Wholesale and Distribution Movie Reviews

...YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS MOVIE. After this movie was over, I longed for nothing more than to go away quietly and soak up its deep truths - just go away, like an elephant, and disappear. After all, there's always a way to come back to society. It's very simple, actually - Hazel Flagg has proved it. Just put on a pair of sunglasses. Not only will you look highly suspicious, but chances are people will recognise your mouth or your voice - or maybe just the aura of courage and nobility that emanates from your very presence.

I learned so many other valuable things from this fascinating movie as well. First of all, I found out what the residents of Vermont are really like, hidden away as they are amongst all that scenery. They have an expansive vocabulary that many Americans would do well to imitate. There are only two words to remember: Yep and Nope. It's very contagious, and even New York reporters find themselves picking it up after only a brief stay. Only slightly alluded to, but equally important, is the fact that Vermont must a state of high radiation level, otherwise how did poor Miss Flagg contract the fatal stuff?

Another thing that must never be forgotten is, if you want free publicity, just find a doctor in Vermont who insists you have radiation poisoning. Then your name will be posted abroad. You will be forever remembered as a strong, courageous victim of unfortunate circumstances. There will be silence at boxing rings, nightclubs, and city streets at the sight or sound of your name. You will be compared with such great, heroic personalities as Pocahontas and Catherine the Great (who, by the way, rode pastel-coloured horses and headresses both fearfully and wonderfully made). Schoolchildren will sweetly serenade you with ballads on the subject of your impending demise.

Besides all this, you will be duly blessed with a newspaper reporter who is not only dashingly handsome, madly in love, and prostrate with grief over the radiation which is stealing the very life and soul out of you. (Can such a rosy, sparkling complexion as you have possibly be a mere mask?) He's willing to fish you out of the river, marry you immediately, and all sorts of other noble things, but he'll find out you're a fake and kick you about like a bearskin rug, just to convince the doctors that your radiation isn't put up - even though it is. Perhaps he thinks that is a manifestation of his profound adoration for you, but in reality it causes you to faint away in despair at his utter cruelty to you. It's always helpful to remember that if your handsome newspaper reporter wishes you to fake a fever, and the means to the end involves a fight, you'd better turn away and disappear. Like an elephant. Elephants are the key here. From beginning to end, this movie is a grey haze of stampeding elephantine nonsense, pointlessness, and incredibly pathetic humour.

I do so enjoy learning experiences of any kind. Thanks to this film, I now know everything. Everything there is to know in the world about life, love, and death by radiation is in the depths of that brave name, Hazel Flagg, which is indelibly printed in my mind. In blue neon letters.

Jason Blair, eat your heart out! Frederick March stars as an unscrupulous newspaper reporter who uses a maudlin tragedy -- a young woman who's dying of radium poisoning -- as a way to revive his shaky career. The trouble is, the gal is actually faking her ailment, using it as a way to escape her dull life in a provincial Vermont village. Carole Lombard plays the faker, Ms. Hazel Flagg, who becomes the toast of the town when brought to see the bright lights of New York City. Ben Hecht's tart, cynical script skillfully juxtoposes the sensationalized sentimentalism that Hazel attracts with the business-as-usual media hype and casual crassness of the Big Apple. While the film has its weak points (poor sound design, rushed production values, some ethnic humor that hasn't aged well), Hecht's merciless portrayal of flavor-of-the-week media "events" proves once again that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Recommended.

(PS - A scene involving an airplane ride also provides a nice aerial view of Depression-era NYC.)

This is one of the 15 all-time greatest screwball comedies of the 1930's...and the only one that was in Technicolor. Problem is that Selnick sold the rights to it (it's in the public domain) sometime in the 1940's and it's very hard to find a decent of print of this (despite the fact that The Museum Of Modern Art completely resotred the movie to it's original Technicolor splendor...but they stupidly won't release it on VHS or DVD to the public...) Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Walter Connolly, and Charles Winninger have never been better. Absolutely first rate film directed by William Wellman and screenplay by Ben Hecht. Worth buying, despite the medicore quality (and occasional blurriness).

In 1991 I was fortunate to be a vocalist for a band and we opened for Massive Attack during their first US tour supporting Blue Lines. They didn't bring Shara Nelson and their stage show wasn't quite worked out yet but they had 3 videos on VHS that they were handing out. The VHS has been long lost so to get this DVD is a flash from the past for me. But some of their later videos (circa 1998) I couldn't quite get into as much. Too much focus on 3-D in the camera. But still it is cool to have this DVD and travel down memory lane.....

awesome. that's what i'm talking about, a DVD for the price of an audio CD. times are a-changin'

there are a number of videos themselves that are well worth watching, although some tracks are better than the accompanying video!

I seem to buy a lot of DVDs with videos on them, and I could not pass up these 11 promo videos from Massive Attack. It's like a GREATEST HITS or SINGLES package, so it should please the casual as well as obsessive fan. Songs go chronilogically in order throughout the disc. There are no extras - just eleven videos in stereo with no bells or whistles. But most of these don't need explaining. The good part is that you have many guest vocalists near the end - Tracy Thorne of EBTG, and Tricky to name two. So it seems to lend itself to parties or bar settings! Video quality is fine, though on widescreen televisions you may see some funky aspect ratios. This is built for squares! It's only in 2.0 stereo, but so were the singles. Wish more bands would release their videos this way!

Normally, I tend toward positive reviews and simply don't comment on things I don't care for - but "Born Losers" showed up on one of the movie channels recently, and having first viewed this "movie" while under the influence with a group of friends years ago, I was curious to see if it would still elicit the uncontrollable laughter we all experienced while watching it. I am happy to report that one can be perfectly straight and still howl at the ridiculously bad acting, amateurish production, and are-you-kidding-me plot that comprises this mess. The most remarkable aspect about "Born Losers" is that Tom Laughlin found someone to back "Billy Jack" (a slightly more coherent version of the same story).

Unfortunately, one cannot dismiss "Born Losers" (or any of the other Billy Jack series flicks) as pure camp. Under the guise of a '60s idealist, Laughlin created a crude vigilante character that served no useful purpose other that having the ability to crack a few heads. Elevating him anywhere above that is undoubtedly the act of a born loser.

My review is about the review done by James A. Reynolds III. All of his reviews are worthless. He never gives insight about the game, movie, book, etc. He just spews the same Taliban-like crap from right-wing conservative morons. Leave your political views out of the reviews. If you want to continue to make these stupid remarks, go to Foxnews.com. Fox news - they lie & you comply.

This was a great film of the vigilante-kicks-butt variety, wherein a lone hero confronts a biker gang and prevails in the end. But is raises some questions. The folks being intimidated -- frightened (one might say terrorized) -- by the gang never stopped once and asked themselves, "Why do they hate us?" And Billy Jack acted like a unilateral cowboy, merely diving into the fray and neutralizing the gang members. He did not attempt to reach out to them with the spirit of compassion, inclusion, tolerance or diversity. He simply attacked, in order to make THEM stop attacking. Shouldn't he have formed a coalition of some sort, and made some resolution about the gang terrorists, and sent inspectors to inspect them? Billy Jack wiped out the threat and so forth, which we must suppose was the point of the movie, but wouldn't people have felt better about themselves (people other than the gang's victims, that is) if the gang had been given more time for inspections to work? It doesn't really matter if the gang members continued beating up victims during the inspection process, so long as a dialogue had been established and the process was moving forward. This Billy Jack person just didn't have the vision and charisma of all our Democrat Party leaders, who certainly would have dealt with this biker gang in a wholly different fashion.

This Wayne movie made the year I landed on earth is amazing given the budget Republic gives these westerns.

This Republic feature has the aura of a major studio production. John Wayne's acting here is several notches over his Lone Star flicks. But this film belongs to the beauteous Gail Russell. Many consider this her best film ever. It was downhill after this as she failed to overcome the alcoholic demon which eventually claimed her life at a young age of 36 in the early 1960s.

There are several DVD rendition out there but the one by Goodtimes is outstanding. The picture quality is clear, clean and crisp. This more than makes up for their previous McClintok DVD fiasco.

Angel and the Badman is as good a proof as you can find that good westerns aren't just about riding, shooting, dueling, and killing. The truly great old westerns featured some of the tightest, most compelling plots that you will ever find. This is the first of the John Wayne Productions released by Republic Pictures, and it is a true John Wayne classic. Needless to say, the Duke plays the "badman" as opposed to the angel, an outlaw of sorts with a complicated past in which he evolved from a lawman alongside Wyatt Earp in Tombstone to a cattle-rustling, gambling man with an eye for the ladies. To quote only one of the great lines in this film, Quirt Evans (John Wayne) closed the eyes of many a man and opened the eyes of many a woman. Quirt starts to change, though, when he collapses from a gunshot wound outside the home of a Quaker family transplanted from Pennsylvania to the Old West. Penelope, the young lady of the family immediately falls in love with him, and it is obvious that Quirt is in turn touched by this angel from the very start. It seems a little odd that the family of Friends would be so welcoming and accommodating to the budding attraction going on, considering Quirt's past, but they see only the good in the man. Farm life is not Quirt's natural calling, and he admittedly slips from the path of virtue, but in time he faces up to the fact that he has indeed changed. Of course, happiness is not insured at this point, as the local marshal still has hopes of hanging Quirt some day, and the man who killed Quirt's foster father remains a real threat to him. The ending is not exactly unpredictable, but it is heart-warming and entertaining all the same.

Great actors filling great roles from top to bottom really make Angel and the Badman a benchmark film to which other westerns should be judged. Gail Russell is indeed an angel more than capable of touching and reforming the crustiest of men, and I can assure you she is not the kind of Quaker woman I would quite have envisioned; she could easily make an instant farmer out of me. The Duke is, well, he's the Duke; the man incapable of giving a bad performance is at his best in this film. You have to love the minor characters, as well. Not only does Angel and the Badman feature a string of unforgettable, entertaining minor players, it incorporates each of them into the story itself in a meaningful way, from Quirt's old buddy with a penchant for telling tales Quirt would rather not have his angel hear to the local telegraph operator whose chance encounter with the legendary cowboy sets him off bragging about his friend Quirt and their long history of friendship. Everyone associated with this movie obviously cared a great deal, and it shows; not a single facet of film-making was overlooked or ignored. Angel and the Badman clearly belongs on the short list of the greatest westerns ever made.

Nothing really new here, maybe a move or two. If you have the older volumes it's not worth buying this one.

A pretty good DVD. The first part of the DVD is about Skip to My Lou, the second part is about the highlights of the other players. I liked it better than Vol. 6 and Vol 6 was pretty good too. I would buy it again.

I think this is And 1's first DVD. If so then they did a good job. If this was just a video then it would [be bad]. Also this one features the return of Rafer Alston a.k.a Skip To My Lou. Volume 6 is coming out real soon so watch this for adrenaline (or tips heh heh heh).

I love Crowded House but these videos are bad. The only one I could handle watching was "Locked Out" (though I suppose "Don't Dream It's Over" had its moments). I watched the DVD once or twice and immediately turned around and resold it. Any of the glowingly positive reviews for this DVD must be from die-hard CH fans who blindly love everything with their name on it. These are truly some of the worst videos I've ever seen. Perhaps video making is behind the times down under, I don't know. I just know that I would recommend one of the great Neil Finn DVDs instead of this. Maybe someday Capitol Records will release a DVD of the final Crowded House concert in 1996. It was released on VHS once (not in the US) and I've never seen it, but it's got to be better than this video collection.

It's difficult not to be bitter about the way CH was treated by Capitol. Dylan once said that money doesn't talk, it swears. It is true that the story of bands being squandered by their labels is a "take a number situation", but clearly there are at least 16 people here who cared a great deal about Crowded House.

It's not that CH didn't get the visual arts. Nick Seymour has done album and singles covers. Their early stage designs were imaginative. However, let it be conceded that videos were not their strong suit. In composition they are very much of their time. But again, it's not like the label was giving them anything near free rein. Videos were meant to sell product and sometimes all it took was getting the band in front of the camera. Cool to see the guys together again, just don't come expecting Bergman or Fellini.

As a product, Capitol is holding true to previous form. We can't complain too much I suppose because something is better than nothing for a band long gone. But the transfers are dicey, the packaging and volume of material is skimpy at best. But who knows what, if anything, we'll get in the future? Take the bait, but keep your expectations in check.

Crowded House deserve better, but then, they always did. Another reviewer slyly alluded to the ad campaign for their Best Of ('you know more Crowded House songs than you think you do'). Unfortunately this was, and is, all too true since the subtext here is, "despite the tremendous strength of the material we are in the unfortunate position of reminding you this band exists because we buried them."

Frankly, it doesn't get any better than Neil Finn and Crowded House. I was a bit disappointed to see that "Fingers of Love" isn't on there (my FAVORITE song of all) and was filmed in Austin when i was in college there. I knew it was only a european release, but I hoped beyond hope it would be included. Otherwise, interesting set of videos and a bonus interview of the Crowdies from their early days. Well done interface, two thumbs up.

Come on! Do you really think you'll end up looking "ripped"? The Tae Bo workouts have a slick marketing campaign to make the consumer think they will get hard bodies after doing these videos. Truth is, these videos are all hype and do not explain the moves safely, especially for those of you who may be beginners. Really, if these videos are as good as they say they are, wouldn't more of us looked "ripped"? Where are all the "ripped" people anyway? Making appointments with plastic surgeons.........

I bought this DVD hoping it would help me kickstart my weight loss after a 50 pound pregnancy weight gain. I haven't been disappointed.

I like:
* the music
* the fact that not everyone in the video has a perfect body
* it continues to interest and motivate me after 3 straight weeks of doing it 5 days a week

I don't like Michelle Reber (the annoying instructor behind Billy)'s ongoing comments and i don't like that Billy's cueing is a bit off and not a mirror image of what he wants you to be doing. But these are minor points. I normally lose interest in exercise DVDs really quickly but this one has really kept me motivated. I'll be buying other Tae Bo DVDs. There is substance behind the hype!

Much better than the original. Intense, fun and good energy.

After hearing so much about this DVD I just had to find out what all the fuss was about. Oh my god!!...I was totally shocked and amazed at some of the raw, graphic footage on show here. It brings to light some of the sad aspects of human life and how fragile we all really are..it also demonstrates the inhumanity of man to himself, as well as the stupid risks people take to impress others. I found myself stunned at the various faces of death and hope no one is unfortunate to suffer some of the very painful and sad images here. Anyone who is weak hearted should avoid this , otherwise it makes for a fascinating insight into the darker side of human nature.

This thing rules. Seriously, don't even read this review and just order it now.

Have you seen Faces of Death? You have? Well screw that. Those are all fake (they say so on the first DVD in an interview). This stuff is 100% real. From a guy with no pants loading a gun (in front of cops) and blowing his face right of, to a woman getting hit by a train...and flying right into the camera man. See how it says "IT WILL SHOCK YOU!" on the cover? It will. I just watched this with 2 of my friends over not too long ago, and they were in awe. Well, one kept covering her mouth and the other kept going "HOLY S---!!". This DVD is that cool.

There's no special features here aside from the menu which you can play the movie, or go to the chapter selection. Who cares? This DVD is so cool that it never gets old. All this has is some nudity and TONS of violence. 'good for the whole family. Oh yeah, watch out for the Police/riots. That's classic stuff. AIE YIE YIE!!

After I purchased Banned from Television, I watched it four times straight. Reason I watched this documentary over and over is because after I was done watching it the first time I immediately called all my buddies and had them come over and watch it. There was many, many scenes that I had to rewind to see again.

This video in not for the person with the weak stomach. This video is nothing like Faces of Death. This is all live footage with nothing made up. A few scenes will make you laugh and most others will make you say, "Man, glad I don't live in that country."

Here is a brief description of some of the stuff you'll see:

1) Hostages with guns pointing at their heads and sharpshooters coming to the rescue.

2) Whenever you see the name of a city in "Brazil" at the bottom of the screen, prepare to see something devastating. It looks like Brazil doesn't believe in taking people to jail.

3) In my opinion, the top two most eye-widening scenes are, one, when a man is tied to a tree then set ablaze and two, when a lady gets hit by a train.

People who watch these videos are Not sick individuals. We don't get ammused or turned on by watching people die. Inside, all were looking for is something to "Wow" or "Woe" us. The video lives by its subtitle, "It Will Shock You!"

This video of ELP playing Pictures at the Lyceum in their early days was reissued in the USA last year. The sound quality and picture are superior to the original DVD release with the bonus audio CD. I regularly implode my ears with this monster performance. Close your eyes during the cheesy video effects and groove on great musicians at work. It's one of Lake's finest performances both vocally and instrumentally. His bass playing is OUTSTANDING in this video.

Myself and two other buddies aged 16 at the time went to see this at a midnight showing in Anchorage, Alaska - I think in 1977. Before we walked in, I told them, "When we walk out, you will say 'Keith Emerson is the greatest keyboard player I have ever seen, and Carl Palmer is the greatest drummer I have ever seen."

We were blown away!!!

After the movie, "Rock and Roll Your Eyes" was the original title, they would simply not shut up about how good it was. We were all shaking our heads in disbelief. From that point on they owed me. It felt good.

I rate it 4 stars for content alone. The funny business with the video style is only a problem because most of us are spoiled with modern, slicker productions. In 1977, I recall it being quite cool if you were in the 'right frame of mind'.

ELP is one of my favorite bands right up there with Zep, Floyd and Alice. Theirs is a unique sound and a singular vision. That vision is brought to light exquisitely by this DVD. It is a treat to see the young trio playing their instruments and such, but after a while them just standing and playing would start to get old (especially after repeated viewings). I mean, you can watch Keith Emerson's hands all day long, but that isn't going to mean you can play like him.

There are some groovy psychedelic effects in the middle part of the show that both both enhance the viewing experience and illustrate what ELP is all about. The swirls turn into comic-book images (not cartoons). These are Marvel comics characters from the 60's by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko-- two artistic visionaries that were doing with pen and ink what ELP did with sound. The visuals are thus a perfect match! Dr. Strange and the Fantastic Four in particular are well suited to ELPs music.

Some people may be annoyed that they can't see the band clearly the whole time, but there is plenty of unadulterated footage of the band doing its thing. By the time the visuals start you ought to be in the proper state of mind to enjoy them them anyway. They wash over you just like the music does.

This is certainly one of the best concert DVDs available.

Tetsuo II is the proto-type of a truly disappointing 2nd edition of a great movie. The original Ironman has such great visuals, great music, and hyperkinetic elements, it is a completely unique movie experience. Not one that necessarily makes a lot of sense from a story point-of-view, but even that adds to the experience.

But for some reason, Shinya Tsukamoto decided to tone down all the visual and music elements, and gives us a story in Body Hammer that is more straightforward. Is this a Tetsuo he thought might be more watchable by the standard movie goer? Big mistake!! The disappointment really sets in with the visuals: Ironman showed completely unique, detailed, and laboriously wacky visuals. Body Hammer looks like an Asian not-ready-for-class-B movie. The color is poor, and the special effects stink. The music is not up to Ironman's, either.

The story does come together toward the end, and this is the only redeeming part of this movie. It is worth seeing only in making Tetsuo (Ironman) another new experience to watch again by filling in some holes in that story.

Comparisons will obviously be made to David Lynch and Cronenberg, but if you like those directors and have a taste for low budget foreign horror movies then you will love Tetsuo II - Body Hammer.

Basically this is like a live action Magna cartoon and can be watched as a stand alone without seeing the original Tetsuo. Where the film scores in aces is with the editing and camerawork. Shinya Tsukamoto is held in great esteem by directors like Quetin Tarantino, who once asked if Tsukamoto would work on an American film with him. Tsukamoto responded by saying Yes - If he was allowed to nuke Hollywood.

The plot is crazy and revolves around a Tokyo businessman, Taniguchi, whose son is kidnapped by a cult of demented nazi-type body builders led by a villain who has the special power of being able to turn his body parts into mechanical firearms. Taniguchi discovers that he too has similar special powers and proceeds to try and wipeout the gang in a Superhero sort of way.

There is lots of arty nightmare sequences and action, although the film does loose its pace in parts. At its heart, Tetsuo II is a movie about a superhero with a grotesque gift. It is violent at times but the plot is actually coherent and the story is a lot of fun.

Considering the budget limitations the filmmakers have done well and Tetsuo has quite a cult following and it is easy to see why directors like Tarantino recommend it. So if you have a taste for low budget weirdness, then this movie is a must.

Although its ideology is creation, the modelling of a world, industrial society is really based on destruction. Much more impressive than the benefits of our economic system are the high number of victims it demanded to survive (WWI, WWII, the cold war, with massacres sponsored by both sides), much more impressive than the technology that makes our live simpler is the fact that it was born in the battlefield. All we created can be used as weapon, just because it was its primary function.

That's Tetsuo II. Death inside life. Doom as the most essential part of love. Security created by terror. Peace made by war.