Labou

Great Kid's Movie
My 7 year old son gave this movie 5 stars. He's watching it right now - again - and laughing. What's not to like? A ghost, pirates, hidden treasure, kid heroes, idiot bad guys, action, suspense, friendship, humor, lessons learned, and of course the lovable Labou.

My 8 year old LOVED it
My eight year old boy LOVED this movie. He thought Labou was ADORABLE and thought the high jinks in the story were hilarious. As a parent, I did NOT like how the one boy seemed to be saying things like "Idiot!" and "Losers!" to the other kids. He was a total brat for most of the movie. Adults and teens would see that he was "all talk" but younger kids wouldn't catch on to it. They would just see a mean kid who the other two kids continue wanting to be friends with.

But all in all, it is fairly harmless and has a "save the environment" theme because the little creature Labou is in danger of losing his habitat. So the kids end up trying to find the treasure AND save the swamp. Fairly simplistic plot but enjoyable for my 8 year old.

My son is afraid of ghosts but was not scared by Captain LaRouge, except for a couple times that he jumped out unexpectedly. I was happy about this because oftentimes he gets scared after seeing movies or shows dealing with...

Classic Children's Movie
Labou is definitely going to become a new children's classic movie. It combines all the great elements of classic movies. There is adventure, comedy, pirates, and buried treasure. It has a G rating so it is suitable for any age and also has a good moral lesson. I'm a teacher and showed it to my second grade class and they absolutely loved it. I recommend it to any parent or teacher who wants an engaging entertaining movie that has a great story. I loved that it was set and shot in New Orleans. The setting added a little something more to the film. Overall, just a great film!

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Paul Blart: Mall Cop [Blu-ray]

Aw, isn't there room in this world anymore for a big, affable lug?
This movie is getting a surprising amount of hate and I don't know why. There is very little in the way of violence, even less in the way of sex and even the gross-out jokes are kept way below what is usually the minimum level for comedies lately. The bad guys get around the mall with mountain bikes, skate boards and by utilizing some impressive parkour moves. Clearly this movie was meant for the PG crowd and in that it succeeds. It's a nice clean family comedy that everyone can attend and enjoy. There were lots of families in the theater when I saw this movie and they all seemed to have a pretty good time. They laughed and giggled and there was very little of the bored chatter you hear sometimes at kids/family movies.

I was thinking a little about the John Candy movie Summer Rental after I saw this. Candy played a few different roles in films before he did Summer Rental but that movie is where you see the classic John Candy affable lug character that kind of served as a...

Pretty clean humor, and better than I thought it would be
I had my reservations going in to see this one, but it was surprisingly funny and didn't have to use much gross-out, potty humor or profanity that seems to be pervading many comedies these days in attempts to humor people. Instead, there was more slapstick style humor, and while it is the classic lovable loser meets girl scenario (except at the mall) and has its predictable moments, over all it was a pretty decent comedy.

King of Queens star Kevin James plays Paul Blart, a long time mall security guard who is a bit lonely in life because of failed relationships. When he sees a beautiful woman working in the mall, he tries to figure out a way to connect with her, but his awkwardness gets in the way of his progress. Training a new mall security guard isn't what it seems to be, as this supposed high school dropout turns out to be the brains behind a massive robbery and hostage situation. It is up to Paul Blart, the only one who takes his job too seriously, to try and save the...

I laughed...does that make me a bad person?
Given the large numbers of people who referred to this silly little movie as one of the worst ever, I wonder where we draw the line between critical assessment and pure gut reaction in forming our opinions of entertainment. What separates Step Brothers, which I hated, from Mall Cop, which I enjoyed? Why did this movie work whereas Funny People, another more critically received Sandler project, disappointed me?
There is little original in the story, there are the predictable credibility issues (young attractive girl falls for shleppy overweight loser - oh, what hath Seth Rogen wrought?), and there's Sandler's penchant for schlocky 80s pop music touchstones that buddy Kevin James is borrowing, but still I found myself laughing out loud during much of this movie even when I saw the gag coming from a mile away. Either my opinion isn't worth squat or the reviewers who tore this movie to shreds need to lighten up. Or maybe neither. Maybe individual taste is just too complex to figure...

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Valkyrie (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)

Magazine articles proven wrong...again
9/10 Stars

Forget all the negative hype surrounding Valkyrie, because I assure you it is false. Bryan Singer has made a well-crafted thriller that kept me and my family on the edge of our seats until the end - even though we all know what the story's unfortunate outcome. Also, many tabloids were making this out to be the movie that would permanently cripple the career of Tom Cruise. This is entirely false. Cruise delivers a fine performance, and this hatred I can only assume is related to his rather odd personal life. Tom Cruise is as strong of an actor as he ever was, and I won't let something like turning Oprah's couch into a playground deny the fact that the man has talent, and is a truly passionate actor (and seriously, he does have a slight resemblance to Stauffenberg).

The movie is based on the last of fifteen known attempts on the life of German dictator Adolf Hitler (I'm sure everyone will have him in a nice "Five Most Evil People" list), and has Tom...

Faithful to History, well done
All Historical Dramas faithful to the actual events run the risk of being dry and boring. Fortunately, although it is a bit dry here and there, the producers of Valkyrie didn't stray too far in that direction. The story is well-told, and I did not feel that it dragged or got into excessive and boring detail at any point. If you are a student of WWII, and particularly this famous failed attempt to assassinate Hitler, you will be pleased with the quality of the film, the acting, and the film's faithfulness to facts and to the tone of the times. The film brings forth many details of which I was not aware, and the historical facts I know-of from past research are accurately portrayed.

It is clear computer graphics are used extensively in this film, since many of the scenes could not have been filmed in any other way, more than 60 years after events took place. The special effects are for the most part well done, and are not intrusive - clearly used only as needed to...

Outstanding film, a must see for all history buffs...
As a history buff, I was complelled to see this film from the get go. The fact that critics were particularly brutal led me to believe this was indeed an excellent film. I was very pleased to see it stuck to the facts even if some of the details are rather mundane. The cinematography does an excellent job at placing you in the era as if you were a bystander to the events before you.
The acting was simply top notch. Tom Cuise elevated himself with his performance. He was quite believable and true to the accounts of Colonel Stauffenberg. I reject the accounts by critics that this was a Gerry Maguire performance in uniform. The supporting cast is award worthy. it is rare to find a cast that works so seemlessly together. I believe the director deserves particular credit for this achievement.
Bottom line, Valkyrie is a top quality film worthy of your time. Forget what all those bitter, envious critics says, see it for yourself and then judge the film in it's merits.

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The Bible Code II: Apocalypse

Good but not as good as the part one...
After a great vol. 1, this sequel was not kept in the same high levelmof the first documentary. Still, it is worth watching, but it is not a MUST!





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Direct Contact

hopefully Command Performance will be better . . .
Although the action scenes are decent, the stunts executed fairly well, and the story fairly plausible, Direct Contact (2009) suffers from `lazy filmmaking'. There is a lack of attention to detail, a lack of effort in the writing of dialog, and a basic disregard for logic and reality, that detracts from what is otherwise a serviceable comic book action adventure. Since Danny Lenner both wrote and directed the film, the source of the problems appears clear.

Dolph Lungren is Mike Riggins, a former US marine doing time in a Balkan prison, for dealing in contraband. Riggins is offered money and his freedom, in return for freeing a kidnapped woman named Ana Gale, (Gina Marie May) who is being held captive in a guarded military compound. Clive Connelly (Michael Pare), supposedly associated with the US embassy, brokers the deal and arranges for Riggins release.

Riggins speaks to Vlado Karadjov (Vladimir Vladimirov), the man holding the woman hostage. After Vlado...

Entertaining B action
I don't have high hopes on movies written and directed by Danny Lerner and Dolph's direct-to-DVD movies have been of varying quality. "Direct Contact" was better than I expected. There's nothing original about the plot but it's entertaining, with a fast pace and plenty of action. This is Dolphh's best movie in some time. Recommended for action fans. 3+

"Search for Americanskis!"
The story: Mike Riggins (Lundgren), an ex-Special Forces veteran of Kosovo, is promised release from his unjust incarceration at a Bulgarian prison by a shady businessman (Michael Paré, Streets of Fire) if he can rescue an American woman (Gina May, "Undressed", "Malibu, CA") from the control of a sadistic general (Bashar Rahal, Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare). However, when it becomes clear that the girl was not kidnapped but is being stalked for darker reasons, Mike must fight for his life as he attempts to bring her safely to the American embassy.

If nothing else, "Direct Contact" stands out for being the most action-packed of all of Lundgren's recent pre-Expendables fare. More so than any of the no-namers who wrangled Dolph's fare in the last several...

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Steven Seagal Collection: Above the Law/Hard to Kill

FULL SCREEN in spite of product description
Don't be fooled. Though the product description says 'widescreen,' both flicks on this disc are full screen. What a ripoff.

Best of the Best
The First 2 Movies of his that I saw , and both are perfect for my Collection .
PLay great , and received in A Great time ast prefect costs.

Love Steven Seagal in any movie
Seagal movie is always appreciated. Have been a fan for years always try to purchase as many as I can

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Kurt Russell Collection (Executive Decision / Unlawful Entry)

Kurt Russell action movie two-fer
No bonus features on this low-priced double feature beyond scene access.

EXECUTIVE DECISION
In light of 9/11 and current Mideast events, this story of Islamic terrorists who hijack a jet loaded with deadly toxins seems all the more plausible. Seagal's greezy n' eezy hero soldier doesn't last the first half-hour (yay!). In his MIT yearbook, Platt's straw-chomping computer whiz is the "nerd least likely to save the day." Granite-jawed Russell's small plane flying lesson at film's start foreshadows this one's spectacular finale. Not the greatest actioner, but far from the worst.

UNLAWFUL ENTRY
A cop who installs a security system after a break-in at Michael Carr's home seems to be dropping by too often and spending a lot of time with Mrs. Carr. Their conversations aren't always about the alarm system either, so Michael naturally begins to wonder what's going on. Liotta plays his patented "normal guy goes wacky" nutcase. Russell, who's so good in...

Suspensefull but Predictable
Kurt Russel portrays an overly concerned husband in "Unlawfull Entry" and rightfully so. The movie keeps one suspended from scene to scene. However, it becomes predictable towards the end of the movie. But this is still a good movie with a good solid plot and very good acting. "Executive Decision" is another good movie, one of which I suspect they purposely got rid of Steven Segal's character due to internal filming issues.

my movie
i love this one i wanted it for a long time i sen it on tv now i can play it anytime

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Modern Marvels: Glue

do not feel presented correctly
This is a cd that is an advertisement. Th e purchase was for the glue to be used for matting of canvas art. i do not in any recommend this item

Fascinating Documentary
This documentary held me spellbound the whole DVD. A real eye-opener. I had no idea how much our society depends on glue. I was also surprised how much glue is used building boats. A very well-done presentation.

Good Info
Very nicely done and very informative. We enjoy educational materials and this makes a nice addition to our growing collection. Learned a lot of new things about adhesives from this.

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Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars

A Deserved Praise for a Fantastic Lady
First off, this work spoke to a left progressive like myself. It said McAuliffe, a Caucasian, went to a Black college for graduate school. She wrote her thesis on helping disabled students. An openly gay man who was a student in her class recalled how she was pro-gay (unlike the 1980s teachers that I knew) and that helped him survive school. She taught about women in history. The work stated that she identified as "a Kennedy Democrat" even though NASA asked her to remain silent on the topic. McAuliffe sounded like the awesome progressive that I'd want for a close friend even in this decade.

At least 12,000 teachers applied for this space program and McAuliffe's selection is laudable. This work shows how audiogenic she was. Recently, Susan Boyle, a Scottish woman with a beautiful voice, became sick dealing with her new fame. McAuliffe didn't seem to crack under media scrutiny. She seemed to handle public attention with ease.

Wearing my gender studies...

Very touching documentaire
This dvd is a must have for spacefans, who understands spaceflight is not only succes but faillures too.
The touching story of Christa Mcaulliffe the first teacher that went to space, but never got up there.



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A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

Ozu's sensibility applied to a fragmented Chinese-American family
A widowed Chinese father visits America to see his daughter for the first time in years. For reasons we gradually discover in the course of the film, they are not close, and the daughter, having installed him in her apartment, spends more time away each day, politely avoiding discussing her life with him at all, keeping her emotional distance. We see the father, despite his broken English, take walks, strike up casual conversations with a few Americans, like an unemployed girl lounging by a pool in her bikini, who explains she wants to be a "forensic scientist," to which he replies he was a rocket scientist back in China, a claim we will find out a great deal more about later in the film. The father begins meeting an Iranian woman of his own age in a nearby park each day, discussing their respective family situations, which parallel each other in some unfortunate ways. Beginning to snoop on his daughter a bit, the father finds some surprising things about her life, but angers her...

Father and Daughter: Wayne Wang Back in Form
Mr. Shi (Henry O), a retired Chinese rocket engineer, travels from Beijing to meet his daughter Yilan (Fiehong Yu) living alone in America for the first time in 12 years. Mild-mannered Mr. Shi is a pretty outgoing person, ready to learn and happy to chat with other residents, including "Madame" (Vida Ghahremani), an elderly Iranian lady he met in the nearby park.

Still there is some tension between Mr. Shi and Yilan, who suggests he go on a tour around the country before winter comes. Or maybe she just doesn't want him here. The father is genuinely worried about his daughter, recently divorced. Mr. Shi really wishes her happiness - which means remarriage, perhaps - but his eagerness only makes the situation difficult.

"A Thousand Years of Good Prayers" is based on the novel by Yiyun Li (which I haven't read), but the cinematic adaptation and its low-key approach would remind us of a classic film "Tokyo Story." Like Yasujiro Ozu's touching drama, Wayne Wang...

Language of the hearts
This film is one of the best on humanity, exile and loneliness. The story of two American immigrants who came from the farthest corners of the globe and speak two entirely different languages ties humanity in the strongest way. As Rumi said in his poem, the language of the hearts is far more expressive than what the tongue utters.

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JOHAN

A foreign film delight
I'm a lover of foreign films anyway and this one was not a disappointment in any shape, form, or fashion.

It was a vehicle for an established Dutch pop star who has gone on to better things.
Don't get me wrong, I love Michiel Huisman. who later on in his career has done some really wonderful work particularly in the HBO series Treme. This one was simply a riff to get him some screen time in Holland when he was very young. He didn't do that bad a job but the movie is silly. If you LOVE Michiel then you will like it more.

3.5 stars... No, not the male version of "Bend It Like Beckham"
I was shopping for a movie in the foreign movie section at my local library the other day, and noticed this movie, which I immediately picked up, for one since it is a Dutch movie (I'm from the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium).

"Johan" (97 min,; originally released in 2006 in the Netherlands) has an intruiging promise. Born as the 11th son in a soccer-crazy family (and hence 'completing' the team), it turns out that Johan actually hates soccer. Johan eventually quits the family soccer team, and tries to find his own way as a singer-songwriter (the actor playing Johan is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter in real life). Meanwhile Johan falls in love with a local girl, who (for reasons never made clear in the movie) eventually bags Johan for one of his brothers, a soccer-star in the making, and even marries him. You'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

This was a pleasant movie, nothing more, nothing less. There are tons of scenes and references in...

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Crazy Girls Undercover

very over the top
this movie is rich in action and beautiful women.the first time i saw this movie i thought it was terrific! it was so over the top with action andgood scenes, and the production seemed way above the normal you would expect from this type of movie. just sit back and escape reality for ninety minutes and enjoy.





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Princess of Nebraska

Beautiful Whisper of a movie.
I've always have been a fan of Wayne Wang and this film is the reason why. A Young girl finds out she is going to have a baby. Is she going to have a abortion? Is she going to keep the baby? Is she going to sell her baby in the illegal baby market? The beautiful Ling Li
plays the young girl not as a victim, but as a strong vocal person trying to make up her mind. Or is she just bored and every idea that pops in her mind she runs with it for that moment. One moment she can be very sexy and cunning, and the next she can be waif like and innocent. We watch this film as if we are picking into a window. I don't think it was the director's idea to let us fully into her world. It's like listening to a couple of 18 year old girls talking at the bus stop and their ideas and thoughts jumping all over the place. We may think their is no substance to what they say, but to them nothing else matters except what they think and feel. It's slow
moving, but I did not want to be rushed. There...

Concentration
This is one of those films which requires a great deal of concentration and some intuition to keep up with. It is a good and well-done movie that treats accidental pregnancy with respect and caring. It tries to show the emotions and thoughts a young lady would probably go through in living the situation. The ending is incredibly realistic though very symbolic, enigmatic and perplexing. The ending could give one a sense of hopelessness, but in reality, it is just another mountain to move or wall to break through.



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Super Nova

Lexx Season 1: The Original 4 Movies
This is not a TV season, but the 4 movies before it became a TV series. Season 2 is the first TV show season.

For fans of the show, this is a must get. It goes over the origin of the Lexx and all it's crew. These 4 movies were not available in the US on DVD until now. They were on VHS here, and Canada has had them on DVD and it is region 1 so you could have found a way to get them.

Lexx is my favorite sci-fi series as it does not follow the formula of sci-fi shows before it (or since for that matter). You can easily get invested in these characters and their adventures.

The Four episodes/movies:

1. I Worship His Shadow Lexx Series One "1.0: I Worship His Shadow" - Things get started and you get a good idea of the characters and how things don't go the way you as a viewer expect them to go.

2. Supernova...

Uncensored, but still butchered
This set contains the uncensored US version of the Lexx movies which were the ones broadcast in the UK on the Sci-Fi channel and not Channel 5. Therefore, the movies are unfortunately edited down to suit US commercials (didn't someone tell them that DVDs don't have commercials?). The editing is most noticeable in I Worship his Shadow and Giga Shadow with the former missing Stanly's capture and the middle of the final battle between Kai and His Divine Shadow, and the later missing the middle of the conversation between Kai and Yottskry and the middle of the chase between the Lexx and the Giga Shadow. This editing must have meant that the music in Giga Shadow was out of sync, but rather then re-score it they have compressed it and then muted the sections that sound too atrocious. I Worship his Shadow also has substantial over dubbing of dialogue throughout the episode (the most annoying of which is the bug bomb sequence) that, in my view, distracts from the overall atmosphere. So...

First season of an amazing show
I give these four movies 5 stars, they are the beginning of one of my favorite TV shows.

I want to give you some insight into the difference between this release (Echo Bridge) and the original canadian release by Salter Street. The Salter Street releases were four separate movies in individual cases, while this release is packaged in a kind of "book" style. The disc's carrier slides out of the cardboard sleeve, which has some nice embossed features of the graphics. It carries, as someone already noticed the image of Xenia Seeberg (Xev), who replaced Eva Habermann (Zev) a few episodes into season two...

The carrier itself opens up and holds two discs on each side. Overall, the package is only slightly thicker than a single DVD case. To note is that the slider is sealed with some non-removable tape. It needs to be cut and can not be peeled off without damaging the box.

The 4 movies are "bare bones", none of the extra features of the canadian release are...

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Patches in the Sky

Grainy transfer mars otherwise great series.
4.5 stars. I just want to note here that there are numerous scenes where the transfer to DVD is less than perfect. Other times, particularly the special effects shots, the transfer is pristine. This is possibly, arguably, the most original Sci-fi series ever created and it was a mild letdown to see a flawed transfer. However, all these episodes are the uncut versions, and I seriously don't remember this much sexual innuendo(oftentimes bizarre sexual innuendo). But this show always was a little more than left-of-center, which is certainly why it appealed to me so much. Just when I thought there was nothing original on TV, along comes this weird series in the 2a.m. time-slot like a warm wind filled with fresh air. For beginners I suggest getting the first series volumes for a more in-depth backstory on these strangely captivating characters. After that, this is an excellent progression. The stories are crazy and fun, and each volume here contains over three hours of footage...

Second Season Winner
The first season is the best but the second season is quite good. Pay attention to the other "real people" that have reviewed it. First of all LEXX was out long before Farscape so the ridiculous line about sound familiar is out of context. LEXX is unique in its approach to SciFi. It is far more graphic in violence and erotic behavior than other series you will see. I have purchased the first two seasons on DVD since I think they are the best. The rest are worth seeing but I am not sure about buying.

Excellent Viewing
It is my opinion that the second series of Lexx is the best of the 4.

In this series you get a collection of stand-alone episodes that only hint at an undelying plotline that reveals itself fully in the last few episodes. The Stand alone episodes bring out the risqué humour this series is known for. Each episode is a new adventure and are well worth spending the time to watch.

The special features are bare minimum. If you purchase DVDs based on the special features all you're really getting is quizzes based on the episodes on the DVD.

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The Butterfly Tattoo

Good. Very good!
**Contains Spoilers** Review taken from 'BookWitch' blog
The witch rarely gets to go to premieres of any kind, so the UK premiere of The Butterfly Tattoo made a welcome change. It was on last night at Cornerhouse in Manchester, as part of a short film festival, and whereas it wasn't full, it was very busy. They moved the screening to cinema one, which I assume was to accommodate more people.

The film? It was good. Very good. I'd heard it was very good, and then I read a review somewhere which claimed it wasn't, particularly. So we went with open minds, and Daughter was warned that it wouldn't end happily. The script follows Philip Pullman's book pretty closely, so you do get the bad end at the beginning, so to speak.

It's Romeo and Juliet, really. Some very intense love when boy meets girl, and then lots of confusion as they lose touch. Lots of searching, to a backdrop of someone else's criminal behaviour, which eventually comes to have a bearing on the...

Romeo & Juliet, but with a POV twist...
An updated twist on the old R&J tale. Two young lovers in Oxford tell our story through plenty of long takes, close-ups, young angst, missed coincidences, and unfortunate circumstance.

What sets this one apart (a bit) is the twist of watching a sub-plot told three different ways, culminating in the last tragic act suffered upon the two leads. No spoilers here as the first scene shows the ending, so we know what is going to happen. The young actors and supporting cast are believable, the 102 minutes are long, the film gets the yellow lens treatment, the sound is 2.0 - but above all the makers managed to convey a believable tragedy.

The extras have some nicely included bloopers, a few thankfully deleted scenes, and an extended version of the dance club scene; sort of goes with all of the music in this film. If you are looking for an action packed romance tale - not it. If you are looking for the short love story version - not it. Just a simple love story gone...

The only reality - a nailgun.
What is appealing about this movie?
(1.) A contemporary adaptation of Romeo & Juliet doesn't take much imagination. Is simply having love and tragedy in the same hour the measure of success?
(2.) But to do so in a very slow and mundane teen love story that was so trite, humdrum and unreal that one thinks, "Where was this writer and this director raised - in a cave?" Family, youth and youth conflict scenes were as real as a '70s sitcom with acting skills just as real.
(3.) The two star highlights were the frequent slow panning close-ups of an industrial nailgun. Duh!
(4.) Absurd robbery, coverup and revenge sequences that seemed as artificial as a plastic grocery bag.

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DIVERGENCE

A moving story of loss and love
This is a marvelous film from a young independent film maker. I especially thought the work of Traci Ann Wolfe as the young woman so desolate over her loss as to contemplate suicide was especially moving. The music marvelously set the mood of the piece and the locations were very realistic. I believe this movie was made on a very small budget but it was hard to tell from the quality of the work.

Unique & risky first-time director film
This is supposed to be a performance film, but I found it to be stronger in the environment themed category. That being a film made up of moods set by the content of the surroundings being filmed, as I felt the performances were too weak, painfully overdone and visibly forced at times.

It tells a story of a wounded soldier temporarily staying Stateside until he gets cleared for going active again. He houses on the Jersey shoreline next to a grieving widow, all whilst he partakes in a shallow fling with the real estate agent who got him his place. There are plenty of shots containing shoreline, ocean views, birds and the local fauna. The remainder of the scenes contain average to forced portrayals of the people around our lead, who manages to be convincing as the war ravaged, PTSD-type soldier.

The DVD contains some thankfully deleted scenes and alternate ending, a making-of that decently covers the background of filming, a commentary and assorted pics/trailers...

Beautiful, Sublte and "Grown-Up" Film
Divergence is a lovely, beautifully-photographed film written, directed and performed with an unusual level of confidence.

Rather than detail the plot, which has been covered in other comments, I'd love to share some of the details that made the movie such a pleasure:

*Haunting, captivating and mature performances by all of the lead actors. Tracy Ann Wolf's "Clare" (who I figured out 1/2 way through the movie reminds me equally of Joely Richardson and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchel) is a tragic beauty, but you can always see the light in her eyes and potential for redemption. Jakob Hawkins' "Tim" could easily become a maudlin drip, but his appeal to both "Clare" and "Heidi" is entirely believable.

*Writer/Director Patrick Donnelly refreshingly avoids cliches in crafting the secondary characters. The "Main Character's Male Best Friend" is usually presented as a clown, jerk or manipulator. As written by Donnelley and acted by Bill Hidell, "Dave" is a smart,...

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New In Town (Widescreen Edition)

Midwest fun
This is one of my favorite movies. If you are from the midwest or have visited someone in the midwest especially in the winter you will find this movie funny. I am from California and married someone from northern Michigan so I can relate to Renee's character in the movie as she is from Florida. I have had several trips to Michigan/midwest and discovered a totally different type of living than what I have experienced in Los Angeles. I laughed and found it very heart warming.

Disappointing
I'm a big fan of Renee Zellweger and HCJ, so I was expecting a lot from this film. Alas it was not meant to be.

The idea of a glamorous city executive (Zellweger) coming to a small town to downsize a company and butting heads with the local union rep (HCJ) is an excellent one. There was so much potential here for a really sharp romantic comedy, but it basically fell completely flat. Why? IMO because it didn't want to tackle the real issues surrounding downsizing and corporate greed, so it went the way of condescending stereotypes and tired romcom cliches.

Zellweger goes from being a brittle corporate drone to someone with a conscience in the blink of an eye, and there are only a few lame scenes with her & HCJ before they are in lurve. There's no sparring or witty repartee to draw the reader in, or any attempt to build sexual tension. The dialogue is unbelievable and the film consists of very short scenes that don't allow you to connect with the characters. The...

Reminds me of home
Funny. Renae does a great job and Harry is always good. Love the Minnesota accents but loved the strong faith represented in the film. It does change hearts. Good film and a great plot, seems to remind me of living in this state in a small town with small town politics. This film about sums it up. Good job.

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Pax Service: An Alternative to War

Enhanced with several 'Bonus Features' including an extended version of the originally broadcast program
Vision Video is a premier producer of Christian videos for personal, family, seminary, and church school collections. "Pax Service: An Alternative To War" is a 43 minute DVD about how approximately 1200 young men, between 1951 and 1976, refused to join the American military because of their religious beliefs. Instead, these conscientious objectors volunteered to serve humanity in other ways including the building of homes for World War II refugees, teaching African farmers modern farming methods, helping Greek villagers to preserve food for the winter months, even building a road through the exceedingly difficult terrain of the Paraguayan Chaco. The program under which they labored was called PAX, a movement serving forty countries. This informative DVD is enhanced with several 'Bonus Features' including an extended version of the originally broadcast program; a Pax Reunion Tour to Europe; a Day in Pax slide show; a discussion guide, and the option of a sound track in English or...





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The Caller

An outstanding minimalist film...
A few noted reviewers here use the SASS abbreviation - and this would apply here in the forefront of all synopses for those that suffer from it. For me though, I watched this film from beginning to end without ever wanting to fast-forward, without ever wanting to see all that was being left out. Truly one of the only films this year that deserves the independent support but with a mainstream cast.

This will probably be one of the only bare bones DVDs that gets a 5 star from me, but the performances, quality and nuanced displays of professionalism make this a stand-alone art piece. The Amazon description actually gives away too much, so any more description would be moot for getting the full effect of what this has to offer. But maybe a small indulgence...

Two story lines intertwine about the character's lives in 1940s France and modern day New York City. One of a retired NYC detective playing the private eye, and another of a corporate cover-up man that grows a...

Remarkable film!
Reviews I've read seem to be either very positive or very negative. People looking for action/thriller/suspense were definitely disappointed. The plot is pretty clearly spelled out at the beginning, so there's little suspense, and the big surprises that affect the two main characters are no surprise to the audience. Action? Precious little. So if there's no action and no suspense, what's left? CHARACTER. The two men in this story are compelling, and are well written, directed, and acted.

I watched it because I'm a Frank Langella fan, and find any of his films to be worth the time spent. I haven't seen Elliot Gould for years (decades) and was pleasantly surprised that he carried his important role so well.

If you dislike subtitles, be warned: Some flashbacks to 1940s France are spoken in French and subtitled, plus a few lines here and there in the present-day portion of the movie. Not enough to annoy me, even though I was knitting a sock while watching the...

Tears and resolve
This is the kind of film that you convince yourself you are just going to have on in the background while you do something else, until you slowly come the realization that you have absorbed every detail, heard every word, lived every moment, shared every note of the score ... with them. What began as cold and detached, has become warm, righteous and has taught you a lesson about how you want to live and the importance of the people in your life. Simple, bittersweet, truth.

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Freezer Burn

couldnt stop laughing
Freezer Burn totally blew me away. I came across it on accident since I was looking for the Crispin Glover, Tom Green flick Freezer Burn: Invasion of Laxdale, but figured since I got it there was no reason not to watch it. I did a quick look up on IMDB to get an idea of the tone of the film, and it seemed sound enough. A man cyrogenically freezes himself so that when he wakes up a young girl he has fallen in love with will be old enough for him to pursue. I didn't read any more so I really had no idea of the tone of the film. What was in my mind was that I was going to sit through a low-budget movie about a pedophile scientist. While the film didn't quite entirely shake that underlining pedophile feeling, it was absolutely much more than my expectations.

Considering it was low budget, and considering the premise, I thought I'd be walking into a film full of tepid, unlikeable characters with jokes that try to hard. I was completely wrong.

Our main character,...

Perfect
I thought this was a guy's movie when I read the premise.
Anyone can watch it.

Perfect casting

If the budget was only $45k, you are awesome.
Good luck with your next films.
This is one of the best movies I have seen in a while.

Reminded me of college days

Don't hesitate to watch it.

Good Acting, Cheesy, Low Budget, Film - that is worth watching
There are movies that are absolute stinkers made with gazillion dollar budgets. There are movies that try to do interesting things on a very small budget, but are also stinkers. Then there is Freezer Burn. A phenonomally low budget film (supposedly $45,000 - although that's hard to believe) that is actually pretty well done with an interesting story. Its all about knowing what you have and maximizing the story.

Virgil is a scientist working in a very very tiny laboratory with his confined to a wheelchair assistant Rex. They work on freezing organs so they will last longer before being transplanted. After success with a monkey heart, Virgil and Rex move to larger things, a dog. In the meantime we discover that Virgil has a, well, the name for a female dog, of a wife. She is an art teacher. The real conflict builds as Virgil meets a 13 year old artist and decides he really likes her. One of the funnier jokes is Rex talking to Virgil about the girl; hey just wait a year and...

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Episode 6942

Love the video - the delivery, not so much
I'm at a loss to explain it but after a few hrs, the feed simply stops and I get a message to try again (which never works) or to call. Since the only times I'm likely to watch for hrs is at night or on weekends/holidays calling in not an option. I received an offer to try Amazon Prime for 30 days. Same problem, poor delivery. Stopped using Amazon Prime way before the 30 days were up.





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Killshot

I'd love to see the directors cut, but it's an otherwise a decent film.
Synopsis: Armand "The Blackbird" Degas (played by Mickey Rourke) is a professional criminal who travels to the Detroit area to conduct some criminal activities. He runs into low-life criminal Richie Nix (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), whom Degas takes a shining to despite Nix's reckless and sociopathic tendencies. The two decide to engage in an extortion attempt on a realtor and inadvertently involve husband and wife Wayne Colson (Thomas Jane) and Carmen Colson (Diane Lane) into their schemes. Well, after Nix is injured during the extortion attempt, the duo begin focusing on revenge more than the actual extortion. Meanwhile, the story begins placing added emphasis on the deteriorating relationship of the Colsons, who prior to meeting Degas and Nix were considering divorce. One thing leads to another and the Colsons have to seek witness protection to escape attempts on their life. But not even witness protection will stop the criminals from trying to find the couple...

First...

A decent, suspenseful thrill ride
Armand "Blackgird" Degas (Rourke) is a hitman for the Toronto mafia. When his dedication to the job brings about the wrath of his employers, he falls in with Richie Nix (Gordon-Levitt), a two-time crook who's a bit too anxious for his own good. When they try one of Nix's many extortion schemes, they run into struggling couple Wayne and Carmen Colson (Jane and Lane). Degas is determined to let no one who sees his face live. Wayne and Carmen going into protective custody isn't about to stop that.

KILLSHOT is a perfectly decent thriller, with a wonderful premise that, though not wholly believable, is at least interesting and original. I haven't read the novel yet, though I plan to do so; I have a feeling the novel (written by the illustrious Elmore Leonard) explores the thematic potentials more fully than the film, which at times feels like a mish-mash of scenes rather than one solid whole. (This can be blamed on the long delay; I first saw previews for KILLSHOT...

Finally...
The story behind Killshot is actually more interesting than the film itself. Originally filmed in 2005, the Elmore Leonard adaptation directed by John Madden (the Shakespeare in Love director, not the football guru that is) sat on the shelf and was subsequently subjected to re-shoots and vast re-edits, so much so that Johnny Knoxville's role as a crooked cop was completely removed from the finished product. The end result however is that Killshot remains an engaging thriller, carried by the performances of its cast. Diane Lane and Thomas Jane star as Carmen and Wayne Colson respectively; an estranged, soon to be divorced couple who run afoul of a deadly hitman named Blackbird (Mickey Rourke) and his young, recently acquired accomplice Richie (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The couple enter witness relocation, but it isn't long before Blackbird and Richie are in hot, relentless pursuit. Briskly paced and plenty compelling, Killshot often feels as if there are large moments missing from...

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T.V. Sets: Action Packed

Four action/drama debut TV episodes
PARAMOUNT's TV SETS: ACTION-PACKED is a single flip-disc that draws upon their own and the CBS-TV archives to present debut episodes of four series.

WALKER, TEXAS RANGER (1993): "One Riot, One Ranger" - In this nearly two-hour premiere, Cordell Walker (Chuck Norris) and new partner James Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.) deal with a group of thugs threatening a circus family and another bunch of baddies planning a bank heist.

MACGYVER (1985): Pilot - After an underground lab explosion, MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) is sent in to stop a deadly gas leak and rescue any scientists who may have survived the blast.

NAVY NCIS: NAVAL CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE SERVICE (2003): "Yankee White" - When a naval officer dies of a stroke on Air Force One after dining with the President, representatives of three government agencies, including N.C.I.S's Special Agent Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) want to determine whether it's a case of murder.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE...





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Episode 6925

Happy to find Corrie on video direct!
It's great to see Corrie up here, but am wondering what is going on with the haphazard way in which the episodes are added. We have through Season 7, then Seasons 8 and 9 are currently missing and the next available in the series is a random episode from Season 10.
Can anybody answer this question? I am unable to contact anyone at Amazon as this is not a 'technical difficulty' as such.





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The Spirit (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Just plain damn wierd.
Chalk me up as a Frank Miller fanboy. Along with fellow visionary Alan Moore, he changed the world of comic books forever with his bleak, noir-heavy storytelling and striking art style into something that wasn't just for kids anymore. God bless him for that. Along with Robert Rodriguez, he brought his pulp masterpiece Sin City to the big screen and kicked the a$z of every person who saw it. But could he duplicate the same artistic success with somebody else's creation and without the help of a directing dynamo like Rodriguez? Not so much. But in spite of all the bile that has been spewed upon Miller's solo directorial debut "The Spirit", I had myself a good ol' time. And with the right attitude, you might as well. Just be prepared for a whole lotta cheese.

Now I have not read any of Will Eisner's comics so I simply cannot comment on how this fares as an adaptation. I suspect not so well. A lot...

Hilarious Comic Book Caper
First off, let me make it clear this movie may not appeal to everyone.
It's the cinematic equivalent of Frank Miller's recent comic work: incredible visuals with ridiculous, over-the-top dialogue.
Likewise, if you try to take this film seriously then you may not gain much gratification.
However if you view The Spirit with an open mind as you would while watching the Adam West Batman show or reading Frank Miller and Jim Lee's All-Star Batman and Robin, then you're sure to have a much more enjoyable time with this irreverent pop culture parody.
At several points in this film you just have to laugh out loud at the absurdity.
Just don't go in expecting Sin City or The Dark Knight.
The Spirit is on the other end of the artistic spectrum, demented post-modern camp/kitsch exploitation.

Even though Miller updated The Spirit with his own visual trademarks and sense of humor, in many ways it's very faithful to Will Eisner's comic.
I must emphasize...

(Drumming fingers....)
This is SOOOO not like the strip itself in feel. Will Eisner's "The Spirit" was an original handling of the whole "Shadow"/"Batman"/"Dick Tracy" "creature of the night" crimefighter. The opening splash panels were always so elaborate and illustrative. The Spirit always showed a ton of compassion to his retrievable charges, like Bleak or Sand Serif, (Sand actually being an old childhood friend of his!) but the one antagonist he has that he doesn't show ANY compassion for, the Octopus, played by Samuel L. Jackson, doing his crazy coon routine again, is trying to become immortal by acquiring a serum that will grant him that power from Spirit's old childhood chum, Sand Serif, who has become Modesty Blaise, after a fashion.

The Spirit is Denny Colt, a rookie cop that is killed, but then brought back to life somehow to become the bane of the human vermin in his city. He works in concert with the chief of police, Dolan, and dates his daughter, Ellen. Dolan is not like the strip...

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Animal Atlas: Animals and Us

Awful - absolutely awful!
My daughter enjoyed some of the Animal Atlas clips from a bonus CD included with another order, so I thought I would suprise her with a full DVD of Animal Atlas. This DVD starts off saying that it is different than their normal light-hearted shows, and is a little more serious. OK, wasn't sure what to expect, but they went on to say they were going to talk about endangered animals and how important it is to help and preserve our wildlife. Sounds good, and it is in theory, but NOT in the way this DVD does. It is way too strong languaged, talking about slaughtering of animals - which of course my daughter wanted to know what that meant - how tiger's paws look better on the animal, having gun sounds in the background while talking about poachers, etc.

My daughter was very upset after watching just a portion of this DVD and we quickly turned it off. She has continued to be upset for a few days, and with bad dreams about animals being hurt (they didn't show any hurt...

Great DVD!
Animals and Us is a very worthwhile DVD. One episode does go into detail about endangered animals, and the issues surrounding it, but in a kid friendly way, with facts that an elementary school textbook might include. The show's heartwarming, funny, and playful exploration of the animal world is refreshing and fun for kids. The other episodes on this DVD show how animals are protected by people in zoos and aquariums. It's important information for kids, because they typically first encounter animals in zoos and may wonder what zoos are for--which is a great question. The other DVDs in the series cover the animal kingdom with fascinating facts and stories about animals from all over the world. It's wonderful. A highly recommended series! My kids love it. So do I.

This DVD is horrible!
I wish I could give this zero stars, but that is not an option. Without even thinking about it, I allowed my son to watch this without veiwing it myself first. I did watch it with him though. I bought this DVD for my autistic son thinking he would love watching it. He really loves animals. I knew the first episode would be about endangered species. I thought it would be talking about these animals and how we are helping them by creating breeding programs and rehabilitation programs. Instead it was full of topics on why these animals are disappearing. They use the word "slaughter" repeatedly. They even play gunshots in the background. Since there are three episodes on this DVD I will keep this and let my son only watch the last two episodes until I can get something to replace it. Anyone who knows an autistic child also knows you can't just remove something they love without having something to replace it with first.

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Hindsight

Pretty Good
This movie is about an irresponsible young couple, Dina (Miranda Bailey) and Ron (Waylon Payne) that live in their car with no means of support. When they find out they are knocked up, they see their unborn baby as a way to make money by selling it on the internet to a prospective couple...Paul (Jeffery Donavan) and Maria (Leonor Varella). They come together and things go well as until the baby's biological father can keep his true nature under control. He gets angry and slaps his pregnant girlfriend which makes the adoptive father question whether or not they are making the right choice with this adoption. It is from this point that things start beginning to take twists and turns. You may be able to predict how the movie is going to end, but the trip to the end is an enjoyable one. The actors deliver well enough and the plot has enough turns to keep people guessing. There's enough gore to keep the spatter crowd entertained, and some depth for those of us who like to look in to film...

Not bad.
I watched Hindsight solely to see Jeffrey Donovan's performance. He was great, as always. Overall, the movie wasn't as good as I was expecting. There were a few twists in the story that kept it from being overly predictable, but I wouldn't say it's one of the most well-developed plots. It's not a bad film; it's worth at least a rent.

Hindsight
The official synopsis for the 2008 movie HINDSIGHT makes things seem a bit more ominous than they really are. "When an unexpectedly pregnant--and broke--couple lists their baby for adoption on the internet to score an upfront payment, they're lured into a twisted, sadistic game of desperation and deception."

As the 10th Doctor would say, "Wellllllllll..."

What really happens is Ron and Dina, a dirt bag couple who make their living stealing cars and skipping out on hotel and restaurant bills, find themselves expecting. Dina doesn't want a baby and decides they'll sell it to the highest bidder. They get several offers but the couple they pick, the couple that offers the most money, is Maria and Paul, a successful doctor and lawyer who live in a model home on an up-and-coming development site.

As the delivery date gets closer, Ron and Dina go to Paul and Maria's to finally meet them in person, and to collect the down payment on their baby. The plan,...

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All the Days Before Tomorrow

I wanted to like it
I'd say this movie was worth watching.

The female lead was not a likable character, made it difficult to see why Wes would have been attracted to her. It was like she was always talking at him. (Kind of like the person that posts all the great stuff that they do on FB, but you are well aware it's just for attention.)

Joey Kern's acting was really the main thing that held this film together I thought. He really did a good job.
I do not understand the point of the 'dreams' OR the Christmas party though. I watched to the end a little to see how it would turn out between the two, but mainly to find out what in the world the deal was with the dream and party.

If anyone has any insight on that, I'd love to know.

Love, sunsets, wide open green fields.
I would love to see the prequel All the days after yesterday. I guess that doesn't leave much for time in between, especially for love.

OK, but not that great
Kind of depressing....wouldn't recommend it, unless you want to feel better about a relationship that never got off the ground.

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China's Forbidden City

Forbidden No More
A very good overview of the hisotry of the Forbidden City and the rulers who lived there. There are not a whole lot of photos, but one can general feeling of what it would be like to live there.





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Dark Matter

Clashes: Cultural, Linguistic, Scientific, Emotional
DARK MATTER is a film that will polarize audiences: for those who seek understanding of the clashes between science and 'religion' and the matrix from which tragedy grows the film will appeal, and for the audiences who demand tidy stories with happy resolutions the film will not please. Apparently 'based on true events', this story has many layers that invite discussion and reveals some facts about the American Academia that many would rather not know.

Liu Xing (Ye Liu) comes from a poor family in Beijing, but rises to hopeful heights due to his exceptional scientific intelligence and is invited to a prestigious university to study with Cosmology professor Jacob Reiser (Aidan Quinn), the author of the Reiser String Theory - the entire universe is tied into a compact single ball of cosmic wax. Liu Xing encounters initial success not only academically but also as a fresh young student, barely able to speak English, who is taken under the wing of the kind matron of Chinese...

GENIUS GRAD STUDENT FALLS INTO A SHARK TANK
DARK MATTER is a harrowing movie about a young genius's attempt to earn a Ph.D., share his ground-breaking ideas about the universe, and improve the lives of his parents and himself. Well scripted and well acted, it rings true.

SPOILER ALERT: at the end, after being repeatedly thwarted by his major advisor/professor and his committee, he "goes postal." All of us who follow the news can recall similar horrific conclusions to real-life stories of academic pressure and frustration.

Looking back on my own career, as a retired college professor who taught for 37 years and who spent 6 years earning my own advanced degrees, I can vouch for the general nastiness of the academic world since the late 1950s. Most academics, despite pretensions to living in an Ivory Tower, swim in a Shark Tank--and sadly many of those who succeed in that environment become the sort of shark-like person who perpetuates it. Power corrupts, whether in government, businesses, or our...

Excellant movie on non-western cosmology breakthrough
Excellent presentation by Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn and Liu Ye about a young Chinese student in America whose advanced theories on the universe exceeds that of his professors causing a rift between him, the American establishment and traditional western religion as well. This film demonstrates how jealousy and ambition within American Academia and American religious institutes has sent cosmology discoveries back into the dark ages. It's a sad but true tale of how the scientific world has been influenced by the infiltration of Western religious dogma.

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One Garden, Two Looks: Season One

Awesome Design Techniques
Amazon...Please consider increasing the available of resources of this nature. Gardeners enjoy material of this sort to provide innovative ways of making the most of this earth.

The design techniques presented in this dvd are great.

Season one was excellent.

Entertaining, Educational, and Practical
Charlie and Denis do an outstanding job at redoing problem or just lackluster gardens. The series shows many creative and practical treatments for typical issues. If your garden doesn't share faults with at least a couple of these projects, a professional must have already been out to your place! Everyone that I have loaned this DVD set to has loved it. Both entertaining and educational. Beware! You may find their enthusiasm contagious!

boring
B O R I N G ! ! ! What more can I say. After the third segment you will wish you had your money back!

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Mask of the Ninja

Ninja Assassin has to be better than this; it can't be any worse.
The Ninja genre is hardly synonymous with quality cinema, and generally should be filed under the heading 'guilty pleasure', a nostalgia trip for thirty year old men fondly remembering the slightly risque movies they watched back in the eighties. Nonetheless, the movies of Sam Firstenberg and Cannon had their moments [Revenge of the Ninja; American Ninja] and, despite being low budget, Firstenberg and his ilk could turn in inventive, trashy, and well shot little exploitation movies, all qualities singularly lacking from this arsebiscuit of a 'movie'.

'Mask of the Ninja' is a movie that has nothing going for it; the script is amateurish [porn writers do a better job of setting up 'linking' scenes that lead from one slice of the action to another]; the 'actors' are so bad that Casper Van Dien comes across as a latter day Orson Welles and Lawrence Olivier, infusing his scenes with gravitas; the lighting is dreadful, even by TV standards; the cinematography is from the...

No, Casper Van Diem does not get to throw Shuriken
I haven't been having a good time with ninja flicks as of late. I was disappointed by Ninja Assassin, the Hollywood production with a chunky budget and the legendary Sho Kosugi in tow; and I was severely disheartened by the plain old Ninja, the brainchild of the beloved Isaac Florentine and gen-x king Scott Adkins. In my desperation, I turned to Casper Van Diem, director Bradford May (Darkman 2) and their collaborative "Mask of Ninja" - a made-for-TV production about which I had heard a couple good things. Not to bash hearsay, but I think I should've stuck with my better instincts: nobody who sees the phrases "Casper Van Diem" and "ninja" together ought to expect greatness.

The story: a centuries-old feud between warring Japanese clans nears its bloody...

I wish I could give this one no stars.
I love all things Ninja. From the moment I saw ninjas I wanted to be one. This movie defiles every aspect of ninja coolness. The ninjas are not only evil ,but they are morons. They should have just made this a comedy. Beverly Hills Ninja gives ninjas more credit, and it had better fight scenes. I was doing better choreography when I was ten. The acting is so bad it embarrassed me just watching it. I hope they give ninjas more justice in this fall's Ninja [...] (Looks Awesome!). Avoid this one at all costs. Complete waste of time and money. Weak!

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The Reader

Exquisitely done, deep and emotionally draining
[Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.]

BEWARE OF SPOILERS.

There is a certain segment of the German mentality that is Hanna Schmidt. English Kate Winslet captures the intent of novelist Bernhard Schlink in her interpretation of the character. Hanna was an ordinary but proud woman of discipline who always did her duty, a woman without the ability to separate herself from what she knew was right and what was wrong, but a woman who was able to hide from herself what she did that was wrong.

She seduces fifteen-year-old Michael Berg. She finds him doubly useful as a reader of great literature. She knows it will not work. Of course how could it? She indulges herself but, being strong and proud, is able to divorce herself from him emotionally when the time comes, as it must. When he reads D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover to her, she...

A profoundly moving and intellectual masterpiece...
I am writing this review on Oscar Nomination morning (although due to the fact that I refuse to post a review until the DVD has dropped you will be reading this much later) mostly due to my elation that it has been nominated for not only the marvelous performance by Kate Winslet (in the right category mind you) but also for Best Picture, Best Director and Adapted Screenplay. I've been chomping at the bit to write this review ever since I walked out of the theater a few weeks back, and since then I've seen the film a record three times and I would watch it again right now if I could. I've pondered this film, discussed this film, relived this film and can honestly label it the best film of the year and quite possibly one of the best films I've seen in a long time.

Sure, you can be quick to pinpoint it's supposed faults, and you can try and label it something that it is not, but if you allow your eyes to open and your mind to absorb you may be able to see this for what it...

What would you do?
I have just seen The Reader and find the film fascinating. However, after reading some of the reviews posted below, I concluded that the timeline of events were missed by some viewers and that some were expecting a more tightly woven ending. I will address the former, but the latter is more like real life, composed of loose ends and no clear answers. I will refrain from giving away the plot twists, preferring to allow the viewer to enjoy the unfolding plot.

To clarify, the narrative timeline is important and the questions the story raises are still relevant. The male lead, Michael meets Winslet's character Hannah first in 1958, AFTER the war. Whatever she did in the war is part of her past when they have their affair. He would have been a small child in the war, he is fifteen when they meet, and in his early 20s in law school. Her sudden disappearances and many of her choices are dictated by a personal secret that has dire consequences later, when Michael, now a law...

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Frontline: My Father My Brother & Me

Frontline: My Father My Brother & Me
This is an amazing DVD on how to understand, cope and fight Parkinson's Disease (PD). I would recommend it to anyone who is struggling with PD or knows someone who is living with this disabling condition. It was both touching and hopeful at the same time.

Please let there be a cure five minutes ago!
When this first started, I was worried that the work would only speak about the things that most viewers already know about Parkinson's. However, in seeing how they speak about history, genetics, politics, cures, and mitigating factors, this work did seem well-rounded to me.

By showing Obama at the beginning of the work and not just focusing on Bush, the work tries to say, "Hey! We realize that the status quo on research this decade may change any second now." They later show Senator Boxer saying stem cell research was the first bill vetoed in six years of W's presidency. The work also shows how Michael J. Fox's commercial for a Democratic Missouri candidate may have helped her win an election. So the politics is still portrayed as crucial, rather than being "yesterday's news."

The work tries to be fair-minded as it showed a disabled man who still opposed stem cell research. I never liked "Family Ties" or Fox's whiny voice, but seeing him here makes me...



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The Pope's Toilet

A Truely excellent film
After reading some of the not so good reviews (and the several glowing reviews) I was impelled to respond. "The Pope's Toilet" is a very poignant story with a subtle religious message based on a real event. I have read and seen much about religion, but this film presented the idea more effectively than most. It also helped me understand the grinding and relentless poverty, and petty corruption, that perhaps defines many third world countries. It is hard to understand how viewers living in this country could say it was a boring, so-so film. I would recommend it to every mature and discerning viewer. . .

Touching & beautiful insight into lives in a small town in Uraguay
This movie is touching, poignant, and heartfelt, while still being realistic and interesting. It's an empathetic portrayal of some poor families in small-town Uraguay, who are human and close-knit, and have aspirations to better their lives through capitalistic endeavor after learning that the Pope would visit their town to give a speech. Of course, they learn in the end that capitalistic investment has risks!

It's title originally threw me off, as it didn't sound like something I wanted to watch. But once I started watching it, the pathos of the main character is very touching, as he strives to build a fancy pay toilet and capitalize on the predicted thousands of Brazilian visitors to the Pope's speech. He really wants to build a better life for his family, rather than continuing the pathetic scrapping out a living being a bicycle smuggler. The movie builds real tension as he works with all his might against time and the forces pushing against him, because you don't...

A moving story with political and religious undertones
A town in northern Uruguay, 60km from the Brazilian border, is excited about the impeding papal visit. Residents discuss ahead of time how to prepare their town for such an honor. The local TV station hypes up the visit, interviews its people and we learn that many of the residents had taken out loans to beautify their homes and town for the visit and to sell goods for visitors from Brazil.

It's a touching enough story. The plot evolves around one poor family of husband Beto, a smalltown smuggler riding an old one-speed into Brazil for goods he can sell at a profit in town. He thinks himself above his simple-thinking wife. He, afterall, uses his "thinking cap" and shemes up ways to make a living. But if only he had paid attention to her idea of profiting from the papal visit!

Apparently a lot of other bicyle-riding smugglers do this for a living, as the disinterested border guards let most through without stopping (unless they are black). The Brazilians...

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Best of Super Mario Super Show

Best of super Mario super show
I have 6 y/o twin Grandsons who absolutely love everything Mario! When I am busy, especially getting dressed for church on sunday mornings, they watch Mario and I am not constantly interrupted by them. They rush to get dressed for church without argument so they can finish watching. They know all the players, songs and tell me what is going to happen next since they have seen it so many times. They are safe for them to watch with no bad language, etc. Love them.

Always fun to watch.
It's packed with just 1 disc in 1 normal case like the others, but picked by the creators, it's all of the best, top rated episodes of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! This disc has about three or four more episodes than a normal disc would, so its running time is up to approx. 135 min...just to point out.
But as far as every episode goes on this DVD, I personally thought some did deserve to be ...the "best", and that some didn't. But it's YOUR opinion that matters when buying this.
So overall, it's a brilliant handfull of SMB Super Show episodes! :)
Enjoy!

Warning
Just as a warning for those wanting to buy this. My parents bought this for me for Christmas (I think from the local Target) and I just want to warn everyone that this dvd does NOT have the live action scenes that starred Captain Lou Albano and Danny Wells. It's as if those scenes have been removed. They also are not there in the opening song dancing around like they used to be. However Captain Lou Albano is still there for the ending credits.

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Taste of Life: Season Three

ENTERTAINING CULINARY SERIES
This is a very entertaining culinary series that gives viewers a seat at many of the world's most acclaimed restaurants, cafés and wineries. Highlights include a variety of delectable gourmet recipes and insightful interviews with the world's finest chefs.





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Forest of Death

Unique Plot but Slow Presentation and Weak Ending
WARNING MOVIE SPOILERS!

This movie was hard to follow.

A forest where people go to commit suicide whose plants can speak and show humans exactly how a girl was murdered and by whom (Patrick Wong). A forest where bodies show up 40 years after the person disappears and the bodies are as"youthful" as when they disappear and where a police woman sees what looks like "space aliens".

Mr Tin (Forest Park caretaker) says "THEY only want to experiment on those who want to comitt suicide and leave those who are strong willed along.

Mr Tin was accidentally shot by a policewoman while they and the plant man went into the forest to find the plant man's girlfriend, May, who wants to commit suicide when her boyfriend won't do a TV show with her and her producer wants to fire her.

While the plot was unique, the execution was weak/choppy. The ending could have been better also by having the plant guy dump his weak/pathetic May and marry the...

Danny Pang Mixes Sci-Fi, Investigative Elements, the Supernatural...Decent but Flawed.
There are a lot of legends and myths that surround some forests in most Asian countries (most of these countries are a lot older than the U.S., if we talk Historical records). These legends are mostly from Thailand, the Philippines, China and of course, Japan. "FOREST OF DEATH" (2007) is an attempt by the Pang Bros. to try out something new, this time around it is Danny Pang who co-writes and directs alone (quite curious that Oxide did the directorial reins of "Diary" alone too). They've done ghosts, an action film, psychological thrillers and this is the first time one of the Pangs make an attempt for something very X-Files-like; this film combines scientific theories, the supernatural and legends and is quite a welcome change from the usual.

There is a notorious forest that attracts young heart-broken people to commit suicide and their bodies are never found. This fact have been sensationalized by the media specifically a young reporter named Mei (Rain Li). Those people...

Supernatural Sci-Fi with a story you haven't seen!
Great movie. Although I think it's more about aliens than the supernatural. The ending gave it away to me at least. It starts as a ghost story about mysterious deaths then goes into a scientific explanation... that just turns right back around on you and ends up being that the forest are the hiding spot/experimental grounds for extra terrestrials to observe humans. Just as the botanists in the beginning of the movie was studying the emotions of the plants it turns out that aliens are using the forest to study the emotions of humans. Very interesting, and if you watch the film I don't think anyone ever got or understood what was going on. At least it doesn't seem so from all the reviews.

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Barney : Let's Go on Vacation

My son watch it every day
My 20 months old son like it very much and he want to watch it every day. Although he may not understand the story, the songs are very attractive for him.

Not what I bargained for
Just finished watching this with my 2 year old Barney fanatic daughter. I bought it thinking it would get into more of the process of going on vacation, maybe explore some different locales, etc. It's more like a 51 minute episode about how butterflies go south for the winter, which bums Baby Bop out, because "Monty" the butterfly is her friend. So, true to BB form, she whines and complains and the whole gang ends up going to "Mexico" (which is actually just a shabbily decorated set) to find the other butterflies which Monty somehow got separated from. The whole thing kind of lost me as about 5 minutes in, I started to sing a little non-Barney song in my head. My daughter lost interest, too, which is odd. The movie, from what I could gather, is about butterflies, and sort of Mexico. And the word vacation was used, but not in the context that I expected. For a more "adventury" type story, we liked "Barney Celebrating around the World" much better. Save your money, you can...

It is an alright dvd....
I wouldn't put this at the top of the list for Barney Lovers....however the hat on Barney should have given the spanish theme away. They do emphasize on using spanish in the video and defining english/spanish words which is pretty neat. I would have to say that I thought vacation would have maybe meant a few other places and information about those places....as some episodes that I have seen on tv. I just thought it might involve traveling on a plane or in a car...learning transporation means per say. Was expecting more but Barney didn't deliver on this one. My daughter still enjoys the siging and there isn't a whole lot of dancing on this video so would you want to absolutely have this in your childs collection, NO.

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The Lost Princess

Funny if your into silly stories
I came upon this DVD purely by accident and found out that the players are from several Renaissance Faires I've attended throughout the Northeast. The princess is Isabelle from the Don Quan and Migel ren fair show, so are the main characters. It's not your typical hollywood flick but it has charm that might surprise you.

Dissapointment and Silliness
This movie appears to have been made in someone's basement with poor scenery, poor acting, no plot of any substance. It is in fact a nightmare of a child's fairytale. I had expected fiction. I had hoped for period costumes and a plausible plot. But this movie is just silly and cheap.

Cleavage Problem
The queen's revealing outfit was embarrassing, and detracted from what would have been a fun, although low-budget, movie.

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Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The Most Awesome DVD Ever Created. Trash The Old Disk!
This new "Ultimate Edition DVD" of Terminator 2 Judgement Day, one of the biggest box office smashes of all time, is truly The Ultimate Edition. Unless you get this outside of the US (which I did) you have two disks. One disk is the movie (THREE versions of the movie, in fact), and the next disk is all the special features. And it takes DAYS getting through every feature. I mean, three documentary, 8 trailers and TV spots, an entire script, interviews that you can access separately, and 52 chapters of behind the scenes footage, from makeup to visual effects, from editing to restoring deleted scenes. There are so many special features, this is what DVD was made for! You can also look at the original drawings of certain scenes, awesome!!!!

However, I find the real highlight of this disk (or disks) to be the movie itself, I mean WOW!!! You get three, I repeat, three, versions of the movie. One is the original theatrical version, featuring no cut out scenes (the worst), the...

I'll Tell You How to Get A Different Ending!!!!
OK If you go to the menu, where it will say "Play Theatrical Version" and "Play Special Edition", using your remote control, type in (you may have to press enter in-between each number) 82997 (that's EIGHT TWO NINE NINE SEVEN). Then the "Play Special Edition" option will change to "Play Extended Special Edition" and you get two more added scenes. One where the T-1000 searches John Connor's room, and a different ending set in the future!

Please vote for me if you found my review helpfull (PLEASE!!!)...

Features galore!
This is the most feature packed DVD I own!

Terminator 2 THE ULTIMATE EDITION DVD actually has 3 different versions of the movie; the original theatrical release lasting 136 minutes, the special edition version lasting 153 minutes and an extended special edition clocking in at 155 minutes and 43 seconds which is accessed by an "Easter Egg" discussed below.

You can access the extended special edition version by selecting special edition from the menu and then entering 82297 on your remote's numeric keypad. You may have to press "enter" after each number on certain DVD players. An easier method is to just select title number 3 from your remote.

The picture quality and sound quality are top-notch on this DVD and it is my top choice for showing off my system to friends and family! It includes Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, DTS 5.1 ES and Dolby Digital 2.0 mixes. The EX and ES designations refer to a new standard that includes a sixth channel of sound that...

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Thomas & Friends: Team Up With Thomas

Thomas talks!
As a family, we have been watching Thomas shows since he was on Shining Time Station back in the 1980s. We have enjoyed listening to Ringo Starr, George Carlin, Alec Baldwin and Pierce Brosnan reading the stories and doing all the voices. However, nothing had prepared us for this one! On this DVD, the characters are all computer animated! It says nothing about it on the DVD package! I have heard people say they bought The Great Discovery or the theatrical movie because they heard that the trains' mouths move in those shows. THIS is the one you're looking for, folks! Our older children found it "weird", and I admit that it was a little disconcerting after all these years (and I still think Sir Topham Hatt doesn't look right), but our youngest son absolutely loves it, and that's all that matters!

Great DVD
My son is a big Thomas fan, he loves this new DVD. The new computer animated caracteres are even more fun to watch. Teach kids nice lessons of life.

Team Up with Thomas
Our 3 y/o grandson is really into Trains. Big trains, model trains and toy trains. All Thomas purchases we have made have been enjoyed and offered hours of entertainment for him. Thomas is not only entertaining but softly presents good lessons for getting along in life.
Roger H Strube, MD

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Van Damme Collection (Bloodsport / Timecop)

2 JCVD classics "split" in decent packaging
Ah, Jean Claude Van Damme movies ... watching these brings back memories of being in middles school and sleeping over my best friend's house. We'd go to the video store, pick up a JCVD videotape, and pop it in the VCR in-between eating pizza, racing barefoot across his living room's hardwood floor, and making terrible prank phone calls. Middle school me was kind of an idiot.

Years later and I'm buying the "Van Damme Collection," which features "Bloodsport," which I haven't seen since I was a kid, and "Timecop," which I'd already purchased on DVD a little while back. Watching "Bloodsport" again, all I could think was, "Jeez, what an insanely dumb movie." But a well-made, entertaining dumb movie: it has simple characters, a rushed love story without the love (it's more confusing when you see it), slow-mo shots, and a bit of comic relief, but it also has some fantastic fight choreography and a charismatic villain. Later Van Damme movies would even steal bits from this...

Excellent Van Damme Pair
Two of my favorites by him. Bloodsport was the first time I saw Van Damme. And while it's a small film with some flaws here and there it sports a lot of real Martial Arts people in the contest. He's still kicking in Timecop by Peter Hyams. Hyams makes moralist plays in which the government or members of the government are bad guys and in this case it's a Senator wanna-be-President played by Ron Silver with Mia Sara as the Timecop's wife. In both of these films you get to see Van Damme do his trademark splits.

Gift for Grandson
I bought this movie as a gift for my grandson for Christmas. He likes all the Timecop movies and I have bought all of them for him.

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