Bodyart Movie Reviews

This new Peter Pan is excellent family entertainment. The acting is much more subtle than the Mary Martin version and Cathy Rigby is surprisingly effective in the role. Her gymnastics background is particularly evident in the truly spectacular flying scenes. The three Darling children are all excellent actors and singers -- Wendy in particular. Cathy Rigby is a very good singer and a competent actress, but I missed the enthusiam and strong voice that Mary Martin brought to the role. The overall production is lusher than the 1950's version -- sets, costumes and lighting are all much improved. If there is a weak link in Peter Pan, it is in the role of Tiger Lily. Her voice is too soft, although she is a good dancer. It does seem, however, that casting the role with a real Native American would have worked better. In closing, this production is a definite improvement over the Mary Martin version and I highly recommend it.

Peter Pan is a very good movie!My favorite character is Mr.Smee,and the twins.I think that all viewers will like and agree that `Peter Pan,Cathy Rigby` is the best peter pan movie around.This version of peter pan is much better then the Mary Martin version.Drake English(Michael)does a terrific job playing Michael!He is a very good actor for only six years old.The acting is very well done and there are a wide variety of people some older,others younger.If you are looking for a movie to buy for your son or daughter this movie will DEFINETLY appeal to them!I HIGHLY recommend this movie to all viewers and to people of all ages that I think you will enjoy more than ANY other movie in the world!

Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan? Who would have thought! As it turns out, this former Olympic gymnast is just wonderful! According to her bio, after her gymnastic career was over she studied acting, singing and dancing. Well it paid off! Overall, I think she is the best actress to play Peter so far! It's no wonder she was nominated for a Tony award for "best actress in a musical" in this role. Although her singing voice isn't as good as Mary Martin's, her voice is trained and very pleasant to listen to. Her acting is superb. I get the sense she created her rendition of Peter from the James Barrie book not from watching the Mary Martin video. She plays him very boyish. And, true to the book, sometimes cocky and rude but still lovable. At 47 years old her athletic abilities are still prominent and the flying sequences have taken on new heights as Cathy even flies with vertical flips! Paul Schoeffler, who plays the father and Captain Hook, is a very good actor and singer and his portrayal of Captain Hook is strong and powerful. The actor who plays Smee is funny and they are hilarious together. The Darling children are very well cast with the actress playing Wendy doing a wonderful job being smitten with Peter. The choreographer has done a great job! The dancing the lost boys, pirates and Indians do is exciting and fun to watch. My only complaints are technical ones. Why wasn't this shot in a wide screen version? (After all, it's a stage show and there's a lot to see.) Why are there some close ups when there should be wider shots? Why aren't the voices prominent in the center speaker on the DVD Dolby 5.1 Digital version? Even with those things, I highly recommend this version of Peter Pan. I understand why this production was nominated for a Tony award for "Best Revival of a Musical". Enjoy!

Visually and conceptually, this is a great production. Brian Large's direction is also a magnificent achievement. While Boulez's conducting may be controversial, the orchestral playing is always alert and transparent. The standard of acting is extremely high and most of the singers live their parts. While the level of singing here is definitely not an all time high (though not at all bad when compared with more recent productions of the Ring around the world), the whole thing makes compelling viewing. A stunning production.

I'm not a very enthusiastic opera-goer. Yet, viewing this DVD recording is a revelation for me - I never imagine that the acting in classical opera to be so 'life-like' and that the singing and staging can match the drama to form such a cohesive whole. I suppose that this is the kind of production that, despite its arousing some controversy, can keep the genre thriving in the modern age. It surely makes me reassess my own views (and perhaps prejudicies) of performances of classical opera! I'm no connoisseur of classical singing, but I found the singing here to be thrilling most of the time. It's a very enjoyable viewing/listening experience.

I'll certainly try to catch a performance of Wagner's complete Ring in the opera house when I next come across it. In the meantime, I'm sure that this excellent DVD recording will give me many hours of viewing/listening pleasure at home.

This DVD recording has given me so much pleasure! Although it is often said that the standard of Wagnerian singing has declined a lot over the years, what I heard on this recording is still quite admirable for most of the time. Besides, what a high standard of acting the singers are able to present here!

The production, though having its eccentricities, work very well for most of the time. In fact, I found the production dramatically as riveting as anything I've ever seen in the theatre. Obviously a great production. The videography is excellent, too.

My love for opera has advanced by leaps and bounds after watching this production. I would recommend this marvellous set to all.

As a video, Dralion is about par for the Cirque du Soleil course. The show itself is an amazing work of art. It blends sights and sounds beautifully and from them crafts a performance that can enthrall and move viewers of all ages and backgrounds. At the same time, the videos are always poorly filmed. The camera angles are often too narrow, providing a perfect view of a performer's elbow or the face of a child in the crowd. One of the great things about these shows is that there's something happening everywhere at once--not just where the camera points. Also, there is a very MTV style to the switching of camera angles. No single shot is shown for more than a couple of seconds, and the transitions are far from smooth, making Dralion seem like an 80 minute long music video. Aside from this and some "generous" editing from the live show (the scenes are thoroughly chopped up), I would recommend this video to any true Cirque du Soleil fan. If you're looking for a video to introduce you to the true nature of these shows, though, Quidam (also available here) is a much better bet.

I was lucky enough to have been invited to see Dralion under le grand chapiteau, front row seats nonetheless. It was absolutely fantastic. I've been a fan of Cirque du Soleil ever since I saw a sample performance on TV, and had made it a life goal of mine to see them live. It was everything I had dreamed of and more.

The Dralion DVD captures some of that magic, but nothing is like seeing it live. Even still, it's a great DVD. There are times where I think they could have done a better job framing a particular act or whatever, but it's still a fantastic show. Everyone I've shown it to has been mesmerized by the amazing performances and music, which has turned them into Cirque fans.

I have owned the original Dralion DVD for some time. I also own the DVD's of Quidam, Alegria (the show filmed in Sidney not the film) and Varekai, which I purchased toguether with this new Dralion Superbit version. Until now Dralion had been my least favorite of the four shows. Not that it was bad but its just that Quidam was so much better. My problem was that as much as I tried I could never get the same sound from my original Dralion DVD. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track was so bad that at first I returned the DVD because I guessed I had a damaged product, and it was not. However, this new Superbit version with DTS sounds so crisp and powerfull that I have just rediscovered the show in a whole new way. If you already own Dralion...the new DTS track on the Superbit version is so good that alone makes the purchase worth it. Its a completely new experience. In terms of image quality, both versions are presented in beautiful widescreen anamorphic video, however, the new Superbit version seems at times more crispier, sharp and alive with excelent color presentation. The original version has also great colors, but most of the time this new Superbit version seems to have the edge in terms of definition when compared to the original.

Dralion is a fantastic show, with this new version I cannot say that Dralion is not as good as the other four. They are completely different shows, if you buy one...eventualy you will end up owning the others, yes, they are that good.

As a video, Dralion is about par for the Cirque du Soleil course. The show itself is an amazing work of art. It blends sights and sounds beautifully and from them crafts a performance that can enthrall and move viewers of all ages and backgrounds. At the same time, the videos are always poorly filmed. The camera angles are often too narrow, providing a perfect view of a performer's elbow or the face of a child in the crowd. One of the great things about these shows is that there's something happening everywhere at once--not just where the camera points. Also, there is a very MTV style to the switching of camera angles. No single shot is shown for more than a couple of seconds, and the transitions are far from smooth, making Dralion seem like an 80 minute long music video. Aside from this and some "generous" editing from the live show (the scenes are thoroughly chopped up), I would recommend this video to any true Cirque du Soleil fan. If you're looking for a video to introduce you to the true nature of these shows, though, Quidam (also available here) is a much better bet.

I was lucky enough to have been invited to see Dralion under le grand chapiteau, front row seats nonetheless. It was absolutely fantastic. I've been a fan of Cirque du Soleil ever since I saw a sample performance on TV, and had made it a life goal of mine to see them live. It was everything I had dreamed of and more.

The Dralion DVD captures some of that magic, but nothing is like seeing it live. Even still, it's a great DVD. There are times where I think they could have done a better job framing a particular act or whatever, but it's still a fantastic show. Everyone I've shown it to has been mesmerized by the amazing performances and music, which has turned them into Cirque fans.

I have owned the original Dralion DVD for some time. I also own the DVD's of Quidam, Alegria (the show filmed in Sidney not the film) and Varekai, which I purchased toguether with this new Dralion Superbit version. Until now Dralion had been my least favorite of the four shows. Not that it was bad but its just that Quidam was so much better. My problem was that as much as I tried I could never get the same sound from my original Dralion DVD. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track was so bad that at first I returned the DVD because I guessed I had a damaged product, and it was not. However, this new Superbit version with DTS sounds so crisp and powerfull that I have just rediscovered the show in a whole new way. If you already own Dralion...the new DTS track on the Superbit version is so good that alone makes the purchase worth it. Its a completely new experience. In terms of image quality, both versions are presented in beautiful widescreen anamorphic video, however, the new Superbit version seems at times more crispier, sharp and alive with excelent color presentation. The original version has also great colors, but most of the time this new Superbit version seems to have the edge in terms of definition when compared to the original.

Dralion is a fantastic show, with this new version I cannot say that Dralion is not as good as the other four. They are completely different shows, if you buy one...eventualy you will end up owning the others, yes, they are that good.

I adore Julie Andrews, and was pleased as punch to see her host this show. I rate this DVD a 1 STAR, and that one star is Julie Andrews. The rest of the women on this DVD just aren't her, and they never could sing as well as Julie. Elaine Stritch is fantastic to have here though, but the rest of these singers aren't very convincing. Audra McDonald's breathing and pitch problems are just odd--you always want to root for her and hope she'll eventually find the right pitch, but alas... Bebe Neuwirth... who cares? who is she? who was she? I'm just not interested. The tragedy is, of course, that Julie Andrews hosts, but isn't singing. This lot of marginally interesting broadway singers is a display of what's wrong with broadway today. Yawn.

The women are great. Some are out of this world! Whjoever called the camera shots (probably the director) had no sense of the intimacy of the material. One instance is the beautiful and very touching performance of "Fifty Percent" from the musical Ballroom, with Dorothy Loudon re-creating her performance from the original show. The beginning of the song is very intimate; in fact, the whole song is of an intimate nature. The director kept calling camera angles that take us far too far away from her face. One shot has us looking at a huge bunch of flowers behind her for a very long time. Stll her singing of the song is extraordinarilly moving. Too bad we can't see her for a great deal of the song. To make matter worse, after she finishes the song to a huge ovation from the audience; we see the audience looking to the corner curtain for what must be a curtain call and a standing ovation. Moronically the director edits to Liza Minelli standing in the middle of the stage, right after the audience have clearly been looking to the side curtain. Did he think we were not going to pay attention?

The performances are for the most part great! The editing and camera angles are horrible. Still worth a listen, even though at times we have to interpret what the singer is doing with the song acting wise because the camera is so far away from their faces.

These women have proven once again that they belong among Broadway's elite. Living in Kansas, I have never had the priviledge of seeing great Broadway performances. I have been resigned to collecting soundtracks of top-notch shows. This DVD provided me with the opportunity to see these performers. Julie Andrews looked exquisite and hosted graciously, despite her inability to sing. Some notable numbers: Bebe Neuwirth and Karen Ziemba; Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag (Chicago), Linda Eder absolutely rocked the audience with her performance of Man of La Mancha, Liza Minnelli had the crowd on their feet, Anna Kendricks and the (too-thin) Kit-Kat girls from Cabaret sweetly perform Life Upon the Wicked Stage and Kendricks is adorable. Karen Ziemba danced with The Rockettes in I Wanna Be A Rockette. And the Amazing Audra McDonald left even the most critical man I know absolutely speechless with her performance of Down With Love.
But far and beyond, and if for no other reason, the one you buy this DVD for, is the Andrew Lloyd Webber Love Trio. Audra McDonald, Marin Mazzie and Judy Kuhn perform 3 different songs from 3 different Webber musicals and come together in one of the most heart-stopping performances I have ever heard. If you are a fan of Broadway, this purchase is well worth it.

I will not comment very much, only that I have seen very strange reviews here. Even some people putting this soap-opera effort in a higher position to the GREAT ones (Pavarotti/Freni, for example), which is not only ingnorance, but also offensive to serious opera lovers.

I will only say that if you know nothing, and care less about what singing and opera should be, of course this is the one to buy.

La Boheme:
What an unbelievable work by Puccini: surely the opening theme must be one of the greatest melodies of all time. It moves me near to tears: To think anyone could imagine music this beautiful and be able to write it down for others to hear for time eternal.

The scene is Paris 1957. The 2 main actors are young and handsome: someone you could really believe to be falling in love. But the best parts are the acting qualities of the singers and what voices!!!!
In particular, David Hobson as Rodolfo: his rendition of "che gelida manina" will make the hair on the back of the neck stand up and salute! When done well, it must be one of a handful of great tenor arias in all of opera.
Cheryl Baker does an excellent job as Mimi. A great voice and her death scene in the end is very moving.
This production done by the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra is a fine example of an excellent use of people and resources. Filmed before a live audience (really the only way great opera should be recorded) we actually see stagehands moving the sets, and yet they do not distract from the magic that is happening but instead are part of the drama unfolding before you.
The only unrealistic part of the entire performance was the audience: Silent, except for an occasional cough, they sat on their hands if they were watching paint dry. Did they not see the unbelievable performances that were unfolding before them? I mean, is that not the purpose of live theatre??: Audience reaction to great performances: If I had been an actor on that stage I would have been so disappointed: wondering what we were doing wrong. Maybe the audience was instructed not to clap or shout until the end of a scene, but if that is the case why even bother to perform it live.

All in all a wonderful disc. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

After the wooha over Moulin Rouge, I doubt one would ever expect that director Baz Lurhman (also known for the atrocious remake of Romeo and Juliet) to have anything to do with classical music. Well this video from 1993 is proof, and excellent proof a that. While there are some Lurhman-isms in there that are rather reminiscent of Moulin Rouge (ie: The big light-up red sign that says "L'amour"), this is pretty different ground for Lurhman. He sets it in Post-WWII Paris, which is a wonderful move that portrays the bohemians in an incredibly different light (Rent, anyone?) that breathes new life into this Puccini classic. Add an incredibly talented cast (and a pretty darn attractive Rodolfo) to boot, and this video easily earns 5 stars. If you're looking to buy a video of La Boheme, I would reccomend this one, however if you have never seen the show live, you may want to get a video of a traditional production to see what it's original intention was, it makes for some great comparisons!

This is a charming movie with a stupid storyline like those seen in most martial arts movies. But hey, the point is to see the hero beat the bad guys with some sweet moves, right? And this movie delivers just that. So why bother analysing it any deeper?

Mark Dacascos plays a young capoeirista (a guy who practises capoeira) who gets some misfit students onto the right side of the law by teaching them capoeira. Of course this leads to some showdowns between him and various criminal elements. And that's it, really. But capoeira is a beautiful sport to watch, and the movie is a good teaser for the real thing.

But Dacascos isn't really a capoeirista, and the movie misinterprets some of the basic elements of the sport. If you become interested in learning more after watching the movie, look up the nearest capoeira club in the phonebook and try it for yourself. I guarantee it will be an experience well worth your while! I speak from personal experience.

Mark Dacascos plays a US Green Beret who returns from the Caribbean Islands to Miami, where he finds his alma mater in dismay with wild students. After a brawl with one of the hoodlums in town, Dacascos takes 12 students to teach capoeira (Brazilian fighting style). What started with a scuffles ends in a brutal war between Dacascos and the drug lord and his minions. No fighter flick fan should go without seeing this movie. (Dacascos has been recognized by Black Belt Magazine for this movie). This is an excellent movie with a great fighting sequences, and an even better story. Mark Dacascos' Capoiera is the best!!! END

Some reviews I read say this is not that good of capoeira in this video, but I would like them to tell me where they have seen better. I have never seen more or better capoeira in another movie, even the clips i downloaded. This movie is amazing, and ever since I saw it as a young kid I've been in love with it and capoeira

This opera video while in fact a movie performance with shootings on natural background scenery, is performed so beautifully and magnificent,that it give more emphasize to the sinister nature and tragical story of the jester Rigoletto and his daughter. We enjoy the performance of Ingvar Wixell as Rigoletto, who sung so splendidly and moved our hearts to the tragical condition he is involved. His performance is matched in perfection by the delightful and brilliant performance of Edita Gruberova, who appeared so magnifently exposing the lovely fairylike character of Gilda. I have seen several of Gruberova's performances, but in this opera her singing is so beautiful and as such convince the world of her superiority in performing the innocent lovesick daughter of Rigoletto. Luciano Pavarotti is already so famous that nobody will deny the beauty of his singing. However, his name does not emphasize the success of this video as disappointingly his acting is not quite so convincing as his other performances that I have seen. Nevertheless, we can still enjoy his splendid voice and watch the magnificent performances of the other singers.

This is a great DVD of Rigoletto, and I enjoy it very much. It's set right on location in Mantua. The opening scene is very well done, with Rigoletto encountering the body of Gilda, as if in a nightmere. Wixell plays both Rigoletto and Monterone (!) very well. Edita Gruberova may not look convinving as Gilda with her Goldilocks hair, but her diction is fabulous, and I would say her singing is, too. Pavarotti is wonderful as the Duke, and his attempts to act at times actually work.

The reason I give this 4 Stars is that the high notes (quite a few of them) that are sung are off-sync, and that's annoying. Also, some of the director's ideas are a little strange, like having Giovanna try to pull away the Duke while he's saying farewell to Gilda, or not showing the heads of the courtiers during Rigoletto's aria. also annoying is at the end during the Rigoletto/Gilda duet, when it is shot several miles away instead of right next to them.

One thing I love about this DVD is that it takes off like a shot and refuses to let up until the very end of the opera. This DVD is very enjoyable for Pavarotti fans and Rigoletto fans. A must-buy.

I will surely purchase from Amazon.com again.

I usually do not care for "movie" versions of opera, preferring a filmed live performance, but this one is most enjoyable, and has some standout performances.
Released in 1983, it was made on location in Mantua, with good cinematography in a pallete of browns and dark greys.
Pavarotti is the Duke of Mantua, looking strong and robust, but I must confess I thought his performance very one-dimensional, continually loud, and as an actor is much the weakest in the cast.
Edita Gruberova's Gilda is extremely interesting; she gets stronger in each scene, and I found her performance to be quite touching and wonderful. Her "Caro Nome" is one that I truly loved, full of sweetness and vulnerability, and delicate trills.

Ingvar Wixell's Rigoletto is superb, brilliantly portraying the many sides of the hunchbacked jester, from maliciously plotting revenge, to tenderly loving his daughter and the memory of his wife. His voice is rich and full, and he makes the most of Verdi's gorgeous score.
Victoria Vergara is a stunning and seductive Maddalena, and Ferruccio Fulanetto's Sparafucile is a creepy villain with very scary jagged teeth, and both are in fine vocal form.
Riccardo Chailly conducts the Vienna Choir and Philharmonic with great pacing, and this is a Rigoletto well worth watching, even for those who like me, are not "movie" opera fans.

Jerry Seinfeld is funny. Really funny. It's not just his manner, his style, it's the brilliant way in which he connects with everyday people that makes him so funny. His sitcom, arguably the best ever, was a work of art that managed to combine Seinfeld's writing ability with physical representations of the off the wall characters he had met. This DVD is a good 75 minutes of the best of Jerry's work over the last decade or so. The sound is good, Jerry is at ease, and the audience is very receptive. One of the highlights of the DVD is when Jerry answers some questions from the audience. Classic improv work from Seinfeld. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because I've seen all of the bits before, so I knew the punchlines. To his credit, I was still laughing hysterically. If you're a Seinfeld newbie, or just familiar with the show, it should definetly rate 5 stars.

I like Jerry's style of comedy wit. Unfortunately I purchased the audio CD version 1st before I purchased the DVD. They must have recorded different nights. The CD version is excellent and he is on the ball, although comparing it to the DVD it seems like Jerry does not put his whole heart into the DVD performance.

Still great comedian !

Seinfeld live on Broadway is a "no regrets" DVD. Its a great looking performance that puts you in the best seat of the audience. Jerry dishes out over an hour of his best material delivered "for the last time" and it is hilarious even after repeat viewings. You can read some of the jokes on the back of the DVD, but it's Seinfeld's delivery that brings them to life and keeps the jokes fresh and funny. One of the great additions on this DVD that isn't on the tape is an impromptu audience Q & A with Jerry. The audience fires off a variety of what I thought were some pretty dull questions. "How's your new apartment?" "Say, Hello Newman." Jerry answers every one with responses that are as funny as the show material. The disc is not rated but it is funny and great for the whole family. My mom at 60 and my niece who is just eight love watching the VHS of this show again and again. The DVD is even better.