niece Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby (all Russi Taylor) in search of Collie Baba's legendary treasure. They are persued in this quest by powerhungry sorcerer Merlock (Christopher Lloyd) with the reluctant assistance of his henchmen Dijon (Richard Libertini) and escape with their lives - but without most of the treasure. The kids release a geenie in the lamp when Webby is cleaning her "teacup" and have fun making crazy wishes (such as turning Webby's stuffed toys into real live animals.) But Merlock, the geenie's former master, is hot on their trail and hell-bent on reclaiming the lamp and the power of the geenie at any cost.

All this plays out like a...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Hidalgo [HD]

"Hidalgo" Is Filled With High Excitement (4.5 OUT OF 5)
Based on the life story of Frank T. Hopkins and his horse Hidalgo, "Hidalgo", from director Joe Johnston, is a compelling, beautiful, and exciting film (even though it stretches its running time to 130 minutes) that interests every moviegoer with suspense, romance, and tales of comraderie.

The year is 1890, and half-American, half-Souix Indian Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen), is invited by an Arabic sheik to compete in "The Ocean of Fire", the most prestigious and dangerous long-distance race ever known to man. Usually reserved for the purest bred stallions and the wealthiest and best riders in the world, the 3,000 mile race across the Arabian Desert leaves half of its competetors dead from natural disaster, insanity, or the treachery of fellow riders. After witnessing a tragedy at Wounded Knee Creek, and falling out of his once-claimed title of the best rider in the West, Frank and Hidalgo jump at the opportunity, where they encounter danger in all forms, and must rely on their...

"Best Performance by an Animal Actor" Nominee
Unless the Academy opens a new category for "best performance by an animal actor", you won't be hearing of this movie next Oscar season, but that's no reason to miss this movie now. Hidalgo, the horse, and Viggo Mortensen, as Frank T. Hopkins, completely won my heart as well as a place in "Great Couples of the Silver Screen", or at least as great partners in a buddy movie. This wonderful painted mustang plays the serious buddy, making his human tend to business in spite of other inclinations. It is a charming footnote to the movie that Mortensen was so taken with the horse that he bought it after the movie was completed.

Frank T. Hopkins may or may not have lived all the adventures he was famous for recounting, but it is verifiably true that he was instrumental in saving the wild mustang from extermination in North America. For that he is a hero.

This movie version of the 3000 mile race Hidalgo and Hopkins were said to have run across the Arabian desert to keep...

Classic film making on a grand scale. A truly epic film.
Hidalgo is based upon a true story, so it's no wonder it's thrilling, truth being stranger than fiction and all. Although it's highly doubtful that everything in the movie actually happened, Frank Hopkins was indeed a real life cowboy, master horseman and rider and he did participate in the great Bedouin horse race of the Middle East known as the "Ocean of Fire" in the 1890's.

This wonderfully stylized and lovingly crafted film clocks in at over two hours, yet never bores and your interest should never waver. The international cast is terrific, led by Viggo Mortensen in a low-key, subtle performance which brings depth and a real sense of nobility to the notion of a "cowboy'. We've seen loads of silver screen gun slingers, bandits and marshals from icons like the swaggering John Wayne to the laconic Clint Eastwood, but with Viggo's Frank Hopkins, we may now be witness to one of the most balanced and interesting portrayals of an authentic cowpoke. And it's all the more...

Click to Editorial Reviews

40 Carats [HD]

What about Edward Albert??
All the other reviewers of this movie have focussed on Liv Ullman and Gene Kelly. They are great in this film. But I found the real charm in the young man, as portrayed by Edward Albert. (Green Acres' Eddie Albert's son.) His role as a confident, self-assured young man, hot in pursuit of Liv, was fabulous. He conveyed humor, irony, self-deprecation and raw sex-appeal. He was even better than in his award winning role in "Butterflies Are Free". HE made the film for me, but all-in-all, I agree that this film is a joy and not to be missed.

Enjoyable Comedy - can't wait for it in DVD
This is an uplifting, cozy film about a May-December romance.
The characters are wonderful and you wish you can hang out with
them. Very funny and I can't believe it isn't out on DVD. See
it if you like warm 70's flicks. Gene Kelly is great.

feel-good movie about a May-December romance
This is a feel-good movie about a May-December romance.The story begins in romantic Greece and revolves around Liv Ulman trying to resist her "infatuation" with a younger man. A supporting role by Gene Kelly also helps to make this movie a gem. The impact on her family, his family and herself makes for a delicious comedy that has a...well you'll have to enjoy it for yourself to see how it all works out!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Supercross [HD]

I Feel the Earth Move
While it's not an earthshattering film, "Supercross" does keep you glued to the screen with excellent motorcycle action sequences and some sweet romance. Directed by Steve Boyum who directed "Meet the Deedles," the plot is your basic underdog who wins the race & gets the girl. Steve Howey from "Reba" TV series plays KC Carlyle who is a fairly cautious but talented racer. He impresses the team of a Japanese motorcycle company who take him on. Unfortunately, the head of this played by Robert Patrick only wants KC to be the wingman so his son Rowdy can win the races. When KC pulls ahead and wins a race, he upstages Rowdy and quits the lavishly sponsored team. Trip Carlyle played by Mike Vogel from "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" & "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" may be more talented, but he also takes more chances and lacks the maturity to control himself. In their audition for the sponsored team, he gets into a fist fight with Rowdy, leading to his brother KC being chosen for the...

"Supercross" Motor And Zoom
"Supercross" photography gets the motor running better with each next event. Action is crisp and clear under the stadium lights at the Las Vegas THQ Championship.

An easy-does-it "Southern Cal" lifestyle blends (or not) with the hard knocks of the Supercross circuit. Living takes a backseat all the way to the Vegas racing reveille.

Tyler Evans, David Pingree and David Castillo show natural acting talent. Castillo, Joe Bucaro III and other stunt riders take some chances on their bikes.

Along with this "Supercross" Directors Cut there are several added Specials. One Feature on the DVD shows interviews with the stunt riders and another gives how the stunts are performed. Most "Supercross" cycling is filmed during gate competition.

Director Steve Boyum has made stunts in over sixty movies. Special camera equipment accelerates over lots of yardage with zoom, so this Dolby 5.1 DVD will "bring it" to you here and now with the summersault and...

"Supercross, The Movie" Magic
There has been a reel misunderstanding here.

"Supercross, The Movie" was never intended to compete with "Gone With The Wind."

The magic of this Action Sport dramatic is the tremendous racing footage at the Las Vegas Chanpionship, the combination of docu-drama (Tyler Evans, and other racers show acting talent) and the nostalgic simple romantic twine of certain plot development that has nothing to do with life today. This romantic magic is from a better time.

The use of impressionism and split screen during parts of the film was well done. There was some poorly photgraphed scenes in the beginning of the movie.

The sound was good. I enjoyed the music soundtrack. The digital audio effects during the races, made "Supercross, The Movie" more extreme than simple realism.

The movie needed to be expanded. It seemed incomplete. I think "Supercross, The Movie" will be better understood and appreciated as time goes on. This film tries some...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Black Dakotas [HD]

Supposedly different than other westerns, it is just as good and just as bad as the average ones
This rather short 1954 western focuses on an episode during the Civil War, in 1864. The north is concerned that the Indians would be stirred up by the Confederacy and cause trouble for Union troops, and President Lincoln sends an emissary to establish peace with an Indian tribe by offering them peace, land, and $100,000 in gold. The Confederacy learns of the scheme and sends its spy, played by Gary Merrell, to take the place of Lincoln's emissary, promise the Indians what Lincoln wanted to promise, but give the Indians nothing, and bring the gold to help the Confederacy. The Confederacy expects that the Indians will think they were tricked and attack the whites of the local town. This will force the Union to sidetrack troops from battle grounds to help the local citizens. However, Gary Merrell is only interested in his own welfare, and this creates the drama.

Deserves 3 1/2 stars
I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could. This is an odd but good one. The main star (Gary Merrill in a western?) is the bad guy and John Bromfield, who is the hero, doesn't get that much emphasis. But it all works. There's lots of riding and action in interesting western scenery. It's a South-stealing-Northern-gold-near-the-end-of-the-Civil-War story. Recommended.



Click to Editorial Reviews

Cabin Boy [HD]

Are you drunk or something?
Honestly... the older I get, and the more views I give this flick... the funnier it gets. I've been fan of Elliott's since "Get A Life" and by the time I saw this film, any hope of anyone even knowing who he was, was long gone. But it didn't matter. I struggled through my first viewing thinking, "wow, this movie sucks hard," but for some reason still decided to watch it again. That's Elliott's charm/magic... you don't really get him, sometimes he even annoys you, but you just wanna give him another go. So... 5, 6, 14 viewings later... I get it! I get it every time now! I get a little more each and every time now! Honestly... even my girlfiend didn't want to like this and she was howling! It's about the subtleties... a funny glance, a funny dance, a flying, talking cupcake, or more than likely, a really good one-liner. Anyway... I'm rambling... watch this movie 2-3 times then enjoy!

The Hidden Value of Cabin Boy!
The first time you watch this movie, you'll probably agree that it is pretty dumb, and from first glance seems like its only intent is cheap laughs and one-liners. When I first saw it, that's pretty much how I pictured it as well. It really didn't seem to have much depth besides the occasional imperceptive joke. Then, I watched it again and the entire point started to slowly unfold. The comedy of this movie is not found in jokes or funny scenes (though these do add to it), but in the plot and characters themselves. This is probably the single biggest reason people consider this movie useless; they don't see past the jokes. The real humor lies in the main character Nathaniel's personality and lifestyle. Nathaniel Mayweather is a resident at the finishing school for young gentlemen, where he puts everyone around him in a terrible mood on a daily basis and yet is able to keep his feminine "Fancy Lad" qualities and gentleman like lifestyle, i.e. powdering his bottom and listening to his...

Great Film - bound to be an interesting DVD
When I first saw this film in a theater with a broken heater suffering through a 103 degree fever, I believed that it was either a twisted flu triggered dream or one of the most delightfully insane films ever made. After all, could I attribute the presence of a mermaid Russ Tamblyn and a tabacco chewing talking cupcake to anything other than my own cooking brain. It seems that the filmmakers were under the same spell when they made this delightfully hilarious - yet horridly absurd film that has seemed to attract a legion of followers (and an equally strong army of detractors). Showcasing the talent of former Late Night with David Letterman regular Chris Elliot - fresh from the mixed success of his sitcom Get a Life (which managed to survive at Fox until a new head of programming decided he hated the show and vowed to cancel it despite decent ratings in even the worst time slots) - brought his charm to the big screen as a "fancy lad" who signs on as a cabin boy on a ship of crusty...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Once Upon A Mattress [HD]

Why? But I'm Glad...
My first question is Why? Why bother going to such expense and effort to bring this old chestnut to the screen (TV, that is)? It was never a GREAT musical to begin with. But on the other hand, I'm glad they did, because, as a former musical director, I have conducted and played this show several times. The last time was over 30 years ago, so it was wonderful to see and hear it again after all this time.

There have been complaints that the songs aren't memorable. (One reviewed didn't like them so he/she fast-forwarded through them. That's a wonderful way to get to know a song!) The songs are indeed memorable, and quite tuneful. Mary Rodgers, Richard's daughter, did a wonderful job...better, in fact, than her father was doing about that time. And the lyrics are very clever. "Sensitivity" in 5/4 time is a tour-de-force of writing and performing. I was sorry they cut "Very Soft Shoes," the jester's song. And "An Opening for a Princess." I missed that, too.

The...

LESS THAN REGAL BUT WINNING JUST THE SAME
Just watched this on the TV special ahead of the release of the DVD and while the show was entertaining it had some short-comings principally in dropping numbers such as "Yesterday I Loved You" which was sung by the young lovers. In its place they sang a shortened version of "Normandy" which was not their number in the first place. "Very Soft Shoes" a minor show-stopper for the jester was missed and "Many Moons Ago" and "An Opening for a Princess" were reduced to bits. The score that was retained was edited but the songs still entertain. The cast was well chosen and Tracy Ullman was brave taking on a role forever identified as Carol Burnetts' who camped it up in high style as wicked Queen Aggravain for this special. Tracy was good and funny but her singing lacked the lung power of Carol Burnett especially the way Ms Burnett belted out "Happily Ever After" and "Shy" Denis O'Hare made an appropriate woe-be-gone Prince Dauntless and Matthew Morrison sang well as Sir Harry. If this...

Princess Shy
This production of Once Upon a Mattress makes you wonder why Tracey Ullman hasn't been on Broadway until now. She makes the show, in spite of the fact that the role is for a younger woman. For that matter, why aren't there more musical roles for women over forty? The only one I can think of is Mamma Mia. Judging by the popularity of Mamma Mia, it seems as if there is a considerable audience for such shows.

The DVD version of Once Upon a Mattress is fun to watch, but I can't help thinking that I might have been disappointed if I'd paid Broadway prices for a ticket. The only memorable number in the show was Ullman's opening tune "I'm Shy." On the other hand, the DVD includes a few extra features that you may enjoy. There's a short about the 1959 production that starred Carol Burnett as Princess Winifred, as well as two split-screen musical numbers comparing the rehearsals with the full-dress version.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Spaced Invaders [HD]

Overlooked but worthy laugh-riot Halloween fare
On my first viewing of Spaced Invaders I made a tragic mistake: I took it seriously. When renting it later just for the heck of it I realized that it's supposed to be just as goofy and unbelievable as it is. It's not just a funny movie; it's a forgotten classic. The first time you see it you're likely to be distracted by the sappy ET-style friendship between Arianna Richards and a cute little robot-thing, but make no mistake: This movie is not just another Mac & Me.

The story: The Martian Empire is attacking Arcturus under the command of enforcer drones whose inflexibility turns the entire fleet into cannon fodder; a civilian asteroid patrol with five loony Martians and a drone of their own picks up what they think is a cry for help from the embattled citizens of Earth. What they don't know is that the little town of Big Bean is merely broadcasting "War of the Worlds" on Halloween night, so their efforts to join up with the invasion force after a crash landing get them...

You did it again! You put tab A into schlot B, didn't you?!
"Spaced Invaders" is a priceless comedy! I first saw it when I was 7 and 13 years later it still keeps me in stitches. This has got to be the funniest portrayal of alien invasion ever, with "Men In Black" and "Mars Attacks" being a close second and third. Sure the concepts that the aliens speak English and can breathe unaided on Earth WOULD be farfetched if you think of this movie as strictly sci-fi, but it's princiapally a COMEDY!! Accept that and everything else falls into place. The sight gags, jokes, performances, and even special effects are stupendous! My favorite unspoken joke is Blaznee's (the Pilot) sporting of an LA Lakers t-shirt (apparently Mars gets pretty good reception of Earth cable stations like ESPN.) :-P [Sidenote: Whoever it was that said this movie was too scary for kids was either being a smart@$$, recalling a different movie, possesses no spine whatsoever, or severely needs their head examined.]

P.S. For all that own this movie, just for fun try counting all...

Great, vastly underrated movie for the family
Like the great classic Bugs Bunny cartoons, this movie has humor at different levels. I just introduced this to my 10 year old daughter and 11 year old son. Both enjoyed the movie - busting out laughing quite a few times... and my daughter is not much of a sci-fi fan. The movie kept me laughing despite having seen a few times... the adult-level humor (that is, humor that adults will get simply because of greater life experiences, not baudy or R-rated to be found here) keeps the movie equally enjoyable for adults. For example of the adult level humor, the Martian voices are based on characters of different movies/actors. The Martian pilot, Blaznee, has the voice and mannerisms of Jack Nicholson; the scientist, that of Peter Seller's Dr. Strangelove. The special effects are surprisingly good for this film. The lack of top 10 actors actually works in the movie's favor and the actors/actresses play their part well - in fact I would say the producers picked out actors and their...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Saludos Amigos [HD]

Great
Great movie for 7.5 and 5 year old boys. Wish they sold the three in this series as a set.

Beautiful Animation
I loved this collection of cartoons and the other Latin American themed Disney Film theThree Caballeros. A must see for an Disney fan.

Good Vacation Movie
Cute movie and very entertaining. The giggles from the kids made this a good adventure. Goofy is always a good one for a fun story. Has just enough humor and adventure for the tween and younger.

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Big Green [HD]

Little Giants - football + futbol = The Big Green
Let's be honest. You already know the beginning, middle, and end to this movie. You know it even if you haven't watched it. Nonetheless, is an enjoyable, albeit incredibly predictable Disney sports flick. Basically, it's Little Giants with a European translation of Football.

When the film begins, an attractive, teacher named Anna Montgomery (Olivia d'Abo) arrives in a small town as a visiting teacher - sort of a teaching abroad half-year deal from England, but without the bad teeth. Anyway, she's a horrible teacher; so she decides to teach her lessons via soccer indoctrination. The kids would rather be doing something more fun, like covering themselves in Cheetos and letting birds eat off of them.

Anyway, the kids name their team after their field in a nearly-stolen-from-Mighty-Ducks concept, and the teacher gets them to play soccer. Naturally, the kids suck when they first begin to play. They're so bad it's almost as if each kid suffers from vertigo or...

Good Soccer Movie
This movie is very entertaining. My daughter really enjoyed it since she plays soccer and could relate to the kids learning to play and be a team. Lots of slap-stick comedy that anyone would enjoy.

YAY
so glad we got this movie and at such a great price as well...next is little giants for sure! !

Click to Editorial Reviews

Sweet Home Alabama [HD]

Never forget who you are...
I was a bit hesitant to watch this film at first because romantic-love-triangle-comedies all end the same way. Plus before the movie started, the audience was packed with high school teenagers with their cellphones. (They could litterally fiddle around with them for hours while looking seemingly busy.) But my mom insisted and I obliged. Anyways, the movie turned out to be pretty sweet and heartwarming.

Melanie Carmichael (aka Melanie Smooter), played by Reese Witherspoon, is an up-and-coming New York City fashion designer who has just been proposed to by Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), the mayor's son. (Quite an impressive proposal I might add, with the Tiffany store open just for them.) There's only one problem, she's still legally married to Jake (Josh Lucas) in Alabama. That's where the real story begins. Melanie drives back to her hometown and nags Jake to sign the divorce papers. He drags his feet while Melanie gets some time to get reacquainted with his family and friends,...

Sweet Home Alabama
Reese Witherspoon was wonderful as Melanie Carmichael! She plays the displaced southerner very well. Josh Lucas was the perfect counterpart portraying the southern hick. They have known and loved each other since they were kids, but of course life interferes, and that is where this movie starts. The town and residents are a typical stereotype, but it doesn't even matter because the film was that good. The writing and supporting cast are priceless. I do have to give special mention to Candice Bergen. She is at her best when she plays those dry roles.

Reese Witherspoon is 'Sweet' in 'Alabama'
Witherspoon gives another strong, leading performance that proves she can make just about any movie look good. She stars as Melanie, a New York fashion designer whose dream is about come true. She's proposed to by New York's most successful and eligable bachelor, who also happens to be the mayor's son. Before she can say for sure, she quickly travels back home to country-side Alabama, to try and get a divorce out of her high-school sweetheart Jake (Josh Lucas). The film was better than I expected. It was pretty funny and heartwarming, while Reese gives a sweet performance in SWEET HOME ALABAMA. It's kind of a chick-flick, but proved high for a comedy on my standards. If you're in the mood for something light and funny, sweet and entertaining, "Alabama" is worth seeing.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Every Time We Say Goodbye [HD]

An early glimpse of Tom Hanks' dramatic appeal!
This movie is amazing. I saw it once many years ago and I never really got over it. It's an incredibly dramatic, romantic, touching, and realistic story of young love in the 1940s. Hanks plays a WWII American pilot stationed in Jerusalem who falls in love with a Sephardic girl played by Christina Marsillach. Of course, Marsillach's family is dead-set against their daughter dating the American. The film focuses in on their forbidden love affair, and Hanks and Marsillach have amazing on-screen chemistry. The characters are remarkably real and raw, as is the storyline. There is no sugar-coated perfect ending, but it's not depressing either. This is one of those rare films that is able to capture at once both the dispair of human prejudices and the optimism of human determination. I rewatched this movie recently, and I was overwhelmed by the same feelings I felt when I watched it for the very first time. Although it's out of print and one of Tom Hanks' lesser known films, it's...

A hidden treasure movie
This is a quietly great movie. It did not hit the top charts after its premiere and soon went into oblivion. Only after Hank's success in the 90s, this film "resucitated" on TV. Every... needs concentration from viewers, and a basic understanding of sephardic history to appreciate its value. Mr. Hanks once said this is his most fondly remembered movie, believe or not. Hanks plays the role of an american fighter pilot enlisted with the RAF. After his plane was shot down in North Africa, he convalesces in Jerusalem. He meets a young sephardic jew (Cristina Marsillach) with whom he falls in love. Her family overall resists this romance. She is also caught with the dilemma: my family traditions or my love for somebody who is "different"?, and hesitates, but not for long. The film accurately reflects a part of the life of sephardic jews. The director is israeli (and sephardic I presume). It is also a true experience to hear Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish. As a Spanish speaker, I see it as a...

Release on DVD please!!!
I have loved this movie for years, and I'm amazed it still is not available on DVD! Please somebody... put on DVD!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Footsteps in the Fog [HD]

"I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you to look after..."
Real-life married couple Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger team up for this tight, compact little 1955 gaslit-era mystery, about the strange relationship between a murderous nobleman and his blackmailing parlour-maid.

Based on a story by W.W. Jacobs entitled "The Interruption", FOOTSTEPS IN THE FOG stars Stewart Granger as Stephen Lowry, a man who has successfully poisoned his wife, and thinks he's gotten away with the crime. But parlour-maid Lily Watkins (Jean Simmons) discovers his deceptions and blackmails him, first for his wife's jewels and then for the coveted position of housekeeper. Lily's silence comes cheap for Lowry, but in order to ensure that his crime remains under wraps, Lowry finds himself entangled in a growing web of deception, lies and murder...

FOOTSTEPS IN THE FOG is an outstanding gaslit-era costume thriller in the great tradition of "Gaslight", "The Man with a Cloak", and "So Long at the Fair", the latter also starring the luminous Jean...

GREAT CLASSIC MOVIE
This movie is worth having, I saw it years ago. Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons are outstanding in this cat and mouse thriller. There are so many twists and turns, the plot is well planned out, it is well acted and well written. If you are a fan of the kind of movies that make you wonder all the way through how it will all end? this is for you. Movies like this make you wonder why some of the garbage today thinks it can pass for great cinema. It arrived on time and was securely packaged.

Great little Edwardian mystery
This is a great little Edwardian mystery film. Putting married couple Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger together in this movie was a stroke of genius. Not only is the acting superb in every way, there is a tension between the two pinciples that positively sizzles. Bill Travers (Born Free) is also a great second-banana in one of his earlier roles as a London barrister. You will love the twist at the climax. Everything comes together in this film and that is a rarity -- sets, costumes, acting, writing, production values, etc., all make for a great, fun, and exciting viewing experience!

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Rookie [HD]

Dad's Watch this One with Your Kids
The Rookie is well-done. It doesn't have the feel of a traditional 'tug-on-your-heartstrings' family film. Instead, scenes are shot artistically, there is space between events, the director and writers gave the time and energy to tell the story and tell the story well, and emotional cues aren't yanked one time too many.

So, the story may be well-known to most but it's a phenomenal one to tell. Based on true life story of Jim Morris, he finds his way to Major League Baseball late in life as a relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays through the encouragement of his High School baseball team. What is really nice is the way the writers took the linear story and added an additional element of history to it. The story goes that in Big Springs, Texas some Nuns early on made a risky financial investment and prayed to the Saint of impossible dreams. Jim Morris's dream may seemed impossible but it is a source of encouragement and inspiration for the rest of us following our...

Chase after your dream
The Rookie can probably be considered as one of the great baseball classics in the likes of Field of Dreams and Bull Durham. Based on the true story of Jim Morris, this is a moving tale of a man who gets a second shot at a life long dream. Husband and a father of three, Morris is a teacher at Big Lake, Texas, who was playing in the minor league until he hurt his shoulder. Now he coaches the school's baseball team, and to inspire his players, he makes a deal with them. If they are able to win the district title, Morris agrees to try out for the major league.

Director John Lee Hancock took his time with the character development, and it pays off as he gives us a tiny glimpse of Morris' childhood, of how much the game of baseball means to him. Dennis Quaid does an impressive job portraying Morris, I'd even say that he is totally perfect for the role, he is expressive, convincing and the acting just blows me away. Rachel Griffiths is a good complement as Morris' wife Lorri,...

A DREAM COME TRUE...
This is a heart warming, family friendly Disney movie that is based upon the true story of Texan Jim Morris, a baseball buff and minor leagues player has been, who becomes a high school teacher and baseball coach in a town where football is king. To motivate the lackluster baseball team he coaches, Jim strikes a deal with the team, which the the team initiates, knowing that their coach pitches a mean fast ball. Jim agrees that if they wins the district championship, he will try out for a major leagues baseball team.

Much to his surprise and chagrin, the high school team he coaches goes on to take it all, and the thirty something Jim is forced to come to terms with his pledge. He does so, trying out for a major leagues baseball team, and finds himself living a dream come true. How can he not, with a fast ball clocking at 98 miles per hour?

Dennis Quaid, with his shy, boyish charm and ingratiating toothy grin, is terrific in the role of Jim Morris. Rachel Griffiths is excellent as...

Click to Editorial Reviews