Wholesale and Distribution Movie Reviews

The Last Broadcast would probably have slipped into obscurity were it not widely considered the film that inspired The Blair Witch Project. Like the erroneous comparisons that remain between The Sixth Sense and The Others, the two films share surface similarities, but the mechanisms that drive each are different. Unfortunately, like The Others (one of the best films of 2001), The Last Broadcast universally suffers in comparison on the surface level, but has much more working beneath the surface. Once again, my hypothesis that subtlety is wasted on the masses rears its ugly head.

The Last Broadcast is a documentary being put together by David Leigh (David Beard, last seen in Strange Brew, who also narrated Avalos and Weiler's "The True Legend of the Jersey Devil") about the 1996 Jersey Devil Murders, in which two hosts of a bad local cable show, Steven Avkast and Locus Wheeler (played by Avalos and Weiler), hire two South Jersey locals, soundman Rein Clackin (Rein Clabbers) and guide/psychic Jim Suerd (Jim Seward; you can see where they went with the names, yes?) to take them into the Jersey Pine Barrens in search of the legendary Jersey Devil. Suerd emerges from the Pine Barrens a few days later alone; Wheeler and Clackin's bodies are soon recovered, while Avkast's remains are only large sprays of blood on the snow. Filmaker Leigh is convinced of Suerd's innocence, and sets out making The Last Broadcast to prove this.

Okay, you see the parallels with the Blair Witch Project. A fictional tale (though the legend of the Jersey Devil really does exist, unlike that of the Blair Witch) being presented in a mockumentary, with lots of supposedly live candid footage. Somehow, though, I missed all the stuff in BWP about the aftermath, and how it led to the making of the film-outside-the-film. That alone should still film-to-film comparisons (though piece-to-piece are still warranted), not that it ever does. In order to appreciate The Last Broadcast for what it is, it must be taken on its own merits.

And it does have many merits. If you tuned in halfway through, you'd believe you were watching Forensic Files on CourtTV rather than a mystery film. The documentary atmosphere here is spot-on. In the latter half of the film, when Leigh hires a professional film restorer (Michelle Pulaski) to reconstruct a destroyed videocassette, there were times when _I_ thought I was watching Forensic Files (and I knew I was watching a mystery film). It's all quite wonderfully constructed (and perhaps better compared to the hour-long Blair Witch Project documentary special that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel before the film's release; it has a whole lot more in common with the latter half of The Last Broadcast than BWP ever did).

Where the film may go wrong, though, is in the last ten minutes. The jury's still out on this. I've read reviews both praising and criticizing the ending, though far more of the latter. I waffle between thinking it destroys the tone of the film and puts a decent ironic cap on it; I think the main problem is that it feels like it should have been a piece of a different film. But it is a piece of a different effective, very eerie film.

Enjoyable on many levels. Even if you didn't like the Blair Witch Project, don't let the comparisons put you off; this is worth seeing. ****

No attempt is made to make Suzannah York plain (she is called "pretty" several times); the actress does a fair job balancing Jane's passion with her temperance, but she seems to lack any real fire. Sadly, feminist diatribes are sometimes inserted into her dialogue, which reek of the 1970s.

As Rochester, George C. Scott has potential, but he's largely hampered by the script. He can be both tender and tortured, fiery and depressed, but somehow the mix just never quite works.

The script is just terrible--often corny. Many changes were made to the story line for no apparent reason (other than, perhaps, the screenwriter thought they "knew better" than Charlotte Bronte). Worst of all, the quality of the picture is so bad, I wondered if I'd bought a pirated copy! The Lowood section of the film, in particular, is so dark that I often had a hard time making out facial expressions.

I don't know if scenes are missing from the original film, but I can say that the editing is very poor. For example, at one point Jane asks if Grace Poole is the one causing trouble at Thornfield...yet the audience has heard nothing about the character of Grace Poole up to that point.

Overall, there is nothing really to recommend this film. It is slow, boring, and disappointing.

Running Time: about 3'

1The Chelms, EU on the right, a walking stick in his right, JJ on the left, a basket over her left arm, walking towards you down a street. Camera first full shot, then moving in to half shot (waist upwards) , then half portrait (bust upwards). They are followed by a bunch of children, half seen behind their backs. A man they pass turns round to stare at them unpleasently. They turn round (towards each other).

2Portrait shot of six small boys looking very ugly, glaring at them. Mouth movements as if they were about to spit.

3The couple turns again, resuming their walk.

EU:I must say I do resent the way these people stare at us. You'd think they might be going to spit.
JJ: (spits over her left shoulder)
EU:Gwendolen, dash it all!
JJ:Here, it's unlucky to have someone spit at you unless you spit first.
EU:What a filthy superstition,
JJ:(chants:) May yours be defiled!
EU:What's that about?
JJ:These people may be thinking of putting a curse on us, like „may your grandmothers be defiled". That's why I say it first, just in case.
EU:Wherefrom do you get all this stuff?
JJ:My old Spanish nurse told me.
EU:Surely you don't believe it now. You were only a child then.
JJ:She wasn't a child. She was old.
EU:I only wonder why your parents left you in charge of such a dirty, ignorant woman.
JJ:They cared for nothing except to have me off their hands. I told you that. They'd have sold me on the slave market if they hadn't been afraid of the scandal. Besides my father was incompetent. I suppose he just didn't know how to contact the slave people.
EU:I don't believe a word of it. Probably they were very fond of you, really.
JJ:(making as if to spit again)
EU:Stop it, Gwendolen! Don't do it!
JJ:You'll be sorry if you run into bad luck just because you didn't take proper precautions. Suppose when we get to Africa there is a native raising and they are slaughtering all the Whites! (prepares to spit again)
EU:Gwendolen!
JJ:If you don't let me spit I'll just feel like standing here in the street and screeming with terror!
EU:(looking to the left) Stop it, Gwendolen! Look: those men!
JJ:(looks to the left too)
EU:They might be fellow passengers.

4Morley, Marco Tulli, Peter Lorre descending down a street.

Quite a difference, isn't it? Well, ask for the original!...

Do not buy this DVD unless you have a perverse collection of dud DVDs. As much as like this film and the star this DVD is heading straight for the trashcan!

There should be a law against putting out such low quality DVDs like this out on the market!

Martin Scorcese has described this as his favorite western. Rod Serling ("Twilight Zone") worked on the first draft of the script, then Sam Peckinpah ("The Wild Bunch") was hired to rewrite it. Stanley Kubrick was the director, but was later replaced by star Marlon Brando. This is Brando's first and only stint as a director, and though it isn't perfect, it's darn good. He does tend to let scenes drag on a little long, and there were some tedious parts that probably should have been left out, but I'd say about 75-80 percent of this film hits the mark.

As an actor, Brando dominates virtually every scene, drawing you in, making you feel what he's feeling. His character is a real son-of-a-b*tch, a liar and a scoundrel, but you come to empathize and root for him by the end. Pina Pellicer, who plays Rio's love interest Louisa, is a very fine actress who holds her own opposite Brando. She looks like a Mexican Audrey Hepburn. There really were no weak actors. Karl Malden, who played Longworth, is appropriately two-faced, a real "one-eyed jack".

The dialogue is very authentic. I've seen westerns where they talk like modern day folks, but in "One-Eyed Jacks" the dialect is pure 19th century outlaw. It's great to hear Brando call some guy a "scum-sucking pig" or a "big tub of guts".

I like westerns, and this is one of the best that I've seen. It's slow-paced, but it's so good that I didn't mind. It's very character-driven, which I like. It's great to see Brando in his prime. Released in 1961, this film had a significant influence on the revisionist westerns (Sergio Leone, etc.), which started around the mid-1960s. Thumbs up for "One-Eyed Jacks"!

(There are numerous versions of this movie floating around, but from what I've read Unicorn Studio's is the one to get.)

Sequel to A.D., charming Joanna Lumley takes over from Stephanie Beacham as Van Helsing's granddaughter. Cushing is back as well. So bad it's sort of good...lol. Count Dracula decides to wipe out mankind with a super-plague so he can finally die? Well, I am sure they thought it sounded good on paper.

Of interest to Lee-Cushing fans, but others will yawn.

Our protaganist this time around centers himself amidst a group of supposed witches in a coven. One finds out shortly what the purpose of this group is for and what Dracula intends to use their services for.

In short, this makes for a very poor plot and low budget effects, we only see Dracula approach one female victim and even then we are spared the horror of her fate.

For reasons that are only purley historical was this released on DVD. Hammer fans will be disappointed by this installment, and one can see why that studio shortly thereafter ceased making films.

This is a classic movie with excellent acting, singing, dancing and good humor. This is the movie that inspired the song "Dancing on the ceiling" and is also the one where Fred shows he can make any partner look good (even a hat stand). You even get to see Fred and Jane try to impress an audience on an ocean liner while the boat rocks uncontrollably in the rough seas; hilarious.

There are no special features on this DVD (I often find special features to be a waste), but that does not detract form being able to own this timeless classic

Fred and his sister (Jane Powell), find themselves performing in London at the time of the incredible festivities celebrating the Coronation of the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II. Just to get into the swing of things, they both fall in love, and in a marvelously staged finality, they make it a double wedding, just as the Queen receives her Crown. With an ensemble cast which includes Peter Lawford and Sarah Churchill, and Keenan Wynn, you'll need this one to keep your toes tapping!!

Although the film has some bad 80's effects the actors are charming in there roles and are a lot of fun and make you forget it's not a perfect film. When Grace Jones tells the young Princess you get a man "by GRABBING HIM!!" is very funny. Arnold's small fight with a camel gets some laughs as well. It's nothing compared to recent Fantasies like Lord of the Rings but it's still entertaining and is better than a lot of Arnie's recent films.

In this movie, we find Conan lured into a mission to retrieve the sacred horn of whatever, with the promise that he will get his Valeria back, who died in the first movie. He's inconviently saddled with a fairly lame group including a greasy little thief/comic relief (Tracey Walter), a somewhat over enthusiatic Amazon type warrior (Grace Jones), the Asian wizard from the first movie (Mako), a princess (Olivia d'Abo), and her protector (Wilt 'the Stilt' Chamberlain).

Now the set up and such is fairly standard with the Conan stories, a quest frought with all kinds of peril an such, but the movie is lacking a lot of what was in the first movie, violence. I am not a gorehound by any means, but to lighten up on this aspect, most likely to get the PG rating is really a rub the wrong way to the fans and anyone who loved the first movie. I am not saying you have to have entrails and such flying about, but the amount of blood letting was extremely toned down. The same could be said for sexual content. In the first movie, Conan had three encounters with women, which is par for the books, but in this one there is none of that. I thought for sure they were going to throw in a liason between Conan and the princess, as such a big deal was made in the beginning of the movie that she remain pure (a virgin), but she was kinda young, so I am glad that didn't come about, as it would have been creepy. If it were a story from a book, Conan would have shagged her rotten and that would have set up for the whole ceremonial sacrifice to be [messed] up. They did have the princess show her attractions to Conan, but that never led anywhere.

Well, they finally complete the quest, and Conan and most of his group find out they've been had, and decide to go and rescue the princess. This sets up a climatic battle between a funky lizard god-man.

While they took out or lightened up on the sex and violence, they added in more comedic elements, which isn't all that bad, but got to the point of being ridiculous at some points. Too much levity in this type of movie is not a good thing. I would have rather seen a smaller group and more action than what we got. I liked Mako from the first movie, but what was the deal with him and anytime he performed magics in this movie he had to make grunting noises? That got really annoying...can't he perform magic without making all those silly noises? The first movie did have Conan join with a small group, but all the main action focused around him, and the rest was secondary. Not so in this movie. I felt like this was more like Conan Lite than a real, honest to goodness sequel. Something else this movie lacked was a really strong villian type. In the first we get Thulsa Doom, played wonderfully by James Earl Jones, but in this movie we have no real villian until the end of the movie. You could count Bombatta, but they didn't really mix it up until the end. You could count the evil Queen Taramis, played by Sara Douglas, but she's only in like 10 or 15 minutes of the movie.

Well, anyway, that's my rant. I did enjoy this movie somewhat, but I was disappointed in what it could have been. Instead of using what made the first so good and popular, they changed the formula and missed the boat. I really felt if this one had done well, we could have seen a couple more Conan movies. I have heard rumors about a third Conan movie, so who knows...and anyone seen the Conan television series from 1998 with Ralf Moeller? Probably not, as it didn't last too long. I think I saw one or two episodes and thought it was too goofy and riduculous, as I think did many other viewers and it died a quiet, yet thankful death.

Conan the Destroyer isn't at nearly as violent and bloody as the first. The first movie is a lot more barbaric. The sword play is slower and more brutal. You also don't see a whole lot of magic in the first film. Granted you see some, but not like you see in Destroyer. The sword play isn't nearly as bloody. It's more high paced and you see a bigger variety of weapons in the movie. You also see a diffrent kind of cast.

Mako is the only returning member besides Conan to the movie. He continues his role as the wizard and once again is a comedic charm. Grace Jones as a role as Zulu warrior. She is excellent in the movie. I was surprised to see her in the movie. Wilt Chambelin is also in the movie. He plays a warrior that is suppose kill Conan once the crystal is retreaved. He is in great shape for a 50 something year old man. I was impressed.

I liked Conan the Destroyer. It's PG and is something the whole family can watch. I don't think it's as good as Barbarian, but I do love it. It's a must for Arnold and fantasy fans. Get the DVD and enjoy.

Am a big fan of the jackass series and I bought this thinking it would be just as good, but it's a poor mans attempt at humour. Mostly Steve-o is out of his head on drugs and it shows alot. I hope the first in the series is better, this was just a waste of money.

1 Star

I am looking forward to an AI2 DVD but I hope they would do a much better job than the above-mentioned DVD. Of course being a Clay fan, I hope to see more of him in the DVD.

For now, I can only say that the AI1 DVD is a disappointment and a complete waste of my money.