Don Movie Reviews

My wife and I started getting the Escaflowne DVD's on a whim after having seen the show on Fox Kids. We were blown away by how utterly fantastic and engaging the original version was - so much so that we anxiously awaited each installment (couldn't afford to get them all at once).

The animation and story of this series is easily the best I've ever seen -as engaging as the original Robotech and far surpassing it in intelligence and beauty. The characters are likable, the music is stirring, and the story highly compelling -

UNTIL-

What the heck happened in this last disc? Its like another writer took over. What was a wonderful story gets abruptly ended with some kitty girl pseudo lesbianism (which was kind've a downer considering we were watching the show with our kid and there'd been nothing like this in the entire series up until this point), and a tacked on nonsensical psychobabble ending (think: Akira).

We were VERY disappointed by the conclusion to this series, because the rest of it is HIGHLY recommended. Of course if you've been following the series this long, you've got to get this one too, but man what a let down. And don't bother with the movie either...ugh.

These are the last stanzas in what is one of the monuments of Japanese anime, a rich fantasy story as memorable as any other notable series. Hitomi, after fleeing Gaea back to earth finds that her experiences have left her with many unresolved feelings. When Van flies Escaflowne across the gap between the worlds to retrieve her she joins him, even though it is to return to the middle of an horrific war. Hitomi realizes that she can run no longer - that if Gaea is to heal, she must do her part.

By this DVD it is clear to the viewer that fate, and its changing, is the underlying theme of this series. Isaac Newton attempts to manipulate it so that the Zaibach Empire will rule the world, nearly repeating the mistake of the Atlantean forebearers of the Gaeans. Tarot cards reveal futures that seem inevitable. And the intertwining of the characters defies the rules of coincidence.

Into this apparent march to cataclysmic disaster and tragedy enters Hitomi, the most atypical of anime heroines. Thin and athletic rather than lush, cute rather than pretty, it is her inner nature rather than any physical ability that gives her the power to challenge the inevitable. Hitomi's special skill is the power to believe. And in doing so, she reveals that fate is far from ineluctable, that simply humans can change outcomes with their minds and hearts.

Hitomi's confusion about her feelings towards Van and Alan Schezar, her hatred of the continuous stream of violence that mars life on Gaea, and the struggle she has to accept what she can do make her a warm and accessible character to the viewer. This is true of all the protagonists of Escaflowne, making what would otherwise be a pompous fantasy concoction into a compelling, life affirming drama.

As endings go, this one starts a bit too slowly and ends too soon. I would have liked to see a stronger focus on the dynamics between Hitomi and Van as they realize their love for each other and must confront the roadblocks in their way. There is room for an entire additional episode, although the movie version of Escaflowne fills in much of this touching connection between two people separated by worlds. Even so, this is a fitting end to what has been a delightful series - one which I will always recommend without question.

I was almost sad when I put this DVD in because I did not want the story to be over so soon. I was not disappointed in the ending. In these last episodes bonds grow stronger just as they are about to break. More amazing fights bring this story to the end. This series is amazing and is one I feel is quite rewatchable.

keep the faith,
dExtrosien

I watched Scooby Doo in the late 70's as a kid and loved it. I still do at almost 30 years of age. It's a great cartoon. The mystery, the atmosphere etc. These are all great episodes except the reason I put 4 stars instead of 5 is the most obnoxious thing about this DVD.
The laugh track they have just about kills the enjoyment of watching these. It is more obvious in some of the episodes, like 'Mine You Own Business", where it seems like every time any of the characters says a word, you get this cheesy overbearing laugh track. It almost ruins it totally for me. Scooby says hello, here comes the laughs. I don't know, if you can get by this as an adult, no problem. The kids probably won't mind, but some may.
Needless to say, the episodes are still what they are and you'll enjoy them for what they are. Good fun.

On a side note, I wish we could see seasons of Scooby Doo and not an episode here and there put on a DVD.

Scooby-Doo is one of the great TV cartoon stars, and the show, while cartainly fairly flimsy in the plot department (although pretty strong compared some of the other H-B cartoons), is still as entertaining as ever.

This disc has the first five episodes in order (unlike most of the other discs, which are just random collections of episodes), which is a welcome change to the compilation discs and tapes. However, as always, the special features basically stink if you're above the age of like 8, and there still hasn't been any sort of series (or season) box set, so if you want the episodes in order, this is it.

If you are a fan of Scooby, it's a must. It has the original episodes. Without it no Scooby collection is complete.

I really enjoyed most of the cd. I would have liked some other songs to replace 2 of the remixes of the "Dancehall Queen" track. I jammed to "Little and Cute", "Joy Ride", and "My Jamaican Guy". And the track "Unbelievable" reminded me of my husband! All in all, this was a great cd and I would buy it for a friend.

Unlike most other depictions of Jamaican life and culture, Dancehall Queen is 100 percent pure and authentic Jamaica. The characters, the dialect, the style, the rhythm and pace of the story are all very real. If you are of Jamaican heritage or just interested in getting some insight watch this movie.

Me really encourage all a una fe watch it.

My husband and I have watched this movie at least 20 times. My husband liked it so much that he can even recite some parts of it. The characters are interesting, the dancing and music is great, and the story-line kept our attention.

Errand of Mercy-This thoughtful episode introduces us to the Klingons, who along with the Federation are seen here currying the favor of the peaceful and pastoral Organians. While thoughtful and somewhat slow, this episode is not without it's share of tension. We share the anxious feeling of time having stopped before the onset of war; only the Organians seem curiously subdued. The episode eventually hits us with a very nice twist, which is intelligent in that it eventually forces us to see the Klingon and Federation positions as more similar than different; the real distinction is with the more advanced Organians. This is one of those examples of how watching Star Trek could be simultaneously humbling in its depiction of our current society and uplifting in its optimistic vision of a possible future. (3.5 stars)

The City on the Edge of Forever-The final issue in an unprecedented string of six consecutive well-above average episodes was probably the greatest of them all. Here we have the classic episode in which The Triumvirate pass through a portal into Depression Era Earth, where they must try to reverse changes that have been made to history. This episode in addition to being packed with tension, somehow feels more professional than most other episodes; as one reviewer noted, it truly does feel like you're watching a short movie. And while most of the other past/parallel Earth episodes relied primarily on the comedic aspects, those are clearly secondary here (all though by no means absent). This is a serious show, and the actors and production team took it as such. Kirk's love affair with Keeler is probably Trek's most convincing, and it is no coincidence that she is one of the strongest female characters to appear on the show (the lack of more was in my opinion perhaps Trek's greatest failure). And lets face it, for the climax of the episode everything gels; the scene simply feels 'right' to an extent almost never witnessed on network TV. We feel Kirk's choice and his loss, but realize it had to be. Sacrifice. The tone is carried over perfectly to the final scene, in which Shatner issues the final, bitter and disgusted line of the episode perfectly. (5 stars)

Gene L. Coon's Errand of Mercy and Harlan Ellison's City on the Edge of Forever (extensively rewritten by Coon, Gene Roddenberry and story editor D. C. Fontana although it's true to Ellison's original concept)are two of the finest episodes produced for Trek. I would argue the point that City is the best (there were others equally as good if not better and, in fact, Ellison's original script was much, much better than the version that was shot and aired). The former was totally Coon's creation. Coon was the unsung hero of Trek writing many of the original series finest episodes and using his experience as a hands on writer/producer to help Roddenberry fine tune his vision for the series.

Essentially this is a conflict between the Federation (read the United States) and the Klingon Empire (read the Russians or Chinese however you want to look at it). It details a power struggle over a backwater planet where each group wants the planet as part of an ongoing power struggle. Kirk wants Organia to join the Federation as they are strategically valuable. The Klingon Empire invades the planet. They know Kirk and Spock are there and threaten to kill the inhabitants one at a time or in groups unless they give up Kirk and Spock. The Organians refuse as they've got a couple of tricks up their sleeves.

City dealt with time travel. The Enterprise discovers a planet that is almost unstuck (to borrow from Vonnegut)in time. There are portals all over the planet that provided the original inhabitants with gateways to the past. Accidently injected with a powerful but dangerous drug, McCoy loses his mind, attacks crew members and escapes from the ship. Kirk, Spock and a landing party pursue him. They discover the portals, their purpose (they're intelligent and alive in a sense) and McCoy at the same time. McCoy travels into Earth's past to escape the landing party and, somehow, changes the past so World War Two is won by the Axis powers. The result is a stranded landing party and a nonexistant Federation to save them. Kirk and Spock choose to travel to the past to undo whatever damage McCoy has done.

Featuring top notch art direction, effects (for 1967), performances (Shatner is, for the most part, very restrained and very, very effective in both)and direction, both episodes rate highly in the Trek canon and science fiction. City won the Hugo award and Ellison's original (much more emotionally complex)script won the Writer's Guild of America Award (where it was pitted against all episodic television shows submitted for that year).

While City IS a classic and a great episode of Trek, you owe it to yourself to read Ellison's original script which has been published as a trade paperback with introductions by original series writer David Gerrold, story editor/writer D. C. Fontana, Next Gen writer Melissa Snodgrass, actors Nimoy and Walter Koenig. It's a great piece of writing and it's a pity that it has never been produced. Errand, on the other hand, is fairly close to Coon's original conception (although Roddenberry may have had a hand in rewriting it).

The City On The Edge Of Forever is the best series episode despite the rewrites that nearly ruined it. Real Drama in Science Fiction....what a concept! Very few atttempts at TV Science Fiction have come close to this one episode.

But I digress....where does Paramount get off packaging this series in 40 separate sets? There are now two other ST series available in a much more convenient package (season sets).

If ST:TOS would be packaged this way I'd grab the first two seasons in a heartbeat....the third season should be burned!

Just My Opinion.... Live Long And Prosper!

This is the most brilliant film I have seen about East Los Angeles. It's about consequences which follow action, and about those victims that fall between them. It's about the true struggle that Mexican-Americans face in the Barrio and about the air of violence and hatred that these children grow up in. Violence conceives violence, and creates a cyclical conundrum in which escape is futile. I see that the Editorial Reviewer on this page wanted to see a solution to our problem. Well miss O'Gorman, if we could find a solution, trust me, we would fix it. As for now, things stay as it is (to some extent) portrayed on the film. The film uses juxtapositions of scenes of love with scenes of violence and creates an aesthetic captured only by great story tellers (such as Tolstoy which you see the main character reading in the film). This film is beautiful and Olmo's life's work. A must see for those interested in ELA culture.

This is the best movie l have ever seen Olmos throws it down for la Raza about our struggle at the time I cant say this was bad it was interesting to watch and understand our culture at the time. Olmos should do a another of these movies again.

This movie captures the real gang banging life within the walls of prison. Folsum Prison is accurte in all the scenes. What is most chillinging is the values that are so intense in the prison system. Never show weakness, ride behind pride and violence without thought are tools for survivial. I highly recommend "Blood in Blood Out" to compliment the California Depatment of Corrections life style.

Run Silent, Run Deep is an excellent WWII submarine adventure with an excellent cast. It tells the story of a submarine who has received a new captain in place of one of their own officers. The new captain, Captain PJ Richardson, wants revenge on the Japanese destroyer who sunk his previous sub. The man he took the position away from, First Officer Bledsoe, instantly takes a dislike to him which causes obvious problems. The movie follows the efforts of the two men to counter each other as one seeks revenge and the other tries to save the lives of the crew.

Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster are both excellent as the battling officers aboard the sub. The movie boasts an excellent supporting cast that includes Jack Warden, Brad Dexter, Nick Cravat, and Don Rickles, all who do very good jobs with their roles. However, Gable, in a later role, and Lancaster steal many of the scenes they are in together. The DVD is well worth it with a booklet included and also widescreen and full screen options for viewing. This is a great movie for fans of WWII action flicks! It is often obvious how this movie influenced later submarine movies in the genre. Go and check out this movie!

This is the quintessential submarine movie, not to mention one of the great war movies of all time. It by far outclasses the other submarine movies like Torpedo Alley, Torpedo Run, and The Enemy Below (although with Kurt Jurgens and Robert Mitchum the latter is actually pretty good). And although still not in Run Silent, Run Deep's league, the more recent Das Boot is excellent too.

Gable and Lancaster are great as captain and commander and the supporting efforts from Jack Ward and Don Rickles also deserve mention. Don looks like he's only 25 here (although he's probably more like 30) and he still has no hair! (That's okay, Don, we still luv ya.) The movie builds the tension up to an almost unbearable climax as Gable proceeds to train his crew to perform the risky bow shot maneuver to take out the Akekazi destroyer, despite the scepticism of both Lancaster and the crew. The tension is made all the more palpable when their first attempt at destroying the Akekazi fails and the Akekazi drops depth charge after depth charge on Gable's ship. But Gable manages to just barely slip away. Then finally, in a suspenseful climactic scene, Gable successfully torpedoes the deadly sub-hunter with the infamous bow shot.

They don't make 'em like this anymore. Big Steve says go rent it and don't Bogart the popcorn.

RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP is one of the best submarine movies I have ever seen. There is very little waste in this film and plenty of action. Lancaster and Gable are superb as usual. Jack Warden is always competent and it is a treat to see Don Rickles in a serious role. Eddie Foy III plays the part of one of the members of the sub's crew.

Robert Wise was also the director of WEST SIDE STORY and THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN.

brainscan is an interesting film of sorts. it offers a virtual reality setting, and some great special effects. but thats it. the plot revolves around an horror obsessed teen(edward furlong) long before he became widely known as the future resistance leader in james cameron;s t2, who loves horror,is president of the horror club in school, he has a best friend kyle, and he amires the girl(amy hargreaves) next door to him. hes all alone, in a nice big house. his father is on a business trip,and things are just getting interesting for furlong, as he gets plunged into a videogame, that he found while browsing a video magazine. its called of all things,brainscan, and offers the player limitless possibiltiesles of what the player will pursue, will you be an investigator,doctor, dentist or something more purely evil?.
what brainscan developed for its time in 1994 was a chance to offer a wide broad of possibilties and to show off his great technolgy of effects, before computer animation was even achievied. and for that is interesting. while it sure lacks a few things in the horror area a bit, it does offer the viewers a chance to become whatever they want in life,although actually not becoming it. as in this case ,furlong is chosen to be a murderer. what will he do, how will he do it, and will he survive?
brainscan offers alot of possiabilties, but in the end, is a fun movie,but,atlas, not a great film. the plot is ok,but thers not enough punched to actually tell something more. is more of a visual effts film, with that being said,enjoy it for what it is. it was cutting edge when i first saw it back, in 1994,but the basis of plot is not to be taken serious. its a horror film,but a fun horror movie at that. although I can said I would recommend this film, right out. it does have its moments to it. a nice scenery, a beautiful next door neighbor, but my rating then on what i give it still stands,on what i gave it.its not a really bad film, but more as a misguided one.and for that, i leave to the viewer to chose.

when michael finds himself interested in a cd rom game called brainscan out of fangoria he gets more than he asks for. his life is soon over taken by trickster, a punker styled out monster who uses michaels subconscious to kill random people through a video game. when body parts start showing up around the house michael realises that hes got to stop trickster and the game before everyone he cares about ends up dead.

I believe this is a movie that all horror fanatics should see. I was glued to my seat the whole time, never bored. I think that if you want to see a horror flick and want a top rater see this movie.

This is one of Robin Williams' best movies. It is funny, action-packed, and dramatic. This is a great film with great acting, especially on Forest Whitaker's part, he was exceptional. Robin Williams is highly believable as the Vietnam dj that says "GOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOOOORRRNING, VIETNAMMMMMMMMM!" This is a great movie!

This review refers to "Good Morning Vietnam"(VHS/Touchstone)

The V.P., a V.I.P., the P.C., on the Q.T, the V.C, MIA and K.P.
Who else can take all these initials, string them into one sentence and have us in hysterics. Only Robin Williams. The one liners are fast and non stop. He's absolutely perfect as he portrays the real life Adrian Cronauer, an armed forces DJ who shakes things up a bit in Saigon 1965.

Cronauer is a hip DJ, who tries to the chagrin of his lieutanant, to bring a little fun into the lives of the weary soldiers in Viet Nam. He livens up the base and surrounding Saigon with funny characters,absurd news stories(the real ones are edited), and some Rock and Roll, as the Vietnam War occurs around them. The Lt. is more of a Lawrence Welk/Jim Nabors kind of a guy and is appalled at this DJ's style.But nothing can stop this wild and crazy guy from his mission. The script is rollicking good fun, and of course all that great music from the 60's is on tap. But there are poignant moments and a serious nature to this film as well. The war still goes on, and for the people of Saigon it is tragic.As Cronauer finds out when he befriends the townspeople.

Williams' immense talent explodes in this film. He is both funny and compassionate. But he is not alone in making this film the classic it has become. It is directed by the brillant Barry Levinson(Rain Man/The Natural),who always knows how to pull us into a story and keep us there.The supporting cast is marvelous and play right to Williams. It includes the wonderful character
actor Noble Willingham, Bruno Kirby,Forest Whitaker, Robert Wuhl and I must also make mention of Tung Thanh Tran, who plays Tuan/aka Phan Duc To.

A story of Vietnam like no other. It's one I can pull out and watch anytime without tiring of it. The VHS is a good quality. It has nice picture and hi-fi Stereo sound.It has closed captioned for hearing impaired as well. If you haven't seen it in a while, watch it again, and remember why you liked it so much the first time around. For those that have not seen it, you
are in for a real treat.

Thanks and enjoy...Laurie

Robin williams brings high energy to this film and welcome entertainment to boys and men who are risking their lives in a foreign land. This movie came out at a time when most vietnam movies were gut wretching excursions into hell. You can't get the same feel now, since better vietnam war movies have been made, the feelings towards that war have evolved. But when this movie first appeared, as Cronauer started going off where he shouldn't go, there was always present a certain feeling of dread for his safety. That tension balanced with the tremendous comedy created a unique experience. The only comparison I can make is when in a MASH tv episode, Hawkeye goes off and gets stranded. You know that the writers will never kill off Hawkeye and Alan Alda, their star. You can't have the same tension between comedy and dread as was created in GMV. The writers could kill off Cronauer. We knew it.

That robin williams could pull this off and make this double edged sword work has always amazed this fellow suburban chicagoan.

When DVD production started to really take off, no one knew just how it would change the way you look at movies. In many cases, you can have a good movie, but if it's on a bad DVD, it can ruin the movie for the watching person. Such has been the case with Colombia/Tri-Star DVDs. This was a pretty good movie, but I saw the DVD of it, and it ruined the film. There are no bonus features and the film print is rather poor. I have now bought ten movies that were made by Colombia/Tri-Star DVD video, and only three of the movies had a good DVD made on them. The rest have been a waste of money and this regretfully is another of them.

I love this movie, always have,, took my watching and waiting for to to come back in stock !! good quality, and amazingly a good "family" movie,, no bad language, and average situiations for teens, very good "flashback" movie !

This is a suprisingly poignant, genuine, affecting movie and head and shoulders above the over-rated 'Back to the Future'.(Probably because the heroine was alive in the time period she returns to and this gives that time period much greater poignancy, not to mention relevance, than the reliably annoying Michael J. Fox gives to his parent's era. The latter makes mid-50's people seem like idiots because he wasn't born then and clearly knew nothing about those times. I didn't find that dissonance oddly charming or whatever it was supposed to be - just annoying as hell AND PAINFUL to watch. Alot of the characters in that movie were weird, as in unreal, not just strange, and the movie depended on this weirdness for its content, not to mention its (questionable) entertainment value.

Peggy Sue is a smooth-flowing exploration of the early 60's from the perspective of the mid 80's combined with teenage experiences from the perspective of a middle-aged mother. This movie has alot of fine moments, as when Kathleen Turner talks to her grandmother on the phone who was deceased in the present time. I've never seen any other time travel movie that makes you gulp like that. Kathleen Turner is great, as are all the supporting actors. Nicholas Cage over-acts and doesn't seem plausible (in real life he wasn't actually born in 1960 and had no feelings for it and actually acted like it was more like 1957 with the hair style and antics), but I guess with his uncle directing it, all that acting was unavoidable. He couldn't ruin this movie but it would have been even better with a more plausible, subtle, even more "square" guy. I really liked the nerdy genius accomplice and the beatnik boyfriend, as these people are certifiably genuine early 1960's people. The Mom, the Dad, the sister, the girlfriends - who wasn't good?

This movie is a straight-down-the-middle time trip for baby-boomers and it takes you out of the park. It's filled with pleasing and facile scenes. It is very well-directed and effortless in capturing its goal.

First let me say, I agree with most reviewers. Joe's Apartment is a movie for the "Far Side" crowd and I loved it. But who was the dirty rotten SOB that decided to release it in "Full Screen" format? There is too much going on in this film to butcher it by omiting the widescreen format. This Will probaby be only one of two or three DVD's that I will ever buy in this format. I'm not a movie snob I just want to see "Everything" I saw in the theater. Especially in a campy gonzo movie like this. They ruined some of the visual jokes simply because we can't see them anymore.


If it was up to me, I would slap every person who makes the call to release good or even bad movies in "fullscreen mode" we are all cheated when this is done. Rant's aside, if this is the only way I'll ever get Joe's Apartment then so be it. But I wish more reviewers would stand up and tell the Movie industry where to stick "Fullscreen" especially when we are continuously pushed to buy HDTV and widescreen TV's.

Maybe I'm pushing it a bit here giving the film five stars... However, Joe's Apartment is one of the few low-key camp-films that came out in the mid-nineties (Mortal Kombat being another example) before Hollywood went overboard with the CGI and it definitely should only be viewed alone or with a younger sibling due to the overall tackiness. What I really find great about this flick is that instead of fully focusing on "MTV-esque" anarchy more attention was devoted towards hyperactive pacing. Such as the way that the film took the horrors of living in low-rent apartments and twisted it to be conveyed with a cartoon like lunacy. As far as the toilet humor goes, it's hardly as extreme as it is in teen films as cockroaches mainly provide the main gross out moments.
My only complaint was the minor use of the sacred f word which is probably the contributing factor why this film was given a higher censor rating and wasn't as big as totally pathetic blockbuster hits such as Kangaroo Jack *shudder*... However, I'm glad it isn't very well known, as I feel it's like a secret guilty pleasure where you can just sit there and let yourself go and laugh insanely at juvenile slapstick for a while.
Some people felt that the musical numbers from the cockroaches were carried on too many times. Personally, I feel they're just great to watch, pleasing to the eye and the ear and twice as wacky.
Who knows? Maybe this film might achieve a high cult status in years to come?

I will never look at a roach the same way. This movie is FUNNY!!
If you just wat to "VEG" out , watch this movie.