Digital Hierarchy Movie Reviews

All in all, I did get some enjoyment out of Tender Loving Care. You have two actors out of four leads delivering pretty good performances, it's mostly fairly well shot, and I love the concept of interactive movies. However, there were some major pitfalls:

1. The settings are incredibly stagnant. They should have varied the locations much, much more.

2. This film moves at a snail's pace. Too much time is spent on too little plot, and though the dialogue isn't badly written, there is simply too much of it. This story should have taken about half the time it did to unfold.

3. Not enough variety. As with the forerunner of the interactive film, the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books of the '80s, I want drastically different paths to be available to me by my choices.

4. Bad acting from John Hurt (whose role is that of a redundant, annoyingly intrusive narrator) and Marie Caldare (as catatonic wife Allison), whose pussycat whining gets annoying incredibly quickly. Michael Esposito and Beth Tegarden fare much better, one with his complicated character and the other with her enigmatic seductiveness, though because of the overlong script, even they wear thin.

5. Too many questions. At a certain point, I just want to keep moving rather than click, click, click.

You need a lot of patience to get through this one. I did find it fun overall, but Tender Loving Care is far from the complete "coming of age" of interactive movies.

DVD is such a young format that you've got to make allowances for problems with some of the earlier entries. That said, this film/game/whatever you want to call it was great fun and really flowed very well.

As the film progressed, you answered questions and took personality tests that effected the outcome -- you could even read the observations the John Hurt character made about YOU based on your answers. And his observations were amusingly accurate sometimes.

The only problem seemed to be in a storytelling standpoint -- plot threads would begin but never really resolved. I suspect this is not due to neglect on the part of the storyteller, however, but because the track of the story I ultimately followed was not one dependant on those threads, and they are fleshed out better in other versions of the film. I look forward to watching this movie again with different answers to see how else it may have played out.

Brief warning -- if you want to watch the whole thing in one sitting, be prepared to reserve about four hours. Also, some of the questions Dr. Turner asks are VERY personal -- don't watch with other people that you don't already trust very well.

This is a psycholigical test. Just as in cardiology there are "resting" and "stress" tests, this is a psychological "stress test." You will be bombarded with emotionally charged events and then asked your opinion of them.

For the best enjoyment value, look at it as a test, rather than as a "game" or a "movie."

This also has high enjoyment value if you can get your friends to play it. The voyerism level is much higher than in a traditional movie - you not only watch the action, you sneak around between scenes and look into drawers, read diaries and private e-mails, etc. When you use this DVD on your friends, you get to watch -them- doing it.

When I was ten years old, I had no idea what martial arts were. All I knew was about something called "karate" where people wore funny suits and tried to chop boards in half with their hands. Then one day I stayed home sick from school (5th grade) and saw this film on Showtime. That was 21 years ago and I've been an avid martial artist ever since. If you're a grown-up film snob, then yeah, avoid this film. But it's perfect for kids. It's true that the acting is ultra-cheese and the plot is a formulaic ripoff of "Enter the Dragon," but kids don't care about that kind of stuff. This movie makes an effort to educate the young viewer as to what the martial arts are all about (despite the title, which is NOT what the martial arts are all about), taking time to specifically narrate about different martial arts styles and even the meditative/spiritual side of the martial arts. The fight scenes are totally unrealistic (if memory serves me, some dude jumps over a helicopter at one point) but SO WHAT!! ...This is a kids' movie!! Don't expect it to be Cannes Film Festival material!! You rent a martial arts film from 1981 with actors you've never heard of--what did you expect!!?? This movie is good old 80's cheeseball martial arts flick fun! It really is a classic in that regard.

This is a classic martial arts film. If you like the energy of any of Bruce Lee's movies and in his way of life , you'll surely appreciate James Ryan. It is just one of those films that bring you back to a special time in your life, where martial arts was magical. It doesn't rely on special effects like all the cheesy films today ...Matrix etc, it is just hands down martial arts combat - no frills! Any true martial artist can appreciate this film, they just don't make them like this anymore. I love this film, alway's will. It was the very first karate movie I ever saw and I never forgot it even after years of not being able to find it I could vividly remember the names like the Fly and Hot Dog and of course Steve Chase - the perfect martial artist's name!

This movie is so awesome,it makes me foget about the cheesey acting.I tried everywhere to find this,and I'm now in the process of getting my hands on a dvd of it from amazon.The fight scenes look top notch and these guys are tough.The story is the usual man tries to take over the world formula,but it's the characters that are cool-Fly,Gorrilla,Gypsy and Hotdog.Cool martial arts champion James Ryan plays the leader of the group.Watching these guys infiltrate the evil dictator's compound is hysterical as they're not the best at this.There are several well choregraphed fights leading to the great ending.Each member of the group has to fight in a tournament against the dictator's fighters.It's one of those few stand out classic martial arts movies.

First of all, like most DVD's you are not able to simply navigate this DVD with the Title and Chapter Menu buttons. No, the author decided in his infinite wisdom to make navigation a chore by accessing a "Program Menu" which only after significant effort I was able to finally figure out how to get to point A to point B and even then it required cumbersome navigation and took far too long. It was really an aggravation and frustrating since my principle concern was not learning how to navigate the damn DVD but learning how to calibrate my system.

After wasting far far too much time figuring out how to navigate through the DVD I then undertook to calibrate my system. The author's introductory chapters and interesting and informative, BUT he fails to follow up on the initial promise of the DVD by leaving you without adequate instructions on how to use the test tones and video tools.

For instance, he has half right speaker tones, but never explains what in the heck they are for. After a brief and disappointing intro to both audio and video he simply throws the test tones at you. Why didn't he have a thorough step by step explanation of exactly how to use them.

The other problem is that he uses terms he does not completely explain or define leaving this user confused and scratching his head.

If you are an expert and know what you are doing then this DVD might be more useful than it was to me.

Hopefully, I'll eventually figure out how to use the darn thing.

This is an essential purchase for anyone buying a decent Home Theater system and large screen TV. When we all watched TV with nothing bigger than a 27" GE or RCA set it was no big deal. But as we watch more DVD's or HiDef on bigger TV's and listen in amazing surround sound sound it is vital that you set up your system to accurately represent the bits on the disk or in the signal.

Video Essentials takes you through various vital tests with great explanations for newbies and nerds alike. It was amazing to me how much better films and programs looked and sounded after running this disk. Natural detail, natural colors and an exquisite movie theater look and feel now accompany our shows.

I can not believe that someone recommended using an animation, Monsters Inc., to calibrate ones set. It is a cartoon with green and blue cartoon monsters and digitally created light and sound sources - how can that help anyone! Calibration and sample disks like this and the THX optimizer that comes with several DVD's helps you to recreate in your home theater what the director intended. If anything I would use Monsters Inc to set up a custom set of screen values just for animations since it makes sense to make this type of movie more vivid. Yet for live-action movies this disk is a must!

...what good picture and sound were until I tuned up my system with this terrific product. Why didn't someone think of this sooner. I also experienced similar results in my intimate personal life with the system called "New Sex Now" dvd.

I rented this mainly for my 5- and 3-year olds, who were predictably amused, though they volunteered that Abbott & Costello aren't as good as the Marx Brothers. That's putting it mildly.

I also wanted to see if they were as entertaining as I remembered them from my childhood: They aren't. I can only suppose they were an innovative act in their heyday in the '40s, when they were the biggest grossing movie comedians, but -- what can I say? -- they fail the proverbial test of time. They were fated to Trotsky's ash heap of history -- or, in this case, comedic history -- along with Eddie Cantor, Ma & Pa Kettle, Martin & Lewis, and, hopefully before long, Adam Sandler.

There's a saving grace or two, though, in this movie: One of the Three Stooges, Shemp Howard, has the best bit as a Mr. Magoo-like big game hunter, while a future Stooge, Joe Besser, who, eerily, would one day replace the deceased Howard, does his usual turn as a ludicrous sissy. If only this Abbott & Costello feature had a tenth of the classic qualities of those Three Stooges shorts that contemporaneously got so little respect!

Diane Emerson (Hillary Brooke) is looking for a copy of the book "Dark Safari" by the famous explorer Cuddleford in the book department of Klopper's Department store. When Buzz Johnson (Abbott) hears Diane will pay $2,500 for a map that is in the book, he passes off Stanley Livingston (Costello) as a great explorer, who had accompanied Cuddleford to Africa. Stanley says he can reproduce the map, but when Buzz overhears Diane offer Clyde Beatty $20,000 to lead an expedition to Africa, he knows there is much more money to be made. So the boys take Diane and her henchmen to Africa, where they set out to locate the Ubangi tribe, which has a fortune in uncut diamonds. Eventually the group stumbles on the Ubangi and find out the cannibals are willing to trade the diamonds for Stanley.

The best comedy routines in "Africa Screams" involves Costello and animals, whether it is Abbott dressed up in a lion skin so "Stanley" can prove what a great hunter he is or being rescued by a gorilla. But my favorite scene is when Buzz thinks Stanley is dead and does not notice that his "dead" friend is commiserating with him over his regrets for having treated Stanley so badly. "Africa Screams" is one of the funnier Abbott & Costello films from this period, playing to Costello's strength in pantomime. This 1949 film was directed by Charles T. Barton and features not only the famous hunters Clyde Beatty and Frank Buck, but Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges as Gunner, the near-sighted gunman employed by Diane, and former World Heavyweight Champion Max Baer and his "little" brother Buddy as Grappler McCoy and Boots Wilson, her two goons.

Being born in Paterson NJ, I guess maybe I'm a little privy to the whole Abbott & Costello thing. I remember when channel 11 was WPIX..now it's WB11....but every Sunday morning; at 11:30AM, they'd run an Abbott & Costello film(they did this for years)and Africa Screams was one of our favorites.

Why? Well, it was classic Bud & Lou all the way. Picture Lou finding a trail of diamonds.....calling on Bud to help him carry ALL HIS MONEY! I'M GOING TO BUY POLO PONIES...OFFICE BUILDINGS!!!

I forget the name of the guy who plays Gunner, but you'll recognize him instantly as well........YOU GOTTA BUY THIS!!!!!!

NICE FEATURE, SEXY, NICE LADIES, PERFECT BODIES, NICE ACTION,BUT...WITH WEAKNESSES. NEVERTHELESS, IT IS A HOT VIDEO WORTHBUYING...

Wow! This film has become a permanent part of my thought-library, and I have referred it to all of my internet friends. I was stumbling with the remote the whole time, and then I had to de-fog the bathroom! I especially liked the scene with the cheese doodles. I don't know how they did it! This one is much better than the others, so stick around and add the best not the simple ones. Thanks!

A bunch of penthouse style models posing for an hour. Some nice looking women, some a bit too false/over made-up. Good detail, but not a DVD you'll watch often. Some of the models are reasonably known such as Sara st James and Lorissa McComas. It's not too trashy but not that classy either

A REALLY BURNIMG VIDEO ! THE BEST OF ALL FOUR EROTIC HEAT VOLUMES. BUY IT ! YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT ! THOSE HOT AND SEXY WOMEN INSIDE, SHOW EVERY BIT OF THEIR BODIES, IN A WAY THAT WILL MAKE YOUR JUICES FLOW ! IT WELL DID THAT TO ME WITH NO EFFORT AT ALL !

This is a funny, entertaining film, told by a brave courageous horse. It's great for the younger lovers of this title that might not fully understand the classic film or the newer version with Sean Penn. I highly recomend this to all horse lovers!

As title says. good action for the time it was created. it was one of the ones that got me hooked . its been done but its still nice

The video and music is simple and fun. It was easy to sing along. It was what I expected and will work well with a group getting together for Christmas Carols.

This was an amazing tour-de-force of bad acting. It was fairly action packed and the acting was so bad it was funny. The stunts and effects were decent. The plot was absurd (also funny). If you are a MST3K fan, this movie is for you!