Time Tracking Movie Reviews
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A Western ClassicOUATITW is quite different than Leone's other well known westerns starring Clint Eastwood, although he does still capture some of their magic here . Where this film differs is in it's characters and sheer scope. Leone's style is still well intact, but his storytelling is much more diverse here, not simply relying on one mechanic throughout.
The DVD was very well done with a good quality picture and adequate sound. The second DVD in the set is loaded with features including documenteries and various featurettes. The commentary tracts are also well done and very informative as well as entertaining.
All in all, this DVD was well worth the wait. For fans of the film, this is a gem for the collection that must be bought.
Monumental Achievement of Cinema as ArtThis is a great transfer. Images are crisp and clear. You can even see the details of the back lit Mitten Buttes in Monument Valley. Now, you can kiss goodbye to the VHS tape you had for years.
When I saw "Once Upon a Time in the West" for the first time, I was 14. Seeing Cardinale's buggy cross Monument Valley made me shed tears. It's such stunning beauty! I could feel Leone's deep affection to the western in this scene. This is his homage to John Ford and all western movies.
There are not so many directors who know how to use wide screen effectively. In Leone's films, space seems to expand to form massive cosmos. No other director could perform this type of magic (perhaps with an exception of David Lean).
This is a movie that deserves the word "masterpiece" in every sense. And this is an utmost form of film as art. The tempo throughout the movie is meticulously calculated. Camera movement and editing are extremely creative and cinematic. Morricone's haunting music flows with the images (I don't hesitate to say Jill's theme is the most beautiful music on earth). Dialogue is limited to optimize its dramatic effect and superbly well written. Movements of actors are deliberately slow and stylish. Carlo Simi's art direction for set and costume designs plays a great role also to help Leone's perfectionism and realism.
This is not just the best spaghetti western. Some dare to say this is the best western ever made. And so do I.
Three documentaries on the second disc are wonderful treat to Leone fans. Through numerous interviews, you can learn how "Once Upon a Time in the West" was started and how it was produced. Very briefly, you can see Leone himself in one of the documentaries. My only regret is that other key people like Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Ennio Morricone and Sergio Donati were not interviewed.
One of the noteworthy special features is Location Gallery. I'd like to thank Don Bruce for contributing valuable photos of locations used for "Once Upon a Time in the West" to make comparisons to actual scenes in the film.
This is one great DVD made with passion to reflect diehard Leone fans' never-ending love for this monumental film.
A Classic Western -- the Best by Sergio LeoneThe movie pays homage to the great American westerns in the past (movies such as "The Searchers" and "Shane", plus many others), while putting on a revisionist twist of its own in the story. Curiously, among the spaghetti westerns made by Leone, this is the only one which features a woman as its central character. This movie talks about the passing of the era of gunfighters into the modern industrial era (represented by the advent of railroads). One of the great features of this movie is the classic soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.
I really love this Western and it only gets better through the passage of time. The 2-DVD set is great -- it features a commentary on the first disc and several featurettes (a 3-part documentary which interviews cast members, the director, cinematographer and admirers of the movie; another documentary on the revolution of the railroad) on the second disc. There are some scenes included in this DVD which were absent in the video version (the complete version). The picture and sound quality are excellent. If you love classic westerns and are a fan of Sergio Leone's westerns, you will definitely love this movie. It is a must-have!
Amazing Movie - Excellent DVD
Another First-Timer Rewarded!Great stuff!
"He who has truth and courage in his heart...The message of the movie is universal: don't go away in the final round. You've worked so hard thus far. Believe!
WOW, but the amazing thing about the movie is --like all good movies--- you CAN'T BELIEVE... until it goes through!
It feels great to watch it.
Yes, it's long. I'm not sure how long it is, but I watched it in three parts.
Just like a long, good book! Like one of those great classic books!
The songs are beautiful!!
It's beautiful.
Can't we just watch more movies like these?
It's gorgeous, don't miss it, my friend.
Amazing Movie - Excellent DVD
Another First-Timer Rewarded!Great stuff!
"He who has truth and courage in his heart...The message of the movie is universal: don't go away in the final round. You've worked so hard thus far. Believe!
WOW, but the amazing thing about the movie is --like all good movies--- you CAN'T BELIEVE... until it goes through!
It feels great to watch it.
Yes, it's long. I'm not sure how long it is, but I watched it in three parts.
Just like a long, good book! Like one of those great classic books!
The songs are beautiful!!
It's beautiful.
Can't we just watch more movies like these?
It's gorgeous, don't miss it, my friend.
One of Allen's best
A valentine for the Big Apple
PerfectionThe story is set on a lush canvas of Gordon Willis cinematography and George Gershwin score, and you are carried sweetly into the sublime swirl of New York City from the first rhapsodic blend of music, monologue and images. For those who love New York (and those who may never see it) it should be known that the quintessence of the City is precisely captured here in sound, light, and character.
True to form, Allen strings his instrument with the requisite elements of life and relationships-- love, romance, friendship, betrayal, and essential insecurity-- and plucks them in perfect harmony. In subtle brilliance, he does not lead you directly in this film, but allows you to go looking on your own volition for his simmering meaning of love and life. The camera is a poignant voyeur as Allen's character searches earnestly (and obstinately) for answers to the wrong questions. He is confounded but for the allure of the pure and benevolent Mariel Hemingway, who plays the angelic savior of his soul.
In the end, the ultimate message that Woody's character learns in Manhattan is the same rich reward that we earn from our experience in watching this movie... that hope, patience, and faith are the virtues that always keep their promises.
The first of a popular series (six in all) starring the charismatic and athletically adept Jet Li. Li plays legendary folk hero Wong Fei Hong, a late 19th century southern Chinese healer and kung fu master. The story begins with Western powers (American, British, and French) encroaching on the city of Canton. Wong is asked by the Black Flag army to safeguard the town by creating his own militia of kung fu experts. His assistants include the butcher "Porky" (Kent Cheng), a Chinese-American named Bucktooth So (Jacky Cheung), and his westernized "Auntie" Yee (Rosamund Kwan), a non-blood-related childhood friend for whom he holds a special affection. But the Westerners aren't the only problem in Canton. The Sha Ho gang terrorizes local businesses and has begun dealing with the Americans in exporting Chinese for slave labor and prostitution. A down-on-his-luck kung fu master named Iron Vest Yim (Yan Yee Kwan) has decided he needs to defeat Wong to open a school and Leung Fu (Jackie Chan contemporary Yuen Biao), a traveling opera troupe groupie, just keeps getting in the way. This epic martial-arts film showcases Li's amazing fighting and acrobatic skills and established Tsui Hark as a top-notch action film director. The final fight scene between Wong and Yim entails a dizzying orchestration of kicks and punches while teeter-tottering on ladders. --Shannon Gee
Once Upon a Time in China 2
Actor and martial arts maestro Jet Li and iconoclastic director Tsui Hark revisit historical China and legendary folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the second installment to the wildly popular Once Upon a Time in China film series (or better yet, "serials"). The main players include Li as Wong Fei Hung, Rosamund Kwan as his beloved but Westernized Auntie 13, and their clumsy sidekick Foon (Max Mok). China is in a period of political unrest. Dr. Sun Yat Sen is beginning to gain momentum behind his Nationalist party. A Qing minister (played with intensity by skilled fighter Donnie Yen) firmly carries out his job as police enforcer and a crazed cult called the White Lotus Sect has decided to take matters into their own hands by bullying citizens and destroying everything foreign. Wong and his crew find themselves at odds with the minister and the Sect, who have more in common than they initially let on. It all leads to some high-octane action scenes, including an all-out table-stacking and airborne brawl with the Sect (in which Wong uncharacteristically goes a little berserk himself) and a one-on-one matchup between Li and Yen. Tsui juggles the multilayered plot while Li juggles his opponents in a perfectly serviceable epic that is perhaps not as significant as the first Once Upon a Time in China but is solid kung fu nourishment for fans. --Shannon Gee
Once Upon a Time in China 3
Set in the era when China was just beginning to establish relations with Europe, Once upon a Time in China 3 is a mixture of politics, intrigue, broad comedy, and kung fu action. Charismatic Jet Li stars once again as Wong Fei-hung, a legendary Chinese hero who is a doctor, a pacifist, and an amazingly skilled martial artist. Like many Hong Kong films, this movie has a woefully complicated plot: in summary, a kung fu competition not only sparks a bitter rivalry between different martial arts associations, it also becomes the linchpin in an assassination plot. But this leaves out Wong Fei-hung's increasingly romantic relationship with his aunt (played by Rosamund Kwan), the rehabilitation of one of the villain's henchmen, and the introduction of a steam engine to a Chinese factory, among other subplots! Once upon a Time in China 3 is not the strongest in the series--the subtitling is unusually clumsy, the editing is rough, the plot is confusing, and the melodrama is more crudely played than in the other films--but there's still a clear, raw authority to the storytelling that is a hallmark of director-producer Hark Tsui (Peking Opera Blues, Green Snake). Though it seems to have been made in a rush, Once upon a Time in China 3 will still reward devotees of Hong Kong films, and the frequent and wild fight scenes will appeal to action fans. --Bret Fetzer
This collection not complete, however......
Nice package!
Awesome Pre-America Jet Li FlicksThe 6-part series (of which Li only appears in the first three, and the sixth) follows Wong Fei Hong, a doctor long renowned in Chinese legend. The setting is in late 19th century China as issues of colonialism, and suspicion toward foreigners runs ramapant. Fei Hong is usually neutral, with stronger leanings toward anti-westernization. Villains often play the part of the complete anti-westerners, doing any and everything to kick the French or British out. In the pro-west corner is Aunt Yee (aunt via a distant relation it seems, which lessens the weirdness of the romantic tension between her and Fei Hong) who dresses "modern," takes pictures with a camera, and believes the future lies in assimilating more of the western form into the culture.
Fei Hong is caught in the middle. He is extremely proud of his country and its people, but knows there is some merit to Yee's belief. For one, as a doctor, he has seen and understands some of the more efficient medical methods of the West, and knows that they surpass some, but not all Chinese methods. He fights both overly zealous Chinese and foreigners who don't mind making murder and brutality part of the process.
The Yuen Wo Ping choreographed scenes could make up a manual for shooting the kung fu fight scene. The cuts are long, extended takes, from numerous angles, with only splashes of slow motion. Wire work takes precedence over CG EFX (there aren't really any), and the fights are fast and furious, with few dramatic pauses where the fighters glare at each other, etc. You will see some of the most clever and awe-inspiring fight scenes ever caught on film.
One fight in the first volume takes place in a multi-story barn where Fei Hong battles Iron Vest Yim atop ladders and hay bales, using the ladders as if they were his feet. In the second, more historical volume, there are amazing sequences against Donnie Yen, it top "Iron Monkey" form, and a fight against the White Lotus sect where winning the battle is only half the fight: both fighters are at the same time trying to stay atop tables, ledges or people, as long as they don't touch the ground.
It's a definite must-have for your collection, and if its the start of your collection, you'll be drawn to his other pre-mainstream films as well. Note that his assistant Fu changes from volume to volume (Yuen Biao sets and is the standard as Fu in Vol. 1) but this is a minor, although slightly irritating side issue. The fights are mind-blowing--"Crouching, Tiger" without the intimations of love, fantasy, magic or slow motion. Just drawn-out street fights in the true fight-to-survive mindset.
The first of a popular series (six in all) starring the charismatic and athletically adept Jet Li. Li plays legendary folk hero Wong Fei Hong, a late 19th century southern Chinese healer and kung fu master. The story begins with Western powers (American, British, and French) encroaching on the city of Canton. Wong is asked by the Black Flag army to safeguard the town by creating his own militia of kung fu experts. His assistants include the butcher "Porky" (Kent Cheng), a Chinese-American named Bucktooth So (Jacky Cheung), and his westernized "Auntie" Yee (Rosamund Kwan), a non-blood-related childhood friend for whom he holds a special affection. But the Westerners aren't the only problem in Canton. The Sha Ho gang terrorizes local businesses and has begun dealing with the Americans in exporting Chinese for slave labor and prostitution. A down-on-his-luck kung fu master named Iron Vest Yim (Yan Yee Kwan) has decided he needs to defeat Wong to open a school and Leung Fu (Jackie Chan contemporary Yuen Biao), a traveling opera troupe groupie, just keeps getting in the way. This epic martial-arts film showcases Li's amazing fighting and acrobatic skills and established Tsui Hark as a top-notch action film director. The final fight scene between Wong and Yim entails a dizzying orchestration of kicks and punches while teeter-tottering on ladders. --Shannon Gee
Once Upon a Time in China 2
Actor and martial arts maestro Jet Li and iconoclastic director Tsui Hark revisit historical China and legendary folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the second installment to the wildly popular Once Upon a Time in China film series (or better yet, "serials"). The main players include Li as Wong Fei Hung, Rosamund Kwan as his beloved but Westernized Auntie 13, and their clumsy sidekick Foon (Max Mok). China is in a period of political unrest. Dr. Sun Yat Sen is beginning to gain momentum behind his Nationalist party. A Qing minister (played with intensity by skilled fighter Donnie Yen) firmly carries out his job as police enforcer and a crazed cult called the White Lotus Sect has decided to take matters into their own hands by bullying citizens and destroying everything foreign. Wong and his crew find themselves at odds with the minister and the Sect, who have more in common than they initially let on. It all leads to some high-octane action scenes, including an all-out table-stacking and airborne brawl with the Sect (in which Wong uncharacteristically goes a little berserk himself) and a one-on-one matchup between Li and Yen. Tsui juggles the multilayered plot while Li juggles his opponents in a perfectly serviceable epic that is perhaps not as significant as the first Once Upon a Time in China but is solid kung fu nourishment for fans. --Shannon Gee
Once Upon a Time in China 3
Set in the era when China was just beginning to establish relations with Europe, Once upon a Time in China 3 is a mixture of politics, intrigue, broad comedy, and kung fu action. Charismatic Jet Li stars once again as Wong Fei-hung, a legendary Chinese hero who is a doctor, a pacifist, and an amazingly skilled martial artist. Like many Hong Kong films, this movie has a woefully complicated plot: in summary, a kung fu competition not only sparks a bitter rivalry between different martial arts associations, it also becomes the linchpin in an assassination plot. But this leaves out Wong Fei-hung's increasingly romantic relationship with his aunt (played by Rosamund Kwan), the rehabilitation of one of the villain's henchmen, and the introduction of a steam engine to a Chinese factory, among other subplots! Once upon a Time in China 3 is not the strongest in the series--the subtitling is unusually clumsy, the editing is rough, the plot is confusing, and the melodrama is more crudely played than in the other films--but there's still a clear, raw authority to the storytelling that is a hallmark of director-producer Hark Tsui (Peking Opera Blues, Green Snake). Though it seems to have been made in a rush, Once upon a Time in China 3 will still reward devotees of Hong Kong films, and the frequent and wild fight scenes will appeal to action fans. --Bret Fetzer
This collection not complete, however......
Nice package!
Awesome Pre-America Jet Li FlicksThe 6-part series (of which Li only appears in the first three, and the sixth) follows Wong Fei Hong, a doctor long renowned in Chinese legend. The setting is in late 19th century China as issues of colonialism, and suspicion toward foreigners runs ramapant. Fei Hong is usually neutral, with stronger leanings toward anti-westernization. Villains often play the part of the complete anti-westerners, doing any and everything to kick the French or British out. In the pro-west corner is Aunt Yee (aunt via a distant relation it seems, which lessens the weirdness of the romantic tension between her and Fei Hong) who dresses "modern," takes pictures with a camera, and believes the future lies in assimilating more of the western form into the culture.
Fei Hong is caught in the middle. He is extremely proud of his country and its people, but knows there is some merit to Yee's belief. For one, as a doctor, he has seen and understands some of the more efficient medical methods of the West, and knows that they surpass some, but not all Chinese methods. He fights both overly zealous Chinese and foreigners who don't mind making murder and brutality part of the process.
The Yuen Wo Ping choreographed scenes could make up a manual for shooting the kung fu fight scene. The cuts are long, extended takes, from numerous angles, with only splashes of slow motion. Wire work takes precedence over CG EFX (there aren't really any), and the fights are fast and furious, with few dramatic pauses where the fighters glare at each other, etc. You will see some of the most clever and awe-inspiring fight scenes ever caught on film.
One fight in the first volume takes place in a multi-story barn where Fei Hong battles Iron Vest Yim atop ladders and hay bales, using the ladders as if they were his feet. In the second, more historical volume, there are amazing sequences against Donnie Yen, it top "Iron Monkey" form, and a fight against the White Lotus sect where winning the battle is only half the fight: both fighters are at the same time trying to stay atop tables, ledges or people, as long as they don't touch the ground.
It's a definite must-have for your collection, and if its the start of your collection, you'll be drawn to his other pre-mainstream films as well. Note that his assistant Fu changes from volume to volume (Yuen Biao sets and is the standard as Fu in Vol. 1) but this is a minor, although slightly irritating side issue. The fights are mind-blowing--"Crouching, Tiger" without the intimations of love, fantasy, magic or slow motion. Just drawn-out street fights in the true fight-to-survive mindset.
Great sound and image
Why Widescreen?GREAT CONCERT!
Just like the real thing
A nifty idea: the Greek god Apollo turns out to be quite real, a powerful extraterrestrial (Michael Forest) waiting some 5,000 years for the human race to develop enough to meet him out in the cosmos. Catching sight of the Enterprise, he immobilizes the ship and demands that the members of a landing party--Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Chief Engineer Scott (James Doohan), Chekov (Walter Koenig), and antiquities specialist Lieutenant Carolyn Palamas (Leslie Parrish)--bow before him and prepare to spend the rest of their lives being cherished through his insistent love. A doubting Kirk recruits his people to secretly find the mechanical source of Apollo's power to throw lightning bolts, become a giant, and punish his naughty Enterprise children by tossing them around like rag dolls. The stern god gives Kirk a sword, so to speak, by falling for Lt. Palamas, setting the stage for some stormy drama late in the game. Written by television veteran and Greek myth aficionado Gilbert Ralston (with a polish by producer Gene L. Coon that enhanced the story's relationships), and directed by Marc Daniels, "Who Mourns for Adonais?" is one of those classic Trek episodes that lingers in the memory for the creative incongruity of its story line (starships and Olympians) and principal set (an Athenian temple with a few trees, shrubs, and confused Starfleet personnel). Wonderful stuff. A subplot involving Scotty's big-time crush on Palamas provides a rare glimpse into the emotional life of one of the supporting players--even if his gallant efforts to save her from Apollo's wooing result in a concussion or two. --Tom Keogh
"Amok Time"
Easily one of the best episodes from the original Star Trek series, "Amok Time" was written by the novelist Theodore Sturgeon, who came up with a story about a Vulcan mating cycle that occurs every seven years and drives the normally stolid, logical, pointy-eared humanoids wild. When Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is suddenly caught in the grip of pon farr, a crazy-making urge to mate, he sets a course for his home planet despite orders to the contrary from Captain Kirk (William Shatner). Kirk comes around, however, and accompanies Spock and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) to Vulcan, where Spock is to wed T'Pring (Arlene Martel) in an arranged marriage. But T'Pring formally rejects Spock, forcing a duel in which the captain must participate or let Spock die. There's high drama galore in this one, beginning with Spock's feverish savagery and extending to the fascinating complexity of Vulcan rituals, set against the eerie emptiness of the planet's landscape. For good measure, there's also the startling sight of Kirk and Spock fighting it out to the death. Supporting performances are terrific, including that of Celia Lovsky (the real-life wife of Peter Lorre) as the matriarch T'Pau. This is also the episode that gave birth to the split-fingered Vulcan salute (inspired by Nimoy's memories of the kohanin blessing at Jewish temples) and the phrase "live long and prosper." One of Trek's more highly charged episodes, you can feel a certain spontaneous energy here--indeed, some of the more inspired actors even made up their own lines. --Tom Keogh
One strong show, and one true classicOverall, a strong episode, although I for one at times tire of the more 'literal' episodes, enjoying instead the dreamy, surreal, and menacing ones. I see no reason why we should expect to encounter a moral code (or any system for that matter) similar to our own in outer space. Also there are quite frankly limits to just how good a 'literal' take can consistently be, especially after 35 years and given the time and budget constraints of an episode. That is why I am drawn to the more off-beat shows.
Having digressed, I must return to the fact that this is one of the better of the 'literal' shows. (4 stars)
Amok Time-This episode, in which Spock must return to his home planet, is deservedly a classic. Amok Time typifies the vitality and fast-pacing of the second season shows. There is real mystery as we try to comprehend just what is wrong with Spock. Certainly it is no coincidence that the thoughtful and critical Nimoy's strongest performance came in the show that gave him both a range of emotions AND a plausible reason for stepping out of character. Nowhere is Spock's shame about his (and all of our) dualistic natures more palpable than here.
This episode is helped also by the musical score and minimalist sets on Vulcan, as well as solid acting by the other Vulcans. If one is willing to look beyond minor script problems such as the humans' utter ignorance of Vulcan biology and the details of how Spock ends up fighting Kirk, there really isn't much to gripe about. Funny too how success breeds success; there is a warmth and chemistry between the big three here that just couldn't be reconjured in episodes that didn't earn the actors' trust. (4.5 stars)
"Kill Spock? That's not what we came here for..."WHO MOURNS FOR ADONAIS? © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:
Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: The relevance of a god or gods in an advanced society
Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None
REVIEW/COMMENTARY:
Following in the footsteps of 'The Squire of Gothos' and 'Charlie X', our gallant captain and a few cohorts have to escape from the seemingly all-powerful clutches of the deity Apollo from Greek mythology. Scotty is showcased here by getting his you-know-what handed to him on a couple occasions by Apollo over the hand of babe-of-the-week Carolyn Palamas ( Leslie Parrish). Romantic triangles don't get much more dangerous than this! Also notable is the Monkees rug that Chekov's got on, which wasn't quite as overdone as the previous ones he had to wear. Throw in the tried-and-true drain-the-energy-from-the-all-powerful-being ploy, mix it with a dash of the last-minute-rescue-format, rub it all down with the somewhat tragic epilogue featuring Jimmers doing his hushed and somewhat despondent monologue about the tragic loss of a potential link to mankind's past, and broil to a golden brown. M'm, m'm, good!
AMOK TIME © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:
Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: The trials of friendship / the nightmare of losing one's self-control
Historical Milestone: The first appearance of the planet Vulcan
Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None
REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Uh-oh... Spock's got a certain urge, and his shipmates will need to change course and get him back to Vulcan, or else (*GASP!*) he'll croak! Now this wouldn't be such a difficulty except for the fact that the Enterprise is ordered to attend a ceremony at a planet that's several light-years away! Will Jimmers break the rules again to save the life of his first officer and valued friend?! Oh, the suspense! Oh, the humanity! Oh my God, is that Jim fightin' Spock to the death to help save his life after they touch down on Vulcan? Yep, it sure is! And thanks to this little blood match, we are treated to yet another Kirk's-uniform-top-gets-ripped-in-combat episode as he barely ducks a close call from Spock's giant bladed Q-Tip-lookin' weapon! Fortunately, McCoy helps Kirk fake his death in battle, Spock displays some genuine emotions in front of his captain and good doctor, and all is well once again! Well, all will be well for the next seven years, anyway...
'Late
Gods and Vulcans"Amok Time" Spock MUST visit Vulcan and marry a woman or die.
One of the very bestAlthough a tv-screen can't display all the great - and I mean: GREAT - impressions that you can get from the IMAX screen I guess with a good sound-system at home you can at least experience the greatness of the movie that so much reflects the image of New York.
Along with the 3-D stills it's more than today's New York sight-seeing but also a splendid look into the past, when the city was still growing.
So please dear producers: make it available on DVD in 3D as well as 2D.
My first IMAX film and my first visit to the USA
TOTALLY AWESOME MOVIE!!