Collecting Movie Reviews

I like both films (Hollywood and original one). Both of them present the great performance and story telling. The actors of both are doing great. However, there seems to be concerned of politic correctness in Hollywood version and losing the tone of reality in discussion of the confusion vs. clarification in morality

The original one shows the less moral detective being struggling between the consciousness and delusional sense. Despite the sex scandal around him before he lands his job in that small town and dog killing to manipulate the evidence, he grabbed one girl's leg while driving her to see the crime scene. Also, he sexually assaults the hotel clerk behind the desk. The scene that really touches me is that when the detective placed the weapon that kills his partner under the innocent young man's bed to put him into guilty plea. That scene would not happen in the Pacino's role in the new version. In Hollywood's one, there is struggle between consciousness and denying. However, Pacino's struggle is mostly being contributed to the dead of his partner from the friendly fire and nature environment. Pacino's role of new version is still more "perfect" in morality with the tones of demanding audiences' sympathy rather than the discussion of integrity of the detective's role. For me, Al Pacino's role is also to play as the victim under the stress of insomnia and current incident surrounding him. On the other hands, Stellan Skarsgard's one would demand less sympathy and could show you the sense that everyone could play as devil as guilt'

A dead body of brutally killed teenage girl was found, and her body, it becomes clear soon, is washed carefully all over. An ace detective is sent to the crime scene to invesigate this unusual case with his partner, but the invesigation gets more complex when Jonas, the detective, takes one wrong step in doing his job. And the killer seems to know his fatal mistake.

The original "Insomnia" made in Norway and directed by Norwegian Erik Skjoldbjaerg, is no "Se7en"-like thriller. And it is also different from the remake by Christopher Nolan in its overall tone. The original gives colder and more sinisier feeling behind the cool mask of the detecive, which is gradually enhanced by the never-ending, dazzling daylight around the North Pole that goes on around the clock. Like any good noir, the film offers many surprises in the story, making the protagonist cross over the thin line between good and evil. Sorry that I cannot tell you much, but I can say that the acting of Stellan Skarsgard, who tends to be typecast in Hollywood films (see "Deep Blue Sea" or "Ronin" -- though I like films themselves), is nothing but compelling and stunning. A bit more subdued than Al Pacino, he delivers a chilling portrait of detective Jonas, who slowly gets unsure of what he is doing under the broad daylight.

As a film fan, you may enjoy the difference of the two scripts, this one and that of Nolan's "Insonmia." (Don't worry, this is no spoiler.) I do not judge which is better -- the verdict is very hard to give as both are so good. But I can point out that Nolan gets his film more complex, giving more room for the role of a female local cop (which Hilary Swank played in the remake), partly because of Nolan's penchant for storytelling. Actually, I was surprised to find out that Norwegian "Insomnia" is about 30 minutes shorter than Hollywood remake. And see also the different treatment of some key scenes (especially a dog, and the conclusion of the case), which may reflect the present political climate in USA.

If you haven't seen Al Pacino remake, do not worry. If you like noir genre, this is the one for you.

Being a guy I like my action movies. Insomnia is a great thriller starring Stellan Skarsgard. It is a foreign language film with subtitles. But don't let that let you lose hope in this masterpiece that inspired the 2002 movie with Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hillary Swank. This movie has to do with a girl's murder and who did it. It also involves Skarsgard charcter's who has a secret to keep. It has a great actor by the name of Bjorn Moan "Eilert". His scenes are powerful and in one you get to see his behind. Overall a movie that will keep your interest and won't put you to sleep. See it for Bjorn Moan.

The Blob is a classic B-movie that has all the elements of a 50's horror movie while also being the movie that helped shoot Steve McQueen to stardom. One night, two teenagers see a meteor crash to Earth. Before they can find out what it is, an old man unleashes what it contains on himself, a gooey substance that quickly begins to take over his arm. Soon enough, the gooey mass begins to grow, but nobody believes the two teenagers who saw the blob eat the town doctor. The small town then must unite to defeat the evil substance that threatens their existence. This is a very low budget movie, it is easy to see, but that is what makes it so fun to watch. The Blob looks like strawberry jelly throughout which adds to the cheesiness factor. Either way, this is a fun movie that is more enjoyable every time I watch it.

The Blob was Steve McQueen's first starring role as Steve Andrews, a misunderstood teen who with the help of his girlfriend, Jane, tries to get the townspeople to realize what they are going up against. Somehow, a 28 year old McQueen passes as a teenager while the other teenage characters are actually the age they play. Anyhow, this may be different from every other movie McQueen ever made, but it is still a good one. The Criterion Collection DVD is well worth the purchase. It includes two commentaries, a collectible poster, theatrical trailer, widescreen presentation, and several other features. The Blob is certainly not the highest quality of movie, but it is still very good and well worth a watch.

Put together a silly script, bogus special effects, a cheesy theme song, and Steve McQueen, and what do you get? A surprisingly entertaining "B" monster movie, thanks to McQueen's uncanny ability to pull a winner out of what by all rights should be a loser. The oddest part about it is that McQueen plays the role of the only teenager in town who is sufficiently upright and honest that the chief of police _will_ believe his amazing story -- quite a contrast with the usual McQueen role.

Yes! A meteorite crashes to earth, unleashing the blob! An old man is it's first victim, foolishly poking at it with a stick, only to be absorbed into it's mass! Steve McQueen is excellent in his first starring role. He witnesses his local doctor being assimilated into the monster. The cops don't believe him. Only the town's swinging teens will help. Meanwhile, the blob is on a rampage, eating everyone and growing bigger and redder with each new meal! What is it? Where did it come from? Can it possibly be stopped?? This movie will have you checking under your bed, chair, and even in your duct-work for this hellish beasty! Watch it at your own risk...

Lina Inverse kills bandets, raids their pockets & forts, only works for money & treasure, is greedy with food, sassy, loud-mouthed, screams alot, lies, cheats, beats up her own friends, & she's the heroine! Imagine just how bad the villians must be to make her look good! This is the perfect Fantasy story for people looking beyond what's normal to find something great^__^

This has to be the funniest anime I have seen yet!

If you are an anime fan, Slayers is a must have. It is slap down hard core comedy, fantasy, and action. The animation is not as good as it could be, yet it fits the plot.

The story revovles around a 15-year-old expert sorceress Lina Inverse, the Dragon Spooker (according to my sub). Yet Lina isn't the typical, slutty, thin, sweet tempered, naive herione. Insteade she is short, has a crappy attitude, and is very down to Earth. As you follow Lina's travels, you will come across the cute, blonde, yet dumb as a rock swordsmen Gourry. Personaly I think Gourry puts new meaning to the term, "dumb blonde". Together they are traveling to Atlas City, yet they don't get there as planned.

When Lina robbs a mob of Bandits known as the Dragon Fangs, she and Gourry stumble upon an artifact that can change the way of the future. Yet Lina is not aware of the power of what she finds. Enter Zelgadis. A half human, half Chimera. He is also after the artifact, but not to rule the world.

Soon the team meets up the the exentric little princess name Amelia, who tags along with the Slayers team. Amelia is my favorite character. At first she only joins the group because she wants to learn Lina's most power spell, The Dragon Slave. But soon alterior motives keep Amelia from going back home.

To add with all the chaos going on, the team has another group of followers, only they are trying to draw the group to the city of Sairag. What is the angle of the mysterious and not too smart persuers of the Slayers gang? And what is the secret of Rezo? Also what mysterious powers dose Gourry possess? Finally, how will Lina be able to survive all the madness of multiple people trying to kill her?

This seris is non-stop, you just can't stop watching it. Not to mention, it is just too hillarious. Although I do advise you to be mature when veiwing. Some of the humor has a sexual sence to it. For example all the jokes about Lina being underdevoloped, and Lina losing her powers at 'that time of the month'.

The voices of both versions are really good. The dubbing of this seris isn't as bad as some of the other English jobs I have seen. In the orginal version, the talant of Megumi Ayashibara portrays Lina Inverse, and sings the opening and ending theme song.

Every otaku should veiw this seris, you will not be disspointed

Lina Inverse kills bandets, raids their pockets & forts, only works for money & treasure, is greedy with food, sassy, loud-mouthed, screams alot, lies, cheats, beats up her own friends, & she's the heroine! Imagine just how bad the villians must be to make her look good! This is the perfect Fantasy story for people looking beyond what's normal to find something great^__^

This has to be the funniest anime I have seen yet!

If you are an anime fan, Slayers is a must have. It is slap down hard core comedy, fantasy, and action. The animation is not as good as it could be, yet it fits the plot.

The story revovles around a 15-year-old expert sorceress Lina Inverse, the Dragon Spooker (according to my sub). Yet Lina isn't the typical, slutty, thin, sweet tempered, naive herione. Insteade she is short, has a crappy attitude, and is very down to Earth. As you follow Lina's travels, you will come across the cute, blonde, yet dumb as a rock swordsmen Gourry. Personaly I think Gourry puts new meaning to the term, "dumb blonde". Together they are traveling to Atlas City, yet they don't get there as planned.

When Lina robbs a mob of Bandits known as the Dragon Fangs, she and Gourry stumble upon an artifact that can change the way of the future. Yet Lina is not aware of the power of what she finds. Enter Zelgadis. A half human, half Chimera. He is also after the artifact, but not to rule the world.

Soon the team meets up the the exentric little princess name Amelia, who tags along with the Slayers team. Amelia is my favorite character. At first she only joins the group because she wants to learn Lina's most power spell, The Dragon Slave. But soon alterior motives keep Amelia from going back home.

To add with all the chaos going on, the team has another group of followers, only they are trying to draw the group to the city of Sairag. What is the angle of the mysterious and not too smart persuers of the Slayers gang? And what is the secret of Rezo? Also what mysterious powers dose Gourry possess? Finally, how will Lina be able to survive all the madness of multiple people trying to kill her?

This seris is non-stop, you just can't stop watching it. Not to mention, it is just too hillarious. Although I do advise you to be mature when veiwing. Some of the humor has a sexual sence to it. For example all the jokes about Lina being underdevoloped, and Lina losing her powers at 'that time of the month'.

The voices of both versions are really good. The dubbing of this seris isn't as bad as some of the other English jobs I have seen. In the orginal version, the talant of Megumi Ayashibara portrays Lina Inverse, and sings the opening and ending theme song.

Every otaku should veiw this seris, you will not be disspointed

All of the bond movies are great, and plenty of fun to watch, but I have just one thing to say about this Item - VHS Sucks. Some if not all versions of movies com in full screen, which looks like a midget compared to widescreen format. One last thing is that with DVD you get almost none of the special features avalible on the DVD versions of the movie. Trust me, get a DVD player for fifty bucks, and stick to all of the movies that have the word "Widescreen" written on them. In the longrun the DVD player will pay for itself, and with the widescreen movies you won't be missing up to half of the movie fotage.

In the longrun, the Bond films are great, but widescreen just sucks. Period.

The second James Bond collection is as varied as the first, with DR NO, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and MOONRAKER. One of the best of the series, DR NO introduced the world to the suave secret agent and of course, Sean Connery. With incredible locales and witty one-liners, it's Connnery and Bond at their best. OHMSS is a tricky one; there are good points including some terrific action, strong emotion (Bond gets married!) and great villians. But the questionable casting of George Lazenby tends to stifle the film's story and the pace gets somewhat plodding at times. More satisfying if you take it from an action P.O.V, rather than a Bond film as a whole.
Roger Moore's secong outing as Bond after LIVE AND LET DIE is a mediocre mess, helped only by Cristopher Lee's menacing performance as the charming yet deadly Scaramanga. But it's one of the most un-exciting entries into the franchise, with little to get enthusiastic about. That said, Moore is good in this one, but it's not nearly as good as THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, which happens to be one of the BEST of the series. This one has outrageous action, awesome sets, great stunts, inventive special effects, cool one-liners, ski chases and a cracking scene with 007 getting chased in his cool Lotus Espirit by a helicopter. And of course, agent XXX!
And then there's MOONRAKER, which tried too hard to follow-up with the STAR WARS craze and loses track of the staple Bond M.O. It's way too far-fetched and cheesy to sit well with the rest of the Bond films. But there is some good action and dry-as-a-vodka martini wit. All put together with tons of extras, this one is another must-have for Bond fans.

"Dr. No" is the most modest of the set, being the first James Bond adventure. However, there are very memorable moments, like Sean Connery first saying: "Bond...James Bond", and the introduction of "M" and Miss Moneypenny. Also, SPECTRE is first mentioned in the series.
"The Man With The Golden Gun" is an entertaining outing, if a bit over the top (i.e. Scaramanga's flying car).
"Moonraker" is the worst of the set. It is completely non-believable, and almost ruined the Bond series (thankfully, "For Your Eyes Only" brought 007 back to Earth - literally!)
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a masterpiece. I consider it the best of the series, and it has the most dramatic end in any Bond movie. It is long, but worth watching. Telly Savalas plays the best Blofeld, and Diana Rigg's part as Tracy is nothing less than touching.
"The Spy Who Loved Me" is a bit like "The Man With The Golden Gun": entertaining, if you don't think very seriously about it. Perhaps the worst part of it is that it is a remake of "You Only Live Twice", but the 70s music and Jaws make up for it.
Overall, a must buy, especially because it doesn't contain any of the Pierce Brosnan outings, all of which have a "been there, done that" feel.

It's about time that this movie gets a fantastic dvd treatment. I read the book back in the late 80's during Banned Books Week, and I found it the most bizarre and fasinating novel that I have ever read. Then in '91 when I heard that David Cronenberg was making a movie out of this novel, I thought that there is no way that this can be turned into a movie. I saw this movie opening week and sat there in stunned silence during the end credits. And though "My God, he did it."

Watch this film, and don't try to figure it out in the fist sitting. Instead watch this film for what it is. That is a wonderful film by a truely gifted and brilliant filmmaker.

All I have to say is this: IS THERE NOTHING CRITERION CANNOT DO? FOR FANS OF THE FILM, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR BY BUYING THIS DVD. IT WILL BE THE CROWN OF YOUR COLLECTION, NO DOUBT.

In NYC, 1953, married couple Bill and Joan Lee are addicted to a narcotic roach powder Bill has access to through his job as an exterminator. When he's arrested by narcotic agents, they introduce him to a giant talking bug kept in a suitcase that informs Bill he is being recruited by a subversive agency and must kill his wife as she is an enemy agent. Bill breaks free and returns home where he "accidentally" shoots Joan in the head playing their usual game of "William Tell". He panics and escapes to a seedy waterfront bar frequented by gay men and meets a humanoid bug creature that tells him he must go to Interzone where he will learn more about his situation. Interzone is an exotic, North African type city where the most seductive of drugs is manufactured from centipedes. There, he meets writers whose typewriters morph into typewriter size talking bugs. One of the writers is Joan Frost, a doppelganger for Bill's "late" wife Joan. Once ensconced in Interzone, Bill is confronted with his personal demons: drug addiction, paranoia, conspiracy theories, repressed homosexuality and his own frustrated desire to write...specifically, a novel to be called "Naked Lunch". David Cronenberg wrote and directed this incredible film based on writings of William S. Burroughs and patterned the character of Bill after him. The film is hallucinatory, strange, with grotesque elements involving giant mutated bugs that may disgust those with lesser tolerance for challenging viewing. However, it's extremely well made and acted with Peter Weller as the numb and dazed Bill, Judy Davis as both Joans and Julian Sands, Ian Holm in odd character roles, and Roy Scheider in a bizarre role as Dr.Benway. The ending brings the film full circle as you come to understand the tortuous process of writing a novel and how one man's drug experiences apparently produced a masterpiece of underground literature during an age when normality seemed to be the only option. That is until the beat writers paved the way for future writers to explore the dark aspects of the human psyche. "Naked Lunch" is required viewing for Cronenberg fans and for those familiar with Burroughs and the beat writers of the 50's. References to a couple of those underground writers appear as friends of Bill's. There's an excellent moody progressive jazz soundtrack by Howard Shore that's true to the era and great 50's period design and atmosphere with faithfully recreated costumes by Denise Cronenberg. DVD package includes a good booklet with essays on "Naked Lunch" and a second supplementary disc that includes a documentary on the film's making. I can't recommend this package enough. It's in a league of it's own...if you understand the subject matter. For those enthusiasts, exterminate all rational thought and enjoy.

I think it was OK but not everyones gonna agree. Good plots, really some twists. And sometimes the dialog is so fast I have to say whoa hold up a second and use the reverse and replay. Thats whats great about DVD. The damn kids of mine said it was a lousy gift . But I enjoyed watching it. Especially Jennifer Aniston. Make sue you have the right DVD code. I am Harold McInnes.

I bought this box set before the full season DVDs came out. It was great to hold me over until season 1 came out, but when I received that, this box set was obsolete. In my opinion, the episodes chosen are good, but they aren't all the best.
If you're a real Friends fan (and you must be if you're looking into this set) then just get the full season DVDs. They have 1, 2 and 3 now and will be coming out with them all. You'll be much more satisfied and it's a better investment to have every single episode anyway.

I think it's great that they brought out the 10 best episodes chosen by fans, I have all 4 volumes & I'm hoping they will bring out more fav episodes taken from newer episodes

I considered myself a lukewarm Superman fan.. I'd read some of the comics, and I really liked the first movie. I picked up this DVD mostly because it was very inexpensive, and seemed like something worth having in the back of a DVD collection somewhere. Man, I did not do this DVD justice at all. It deserves a central place in any collection. The cartoons are truly amazing. They're all clever, well-voiced and crafted, and developed in a very cool art deco style that seems these days restricted to faux Italian cafe posters in your downtown Starbucks. The most pleasant aspect of all was how surprisingly modern the cartoons feel. Created mostly in the early 1940s, they do have a certain jingoism to them, particularly the post-Pearl Harbor ones, but otherwise I was amazed to see how robust Lois Lane's characterization was. Not only is she cast as an independent career woman, her grit and style actually outpace that of the later movies. Perhaps that's just my own 1940s-1950s bias speaking, but nonetheless it's interesting to see how her repeated 'damsel in distress' status necessary to bring out Superman is really much more nuanced and flattering.
The DVD itself also shows the films with little fanfare aside from an opening scrawl and a subtitle at the start of each indicating its original release date. The cartoons are so good and of such high production values that one can almost believe it when the distributor gushes about their pleasure at providing them to the public. You won't find a better bargain than this collection.

I first saw these classics on horrible video versions, purchased as "impulse buys" at my local mega-store check-out. I bought them for my 4 year old nephew to watch. I ended up watching them with him and was struck by the cool stories and awesome animation. Now they're all here on DVD! I love every episode! This is essential for any superman fan, animation buff, or comic book addict! Highly recommended...

These are some of the best cartoons ever made. The attention and understanding to detail, shadowing, color, and story are truly amazing. I won't get into details about specific episodes, as others have already done so, but I am glad that I bought this DVD, as it was worth every penny. To call these 'cartoons' seems to trivialize how good these shorts really are. Funny how some of the most spectacular cartoons where made over 60 years ago....I have seen some of the newer Superman cartoons put out by Warner, and I think they're pretty good, but they can't compare to the original.

This was the first Iranian film I ever saw. I always had a lot of respect for the Iranian culture but after the Shah there was not much around. The Islam revolutionaries were more into distruction of culture than into developing one. When I saw this film for the first time (I saw it for three times by now) I had many questions. When I saw it for the second time I had even more questions. And only on the third time I could understand questions I had before.
I rated this film five stars. Why? I had to realise the problems experienced by the producers and the actors while filming it. I could understand the budget problems and not judge to harshly. I could see it all and not to care about it considering the situation. This is a good film all around and it represents the good side of Iran. Thank you and please make more good movies.

This is not something to just watch and put aside. Whenever you watch this movie you catch more details and you enjoy more.

Winner of the top prize at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, Taste of Cherry is an existential fable of weight and clarity from director Abbas Kiarostami.
An Iranian man, Mr. Badi, is determined to commit suicide at nightfall, but seeks a living assistant to check his hand-dug grave the following morning. If Badi is dead, the person will fill the grave with dirt; if not, he will help Badi out of the hole.

This internationally acclaimed visual masterpiece by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami may leave you bored if you demand explosions, car chases, or a strong narrative in your cinema. But if you can appreciate a cinema of beautiful atmospheric compositions and calm conversations, then A Taste of Cherry might be for you. The DVD comes with interview footage of Kiarostami, speaking mostly in what I presume to be Farsi, with English subtitles. The director's comments on censorship, directorial style, his international reception, and even his relationship to Quentin Tarantino may give you a better understanding as to why his films are so beloved. Kiarostami offers his dislike of movies that "take the viewer hostage" (perhaps like those of Tarantino), in favor of those that might even put you to sleep, but leave you thinking about them and processing them for days or weeks to come.

This disturbing, scary movie version of the classic novel about English boys stranded on an island after a war - and their descent into moral darkness - is just about as good as one could hope for.

To start with, the casting is great. From the first time you see each of the principals and hear them speak, you want to nod. When the choir first arrives, singing a Kyrie that slowly fades in and ends in a trumpet fanfare as they reach the other boys, it gives you chills. Lord have Mercy, indeed, those who know what's coming will think. We're on the right track.

The film is remarkably faithful to the story, including many of the little moments that subtly define the characters. The buildup is just right, including Ralph's increasing desperation as he tries to hold the boys together and the gradual change in Jack. When the most horrendous moment of the story arrives - I don't want to give it away but those who read the book will know what I mean - it's almost unbearable to watch. There's no merciful tact here to let viewers off the hook. You're forced to deal with exactly what's happening and the irony of who, out of all the boys, it's happening to.

I will note, though, that Simon's notorious interview with the title character (a scene that admittedly must give directors everywhere nightmares at the mere thought of trying to film it) is not heard, which might leave you a little puzzled and missing an important part of the story if you haven't read it. This version suffers much, much less than it's remake from the omission, however, and can pretty much get away with it.

All in all, highly recommended.

Peter Brooks' spartan adaptation of William Golding's immortal novel about a group of English schoolboys stranded on a desserted island still works nearly four decades after its initial release. Despite a total lack of star names and limited production values, the film succeeds thanks to yeoman performances from the child actors and an overall primitivism that makes the whole imminently believable. At first the castaways don't seem to have it so bad; there's plenty of food, no grownups, and no predators...except for perhaps one, a "beastie" that might be a weird animal or a ghost or something far worse...

A moving, ever-poignant indictment of inherent human savagery, Lord of the Flies succeeds in translating the essence of Golding's tale to the screen. Like so many adults, the children think they're good enough to make their own utopia. So much for utopia. So much for childhood innocence.

a wonderful film, one of the best film of the last century.