Wholesale and Distribution Movie Reviews

The film opens in London, where visiting writer Edgar Allan Poe is relating his story "Morella" to a group of English gentlemen. Alan Foster, a reporter, disputes Poe's occult theories and states his belief that there is no life after death. Another man present, Count Blackwood, claims that he owns a haunted castle and challenges Foster to spend the night there.

The reporter accepts the challenge. Poe and Blackwood convey him to the castle via carriage, leave him at the front gate, and promise to return for him in the morning.

Inside the castle, which Foster had supposed was deserted, he encounters the lovely but eerie Elisabeth, played by Barbara Steele. They rapidly form a romantic attraction and soon find themselves in bed together. But as their intimacy increases, Foster discovers that his new paramour has no heartbeat. . . .

Things quickly go downhill from there. The reporter learns that there are several occupants in the castle-all of them having died there by violent means in years past. They need to drink blood to sustain their phantasmal after-life-and of course they have Foster sized up as their next donor. He spends a fair amount of time running through the castle, trying to escape the vampiric entities. With the aid of Elisabeth, he finally emerges from the castle and flees to the front gate, where he thinks he will be safe. . . .

Long a staple of late-night television under the title Castle of Terror, Castle of Blood has now been released to DVD for the first time, in an enhanced and re-mastered version, by Synapse. Some scenes from the original European version that were deleted from the American and British releases have been restored, but with French dialog and English subtitles, since the scenes were never dubbed into English. The new footage includes:

·The European title sequence under the title Danse Macabre. (The English-language title sequence is included in the bonus materials.)

·Some extra dialog by Edgar Allan Poe at the Four Devils Inn.

·Poe's discussion of his theory of tragedy during the carriage ride from the inn to Lord Blackwood's castle.

·Additional entreaties by Elisabeth to Foster in their bedroom scene.

·In one of the flashback scenes, a longer and slightly more erotic encounter between Elisabeth and Julia, a woman fated to become another revenant at the castle-just before Elisabeth kills her.

None of the new footage dramatically changes or enhances the plot, but it's nice to see the film in its intended full-length version. The print quality is good, although the black-and-white contrasts were not as crisp and sharp as I expected. But this may be a limitation of the original source material, not a fault of Synapse's restoration of the film for DVD.

Castle of Blood is not particularly subtle in its narrative approach, but it has a creepy Gothic atmosphere and some interesting metaphysical conceptions. And of course, the always-welcome presence of Barbara Steele. This is one of the better Italian horror movies, in my opinion.

Wow ! This really packs a punch. Not to be missed by any horror fan. They do not make em' like this anymore (unfortunately !!). This is what a true horror movie is all about, extremely light on the gore and heavy on atmosphere, music score and sound effects. Just thinking about that "whispering wind" gives me the creeps ! Web of The Spider is an early 70's remake of this film, although fairly decent, does not come close to Castle of Blood. Do not miss this one folks ! Right up there (if not a notch above) Carnival of Souls and Black Sunday. Dare ya' to watch COB on stormy night with all the lights off !! Ga' head try it ! just Try it !!! ...

Probably one of the best Euro-horror ever made. Barbara Steele looks wunderfull weird. One of her best movies ! For me it's also a marvelous love story just like "The ghost and Mrs. Muir" with Gene Tierney in a different way of course. The DVD quality is great, the french sound is pretty good, the english one less. So if you understand the french language, it would be better to choose the french version. For all fans of good horror movies this is a MUST !

A man named Frank Bigelow (Edmund O'Brian) shows up at Los Angeles police station to report a murder: his own. Frank is dying of luminous toxin poisoning. He recounts to police the incredible story that brought him to be at the brink of death in this police station in a strange city. Just a few days ago, he was a small business owner in a little town called Banning. He had an adoring girlfriend, Paula Gibson (Pamela Britton), who was also his personal secretary. But Frank had cold feet about marrying Paula and decided to take a little vacation to San Francisco to give himself some air. Paula called to tell him that a man named Phillips was desperately trying to reach him, but the name didn't ring a bell. The next day, Frank found out that he had been fatally and irreversibly poisoned. Frank's increasingly frantic search for the identity and motivation of his murderer takes him to two cities, into the criminal underworld, and onto the wrong end of several pistols before all is done.

Rudolph Mate's "D.O.A." is a film noir classic. And it takes the cynical view typical of the genre. Frank is a man whose fate is entirely beyond his control. As the audience roots for Frank to solve the mystery and find his murderer, fate unabashedly mocks his efforts. Frank is a dying man; what earthly difference will it make if he finds his killer? Whatever Frank does, the result will be the same. And it's all because he notarized a bill of sale...one out of hundreds of bills of sales. Who knew what being a notary could lead to? But for a movie with such a cynical story to tell, "D.O.A." has always been immensely popular. I think that's because Frank Bigelow is an "everyman" who rises to the occasion when difficult circumstances require it. He's not too smart and not too dumb. He has a nice girlfriend...to whom he isn't entirely faithful. He's basically a good guy, works hard, but imperfect. And when fate deals him a bad deal, he finds within him a strength and determination that even he may not have known he had. He's going to solve the mystery if it's the last thing he does. Even though it will be the last thing he does. Edmund O'Brian does an admirable job of conveying Frank's imperfection, his initial incredulity at his predicament, and then his determination when he stares reality in the face and decides to take matters into his own hands, to the extent that he can. The opening scene in which Frank enters the police station to report his own murder is a stroke of genius. What a way to hook an audience! The only fault that I find with the film are the ridiculous noises that we hear every time Frank spies an attractive woman. Their tone is completely inappropriate to the film, and they are a real blot on Dimitri Tiomkin's otherwise excellent score.

The DVD (This refers to the Roan Group DVD only): This film looks too contrasty and lacking in subtle tonality to me. Not having seen the film on the silver screen, I don't know if it was originally like that, if there was a problem with the print, or if it's a bad transfer. But the film stocks available in 1950 were technologically much better than this DVD would lead you to believe. The main menu on the disc doesn't show up before the movie. The disc starts to play as soon as it is inserted into the player, so you have to either hit the menu button on your remote or get yourself onto your couch quickly. There are two bonus features: An interview with actress Beverly Campbell (now Beverly Garland) in which she describes her experience being blacklisted by the Hollywood studios for several years following her appearance in "D.O.A." And there are a few pages of text that you can read about film noir in general and "D.O.A." in particular. Beverly Garland's story is interesting, but the DVD seems to be put together in a slipshod manner.

1950's D.O.A. is classic film noire, one of the true classics of the genre. The characters are intense, everyone is up to something, and the clock is ticking for one Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien), who must attempt to find his own murderer before his last grain of sand trickles to the bottom of the hourglass. Bigelow is an accountant who up and takes a week off to visit San Francisco, ostensibly to get away from his secretary and incredibly needy, codependent, marathon-talking girlfriend Paula (Pamela Britton). Once he arrives at the hotel, he's like an elephant in a peanut factory, trying to go every direction at once in order to have a good time with every woman he sees. While the neurotic Paula broods, Bigelow goes out to paint the town red with a gang of his hotel neighbors, only to wake up the next morning feeling less than healthy. A trip to the doctor's office instantly changes his entire perspective on life, for he finds out that he has been poisoned with a luminous toxin, for which there is no cure whatsoever. With anywhere from a day to two weeks to live, he starts off on a relentless quest to discover his murderer. The plot takes a number of twists and turns, and it can get a little confusing at times because of all the characters and all the shenanigans each of them are pulling. Bigelow has nothing to lose, though, and he refuses to give up as long as he has a breath in his body.

D.O.A. starts off a little slow, and the fact that a silly musical wolf call greeted the appearance of any woman early on had me doubting the merits of this film, but when things really get going, they really get going. The action and suspense build inexorably with each passing minute of the film, and the background music only reinforces the gripping effect upon the viewer. The camera work is also quite effective, strongly conveying the increasing alienation Bigelow is faced with as the Grim Reaper makes plans to pay him an imminent visit. It is easy to become mesmerized by all of the story's twists and turns, as on top of the great atmosphere, you have to think about each new clue and surprise that Bigelow encounters on his mission. You have to admire Bigelow's relentless determination and quick-thinking mind, and he quickly transforms himself from a character of dubious merit and possibly ignoble feelings into a tragic hero/victim of classic proportions. If the whole luminous poisoning thing doesn't make you sympathize with the character, the neurotically suffocating burden of love he has to deal with continuously from Paula will. Other films have taken this idea of a poisoned man hunting down his murderer in his dying days and hours, but none has produced such a gritty tale that drips with realism and builds to the type of crescendo found in this remarkable film noire classic.

The reviews earlier than this one (shown below this review) reveal too much of the plot of D.O.A. See the movie first then read the remaining reviews. This film combines an unusual plot (with a twist at the beginning), good performances (Edmund O'Brien drips in desperation), a great villain (Neville Brand over the top), real locations (including the Bradbury Building), and other elements which combine to make this authentic film noir.

I've noticed at least two DVD versions of D.O.A. I have the Roan Group version which has an "Introduction by Beverly Garland". She is billed in this film as Beverly Campbell. In this extra, she talks about the movie and her early film career. I have seen another version which says "Introducing Beverly Garland". I don't know if this version has the extra segment.

i think that sanctuary deserves a round of applause for releasing this concert!Todd and the Utopia really rock on this one.the sound is really good.the picture is good for a concert from 1980.the set list is awesome.and it come at a very low price.i've been a utopia fan for a long time and some of this is first time to see footage..I hope this is just the first of many more releases of todd and utopia dvds!hey ,this dvd has footage of willie playing bass and singing "gangrene" with todd playing drums and kas on lead guitar!now thats polyester rock.Roger does an excellant job on "sands of arrakis".kasim does the acoustic version of "dont hold me back"(what a bonus),and how humbling the video that goes with "bag lady "is.this concert has the band performing one of my favorite songs "the seven rays".this show also has todd doing a medley of his "hits" for the casual fan. its so nice to have fresh utopia product...back on the street.

this captures an era gone by, the picture quality is low but let's face it, the disk is geared towards die hard Utopia/ Rundgren fans and they will ove it. In comparison to other DVD/Video releases, this one has a ton of material, nothing at all is left out. There are true gems on this offering including obscure Kasim and Roger solo songs. It will be tough to have your non-Todd fans watch it with you...but who cares!

This CD is a wonderful addition to my ticket stub and pictures from Pittsburgh, PA at the Stanley Theater on April 11th, 1980... There is no better way to re-capture the moment of Utopia, over and over again... A dream lives on forever ;-)

Ahhhhhh Pat, how many hours did I spend looking at your "Live In Concert" poster, with that tiny black mini skirt and matching tiny black singlet, hanging off my bedroom wall all those years ago. Hang on, I'll just get it out again.
Well, things all came back to me when I saw this brilliant DVD. Great concert, and she still looks beautiful. But not only that!!! She sounds brilliant!!!! Really brilliant!!! Still has that rough edge and then melts into the smooth sultry voice just before hitting you with her best shot, right between your eyes.
I always totally loved the guitar playing with all of her songs, so to see Neil as a balanced part of her show was new to me and a great surprise. Sorry I missed you Neil during the '80's, but I'm with you now.
So the obvious question now is, when are you guys coming to New Zealand to rock us in person??!!!

We don't get Pat Benatar releases in New Zealand these days so I was suprised to come across this DVD. What a great find though! Like most people I remember Pat Benatar from the usual 80s hits. This DVD shows a depth of performance few artists are capable of at any time let alone live. Neil Giraldo plays spectacularly, especially with the acoustic sets and Benatar's vocal performance is almost seamless.
I was impressed with the arrangements and that Pat and Neil's voices go together so well. But that's experience for you.And Neil has always had superb production skills.The audio mix is very nice too. Possibly the best live concert technically and musically I have ever seen. Made me a fan all over again but with more respect than ever before.

This is one of the best dvd's I have ever seen! Pat still has that awesome voice and she can still put on a great live show! The 4 new songs are so great too!! My fav is I Won't...can't wait for the new album to come out to hear the rest of her new stuff! If your a Pat fan, you definitely gotta get this dvd!! And Neil Giraldo still kicks major [tail] on that guitar!! WOOO

While this movie can stand on its own, it simply begs for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment, and it got one. I believe this was the funniest MST-3K'd movie ever, I mean eye-squirting funny. The voice-over for Grandpa alone is worth the price. You'd perhaps be better served finding this one on the MST-3K collections that are also coming out on DVD.

I'd been waiting to see this movie for years (somehow it's never played on TV in the Chicagoland area), and after reading some of the other reviews here my expectations were high. I am not disappointed. 'Teenagers' starts off a little slow, but stick with it; the absurdities pile up steadily until the completely ludicrous finish causes your lower jaw to drop open in amazement. It actually gets better with each viewing. Some of my favorite cheese factors: the alien analyzer machine clearly labeled "multichannel mixer"; the Fabio and Harry Chronic-lookalike aliens; the heroine's salacious hag of a girlfriend; the so-cliched-he's-brilliant TV newscaster; and the disorienting effect of hearing the 'scary' music cues from Night of the Living Dead in this context. Plus, whenever someone gets zapped, their skeleton is curiously held together with metal clips; the high-tech aliens are extremely dependent on human automobiles for getting around; and at bottom the story is really a soppy romance peopled with Mayberry and Mayfield refugees. All alien/hero Derek really wants is a home and family! And of course there's the Gargan; you have to admire their chutzpah and utter shamelessness in using the silhouette of a crayfish (not the actual crayfish mind you!) for their monster. There's something quite Ed Woodian about the whole thing; the naive enthusiasm of the cast, the non-sequitur dialogue, the poverty-stricken effects. Hour of fun for the bad movie connoisseur!
Ironically, Image's DVD presents the film in as pristine a state as could possibly be expected. The tonal values, sharpness, and detail are excellent, and you have to really watch closely to see any speckling or blemishing. The chapter stops are on the main menu, and a trailer for 'Teenagers' is included, as well as five of the same handful of trailers that are on other similar Image releases. Informative production notes are on the box. A solid entertainment value at the price.

At first I wasnt sure if I was going to like this movie.....But then my heart was touched by the friendly nature of betty and her grandpa ,who decide to welcome derek with open arms.......Derek is sort of a james dean type person

When I buy a DVD for music, I demand great sound and fun visuals with it. This DVD does not have great sound (a bit bassy), even with playing with the audio set up. HOWEVER, it does have some very good live versions of the hits that Ultravox/Midge Ure fans will appreciate. "Lament" - one of the most beautiful hauting songs ever made is WONDERFUL here. Simply - more synthesizers where used (I think). It is great watching Midge during this song, as with all his songs - he and his fans will FEEL his music!

Will we see Midge running around the stage like a Garth Brooks-type? No. Any background dancers? No. How about a fancy light show? Nope. Just a great concert that I wish I saw (even though I did see him live in Los Angeles awhile back)in person.

Even though I wished he sang "Visions In Blue" and "Reap The Wild Wind" I will settle for this for now and hope that a new improved DVD will provide these great songs for us.

Special Features includes the video to the songs "Beneath A Spielberg Sky" & "(You) Move Me" - both are good songs. Also has interviews with him in regards to some of his hit songs, interesting tidbits here for you fans.

Buy it, you'll like it...it will just wet your appetite to buy his other CDs if you already do not have them, and also wishing for a better sounding DVD in the future.

Having been a fan of Midge's since his Ultravox days in the late 70s and early 80s, this DVD was everything I could have wanted. I thought his Breathe CD was absolutely fantastic and Move Me was even better! His music always fills me with emotion. Powerful stuff. He is a brilliant songwriter and talented performer. His whole band on this DVD is pretty impressive. The keyboardist is wonderful. Midge's guitar work is also great. My favorite tracks were most of the ones from the Move Me CD. Monster is the most powerful tune! Alone is also a favorite. If you are a fan of Midge's work, this DVD will not let you down, so buy it! You won't be sorry!

I saw this when it was on Australian TV and enjoyed it but felt there was so much missing. When the credits came up I found out that we had not seen ALL of the show and I was told that the DVD would have "extra's".
I patiently waited to buy the DVD and am very glad I did.
When you see the "extra" you will discover how hard it was for the cast and crew to rehearse the show due to the venue not being available to rehearse when they needed it, and the things that got in their way and made it difficult for them to do the show. Up till 24 hours beforehand, many of the cast had not been able to reherse on the "real" stage. It just makes the show more special for me because of all the hard work that went into it.
John Bowles was wonderful singing "All I ask of you" (It was so obvious how wonderful he would have been when he played that part in the Australian production of "Phantom"), Tony Vincent was wonderful and I would love to see him live, Elaine Paige was fantastic as usual and Kris Phillips was a wonderful link between the Chinese and English versions of the songs.
I would recommend this to all my friends who love ALW's music

This is a great movie, especially if you like "Dancehall Queen". Paul Campbell does a great job as Capone and Carl Bradshaw is excellent as usual as the crime boss. While the story is somewhat generic it is still well worth watching.

I bought this video because it had some of the same actors as "Dancehall Queen" and boy did I get my monies worth! I like that Paul Campbell, the bad guy in "Dancehall Queen", is the hero in "Third World Cop". I enjoyed the interplay of action, drama, and comedy. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed "Dancehall Queen" and does not mind some non-graphic violence.

This movie was just great, as a matter a fact the best out of JA. that I have seen. All I'll say is "YOU GO GUYS".

This is a good story along the lines of "Here Comes Mr. Jordon", with a slight variation. But the DVD quality of the Gotham release is horrible. The picture quality is almost unwatchable and the un-even mono sound has a steady hissing all the way through the movie.

MY RATING-7.4

Impossible to fail with a formula like this- A gangster is killed by his partner and the Devil gives him the chance of coming back to the world of the living in the body of a judge, to corrupt people. Paul Muni is very nice here, spoofing his own image of gangster as well as Claude Rains, who we believe is really Satan. Anne Baxter is also very sweet and young as the judge's girlfriend.
Spite its age, the mov goes quite well and it's entertaining enough.

The popularity of "Angel on My Shoulder" spans seven decades. This 1946 classic film stars Paul Muni, Claude Rains, and Anne Baxter. Originally written by Harry Segall, it is the reverse telling of his earlier work, the stage play "Heaven Can Wait", (which was adapted for the screen as "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" and remade in 1978 by Warren Beatty). Whereas "Heaven Can Wait" is the story of a man who's prematurely sent to Heaven, "Angel" tells the tale of a mobster, Eddie Kagle, who is sent to Hell after he's gunned down by his best friend. The Devil gives him an opportunity to spend a few days back on Earth to seek revenge. While there, Eddie manages to redeem himself... much to the Devil's chagrin. It's a clever re-telling of Faust.

Both "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" and "Angel on My Shoulder" not only spoke to the era in which they were made, but also became classics in their own right. Despite the fact that "Angel" was produced during the tail end of World War II, it continues to be enjoyed by audiences year after year. Its heartwarming comedy and central theme of redemption have stood the test of time.

Paul Muni plays the lead with much charm, while Claude Rains is a debonaire Devil. There's a few loose ends in the story's structure and non-organic characters whose only purpose is to serve a utility function. However, in the end the overall film delivers an entertaining viewing... and afterall, isn't that the bottom line?

Current rumor has it that a re-make is in the works with a major actor to play the lead. I personally can't wait to see the update.

This is really a great movie, but when I played this DVD on my Playstation 2, it sort of flickers on some of the scenes (It's still watchable,though). I was originally planning to give this movie 4 stars, but since from some of the flickers, I'll give it 3 stars.

This is another example of Ernest being is comical self. This movie is not the best of the series, but it is still really funny.

This movie finds Ernest as a ball retriever at a driving range with aspirations of driving army trucks like real army people. His buddy assures him that if he joins the reserves, he can party every weekend while driving the big green trucks. So Ernest joins up. But coincidentally, his unit suddenly gets called up and sent to the Persian Gulf as peace keepers monitoring a border dispute. The border dispute goes rapidly out of control, and Ernest winds up on the front lines. The fate of the civilized world is in his hands!

Given the theme, it's not surprising that this movie is a bit more violent than Ernest's standard kids' fare. Guns actually get fired (but not by Ernest) and people fall down. If you are familiar with the Middle East or the army, you will find lots to laugh at in this movie. However, the overall plot almost comes across as too real these days to be as preposterous as it was originally intended.

It is through performances such as this that I realized how "hit and miss" my tastes were back in High School. Then I thought RW was the greatest -- this video proves how dated (and at times ridiculous) his more audacious works are.

OK, the photo quality was pretty poor (especially the "special effects") and every one looked like they were burned out at the end of a long tour, but I was expecting to get a DVD that at least had the same sound quality as his '74 recording in London. This was far from it. It sounds like they just put a mike out in the audience. My high school concert band recordings' during the same era had better sound.

And the orchestra and chior didn't seem to be very good (but it could have just been the sound quality). Many times, they didn't seem to even be in beat with him.

It was interesting to see though. I do wish that they would have shown more of his hands on the keyboards, but this was also kept to a minimum. Well, at least I could show my daughter what an old synthesizer looked like.

I wasn't expecting much from this special DVD release (after reading some of the scathing reviews here) so when I received it in the post I put it in my DVD player squinting my eyes in anticipated disappointment.

HOWEVER, I was WELL surprised and extremely happy that I bought this DVD.

Sure it has a crappy blow-up dinosaur on stage; I'm sure that was just for a laugh anyway.

Sure the audio is not 48 Khz 24 bit DVD audio quality, but you should remember that this RARE classic performance is from 1975, filmed for television and sounds good anyway. By the way the other reviews sounded I thought that the audio would be in-audible but it's not bad.

Sure the video is not Digital quality; it's 1975 footage for goodness sake! Sometimes people are too unforgiving in light of the offering before them and just can't appreciate the fact that we have been presented not only with the opportunity to see Rick Wakeman in his Classic Best performance but also with the opportunity to view musical history in the making.

Aside from the comparisons to modern technology then, this DVD stands up to viewing as a classic performance by Rick Wakeman featuring the entire "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" album and a few extra songs from King Henry and King Arthur.

I thoroughly enjoyed it as a piece of history that I missed and I felt that I was intimately there to re-live it live as it was intended.

I thoroughly recommend this DVD for any true Rick Wakeman fan who wishes to be transported back to the raw 70's to experience or re-live the era that essentially was an experimental era from which much influence for later years originated.