Collecting Movie Reviews

this is really just a live action (for most part) documentary about witchcraft and all, but in terms of entertainment, it's not that great, just slightly amusing.

If you didn't know it...Haxan is a silent movie. It is a really good silent movie too (that is if you like movies that don't have Vin Deisel rocking out your subwoofers with huge explosions). The film starts out seeminly like a documentary about Withcraft through history. The film follows that path, but is just so strange and fascinating that you will most likely forget all about the documentary part. Instead of like basic documentaries shown today on the History Channel, Haxan's historical scenes are actually acted out in true film fashion. The catch is that Satan actually is in the film (played by the director himself). Once things start flying, horned demons go out dancing, and the peasants start kissing the director's a$$ (wow...now that is a true statement about Hollywood...MADE ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS AGO), it is no longer a documentary, it is some freaky comedy played out with an humourously lighthearted soundtrack. Criterion even went as far as to include the original shading to the film (nothing beats a red washed scene quickly switching to blue, then back to red before going into a true black and white scene). To be honest, the colour shadings get kind of annoying (even if they are true to how the film originally was). Yet, they can be easily corrected by adjusting your television set.

If you want a shorter film about Satan set to a jazzy soundtrack, there is another version of the film included on the DVD for your viewing pleasure. It is also narrated by a very famous person with a voice that just makes you smile every time Satan gets a mortal soul eternally damned to hell. Nothing beats laughing at eternal damnation while listening to an excellenct jazz soundtrack.

Basically, Haxan is a very good film if you like silent films. It isn't the best silent film out there, but it is still extremely interesting. Of course, it isn't for everyone, mainly just for the collectors and those who enjoy the fine intracacies of the silent film era. There is good news though! Even if aren't a film buff, a fan of silent films, or interested in this film in anyway, there are a couple of ways that this film can appeal to you (both of which have been experienced first-hand with highly positive results...honestly).

1. Play this film at a party, when everyone gets drunk, nothing is more hilarious than watching peasants kissing Satan's [behind]. In fact, watching that scene over and over again while drunk can be the life of any dead party.

2. If you are in a death metal band (particularly one that seems obsessed with the 80's hair metal scene) then grab yourself a digital projector and project this film behind you while you play. You are guaranteed to have roadies before the stockades make an appearance. If you have an extremely long set, either hit play again or switch out Haxan with Freaks halfway through.

Witchcraft and demonic possession pervade popular entertainment and popular culture. "Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages" by director Benjamin Christensen is a valuable reference because the film *graphically details* 1920's perceptions concerning witchcraft and demonic possession. "Haxan: ..." illustrates kissing the devil's arse as a sign of respect, depicts demonic skin as rough and scaly like snakeskin, equates golden showers of coins (from slot machines?) with demonic lures, and states that the inability to shed tears signifies demonic possession (I can't cry anymore?).

Updated in 1967 with narration by William Burroughs (author of "The Naked Lunch"), "Haxan: ..." is a study of ignorance, misery and poverty. The film attributes the origins of disease (including sexual dysfunction) and agricultural blight (with implied bestiality?) to witchcraft. The film discusses using a knotted cord (a modern witchcraft / Wiccan sigil) to cause male impotence and to prevent pregancy, while lager and wine goblets are dosed with aphrodisiacs. Numbness of women's backs (a reference to sexual dysfunction) is *stressed* as a sign of demonic possession. The film discusses the use of flails, spiked belts and spiked collars to purify the endangered soul by scourging the polluted body. Suspected witches are tortured both to confess their demonic possession and also to identify other witches. To escape further torture, suspected witches eagerly identify their personal enemies as practicing witches. ***The use of torture makes witch epidemics a self-fulfilling prophecy.***

"Haxon: ..." discusses 'The Burning Times' -- the inquisitions where convicted witches were burnt at the stake. Modern-day witches and Wiccans consider 'The Burning Times' a period of social and religious discrimination. One explanation for 'The Burning Times' _not_ discussed in "Haxan: ..." is that inquisitors viewed peasant and livestock's epileptic-like seizures from eating moist, ergot-infested grain as signs of demonic possession. Another explanation for 'The Burning Times' more in line with Haxan's sexual emphasis is that embarrassment and insecurity over bad marriages and/or illicit sexual affairs coupled with naive or overambitious inquisitors initiated the witch hunt, then torture-extracted confessions and accusations created the resulting witch emergency.

Daniel Humair's avant garde jazz score helps communicate this macabre film's message. If one picture is worth a thousand words, then "Haxan: ..." is an perceptual encyclopedia concerning witchcraft and demonic possession.

I admit, I'm a big fan. I really enjoyed this when I watched it. On the old videos ('80, '81, '82) the video quality isn't the greatest. On the video for "Every Woman In The World", the sound seems kind of muffled. My favorites were "Just As I Am", "The Power Of Love", and "One More Chance", on which the video was pretty good. (But what's with the male ballet dancer on "Young Love"?) Anyway, this is a must for any fan. The commentary before each song is very nice. If you already like Air Supply this is for you, though if you're not a diehard fan I wouldn't really reccomend it.

this DVD includes almost all singles they had released during ARISTA years and it will bring nice memories to all the fans. sound and visual quality are exellent. but unfortunatery, despite this DVD is named "THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION" it lacks some important songs such as "‡TCan Wait Forever" "Love Is All""chanses". however, this DVD does include a lot of rare videos and interviews. So i would like all AIR SUPPLY fans who dont have their videos to get this DVD.

Audio and video quality very good, with the small exception of the "Every Woman In The World" video. The voices seem somewhat muted. Sad, because I think it was a great video. Some of the videos got me laughing, because... well, they were a little silly. ("Making Love Out Of Nothing At All": Great song. Bad video. I was rolling on the floor during "Even The Nights Are Better".)

Though, my favorite video was "Just As I Am". Great video quality on that one, and, the song being my favorite, I was impressed and very satisfied. Another one I like is "Now And Forever", the one at the end, which, instead of showing them singing, is a collection of photos and short videos of them "behind the scenes". (This video also shows them at Arista's 25th anniversary.)

The DVD doesn't show them in Hawaii, though it shows them in the Phillipines in the "Keeping the Love Alive" video. (Perhaps that's how the Amazon.com reviewer got mixed up. They ARE both archipelagos.) The interview before each song is also great.

All in all, a very nice compilation, minus a few bumps. As for "The Power Of Love"? Let's just say: Move over, Celine.<...

this is one of my all time favorite anime series..EVER!
i watched gatchaman since it's conception back in the day..even the horridly butchered abomination that was BATTLE OF THE PLANETS.

Gatchaman(94) kicks ..by condensing some of the plotlines from the old series and revamping it with new animation,cool character designs, vehicles and a new score to accompany the original soundtrack. the theme song "let's fly" adds a touch of soul to the 3 parter.
a mix of the old and new.

although the dub version is decent, at best..purists such as me would rather watch it dubbed. the last 50 seconds of the OVA were sentimental and along with a mini video playing a more techno version of gatchaman pays a great homage to a great series

thanks tatsunoko/urban vision.i give it 4 out of 5 stars because
i wouldv'e loved to have seen more..it was short but fun while it lasted.

I'd been a big fan of the old "BATTLE OF THE PLANETS" cartoon so when i saw gatchaman on dvd i had to purchase it. Overall it's a good quality miniseries good animation and a good amount of action.All the characters are there slightly changed but still there.My favorite character was always Jun(Princess/Kelly) unfortunatly her "character" is only used in suporting role.She's only there to spout technical jargon.But that's keeping in tradition with the old gatchaman, the focus always seemed to be on the two male leads,Ken and Joe, and in this miniseries its no different.There's a LOT of political intrigue with the galactor and not enough gatchaman action.Also the music is horrible,the main song is very lame. Overall a very good miniseries with some pretty good action just dont expect it to be the exact same show from the seventies.

One of the first anime creations to hit it big in the U.S., "Gatchaman" (alias "Battle of the Planets") set off a whole new wave of sci-fi cartoons in the late 1970's. It was heavily edited to remove the violence, gore, and death that were thought to be unsuitable for American children at the time, but even that failed to dim its appeal. In 1994 Tatsunoko Studios decided to give its classic creation a 90's flair with updated characters and new-style animation. The result is the "Gatchaman" trilogy. Mark, Jason, Princess et al. have reclaimed their original names (Ken, Joe, Jun, etc.) and gotten a whole new look in the process. Even the Phoenix has been updated! The look is spectacular, if rather sharp-edged, and the animation is seamless. But if you're expecting the innocence of the early "Gatchaman/BOTP", you're going to be disappointed; this version is definitely aimed at adults and older teens. The violence is back in full force, there's blood, gore, and destruction aplenty, and Joe and Jun both have brief nude scenes (no, not together). Of course, not everything has changed; the classic themes of courage and sacrifice still prevail, even if the ending is somewhat ambiguous (are they dead or hallucinating?). This is a splendid update of an anime classic, and a worthy addition to any anime collection

I too bought this as it was [inexpensive] and sounded interesting. Loved it. It is too much like an appetiser, though.

Something other reviews have not mentioned, is that the DVD is dual coded region 1 & 4. There is also another extra on the disc (I got to it by searching for track 3, but I'm sure there's another way). It is a 20 minute extra with introductions for the characters and ten minutes watching the (Japanese) voice actors at work and play. It's titled file 0!

To be honest, I think I found this by looking at listmania lists when I was searching for other anime titles. I had never heard of it, but the reviews seemed good and the price was more than attractive so I decided to give it a shot, although I didn't really expect too much. Boy am I glad I bought it! The only thing I didn't like about it was that there were only 4 episodes. I know this review says pretty much the same thing as all the other reviews, but I figured I should throw in my two cents anyway.

When I saw this I though "why not, it doesn't look overly violent". Boy am I glad I tried it. While there are the usual fight scenes the overriding theme is a wonderful sense of humor. As a night owl, I adore the morning scenes using different, highly original, method to awaken the heroine. A real keeper and I just wish it was a long series.

Prince at one time was one of the most consistent, prolific artists. His output in the 90's & now this new century is weak. Here is a collection of a thimbleful of his existing videos. Some great, some total [bad] (Peach, Cream, 7) & some edited short (Controversy, I Would Die 4 U). There are unfortunately so many videos missing from this collection (Sexuality, Let's Work, Delirious, Let's Pretend We're Married, Automatic, When Doves Cry(!), Let's Go Crazy, Take Me WIth You, America, Mountains, Girls & Boys, Anotherloverholenyohead, I Wish U Heaven, Batdance, Party Man, Thieves In The Temple & who knows how many other videos he's made! What's going on? I hope someone out there knows there are a lot of Prince fans waiting for something more complete. May u live 2 c the dawn? May we live 2 c something good released!

I give this DVD 5 Stars because...Its Prince! It has a great selection of music videos and shows the timeline of Prince's talent and performance! MUST BUY!

This collection shows off a very gifted performer. From the disco song "I wanna be your lover" to the funk song "Dirty Mind" to the rock edge of "Peach". This collection has it all. Some of the reviewers are dissappointed that alot of his videos are excluded, but I think this collection shows Prince as a very versatile artist. I just hope for more collections are on the way.

OK, just so you know, I am not at all recommending this as a serious piece of entertainment or art. It's softcore porn. It's lurid trash. The acting is wooden. There is no plot. It's just sex-in-space. Oh, and it's stupid.

That said, this is really, really a lot of fun. My friend Jenipher and I used to call each other every night it was on Skinemax and completely make fun of it.

Krista Allen, who played Billie on "Days of Our Lives" and Girl with Big Breasts in Jim Carrey's "Liar Liar," is a hoot as Emmanuelle, the singular-named sex aficianado at the center of these stories. Before this series opened, Emmanuelle was the sort of character who seemed to have sex with every straight dumb beefcake addicted to his Soloflex on Earth.

Apparently aware that she'd run out of men and willing women on this planet, this series, titled "Emmanuelle in Space" (which comes complete with the worst TV theme song ever written), begins as Emmanuelle is kidnapped by aliens. Seriously. And the porn-star-looking aliens, and in particular their boneheaded, beefcake spaceship captain Haffron, want her to teach them about the joys of sex. And she does. Over and over and over again. For, like, 15 episodes ... all featuring that dumb theme song.

Whether you think she's talented or not, and I think she is, Krista Allen is lots of fun as an actress. She has a sense of humor about herself, an actual ability to act and deliver lines well. (See her in "Anger Management." She's hysterical.) And she looks absolutely great, which even I noticed and I'm gay. (For those who wondered why I was watching this, it was campy, after midnight and I was bored. Oh, and Haffron is really really good looking.)

Anyway, yeah, it's trash. But it's fun trash.

Krista Allen is indeed a knockout, and you do get to see a decent amount of her in this movie. Most of the other actresses are very attractive as well. All of them did really well with their orgasms. There were about three good sex scenes. The rest were just okay.

This movie could have been something really memorable though. All the sex scenes needed to be longer and filmed better (I HATE that "merry-go-round" technique). There were several times where Krista should have been completely nude, but she's partially clothed. The dialogue and plot were really, really bad, and much less time should have been wasted on them. Oh, and the opening theme is without a doubt the most laughably bad song I have ever heard in my life.

Great Flick, I was glued to the TV screen and could not pull away. The character got really deep into their sence. I was exicited to young actors exploring new things.

Any bad movie fan will want to pick up this collection of Leprechaun movies. Featuring all five movies, this DVD collection doesn't have much to offer in the way of special features aside from trailers but fans of non-stop gore and bad jokes will love.

LEPRECHAUN- Before she made it big with "Friends", the future Mrs. Brad Pitt herself, Jennifer Aniston starred in the first Leprechaun movie. Probably the best of the series.

LEPRECHAUN 2- A decent sequel with all kinds of gore and bad Irish jokes. Any movie where a guy is killed making love to a fan can't be all bad.

LEPRECHAUN 3- This one is pretty much the same as the last one with even dumber characters and a Vegas setting.

LEPRECHAUN 4- The Leprechaun in Space? Hilariously awful. Features Miguel A. Nunez, Debbie Dunning (The Tool Time Girl on "Home Improvement") and a cross-dressing robot.

LEPRECHAUN IN THE HOOD- Aside from Ice-T as a record mogul, this one is just terrible. Lots of dumb stereotypes and for some reason, there is a whole lot of men dressing up like women. What is up with this cross-dressing ...?

Warwick Davis solidifies his role as the greatest Leprechaun in history. If you have not seen any of these movies, you will find out very quickly how funny this Leprechaun is! I will say that you probably should rent Leprechaun's 1-3 and forget about "Leprechaun in Space," and "Leprechaun in the Hood." If you like 1-3, buy this collection; you will never regret it.

These Movies Are Great, And Worth The Time To Sit Back And SCREAM To. WARWICK IS THE BEST DWARF ACTOR IN THE BIZ. He's A Horror God. I Recommend This To Anyone Whos A Horror Fan.

ALSO SEE WARWICK DAVIS IN HARRY POTTER 1&2

Weather Woman: The first DVD is great. Lots of humor, nudity, cussing, some violence and not a serious bone in its body. You'll laugh, you'll laugh so hard that you WILL cry. Weird, sexy and Kei Mizutani who knows what her character needs AND what her fans want. I give it five stars!

Weather Woman Returns: The second movie has a slightly more serious plot, slightly more nudity (and sex), no violence and some parts that are not funny - I think they worked TOO hard on trying to make sense. Misa Aika is pretty and does swim about nude a lot, but she's no Kei Mizutani. I didn't laugh as much. I give it three stars.

I would suggest getting Weather Woman by itself OR getting this collection if you can get it for less (in other words - used). Not much in the way of normal extras on the DVDs, but they also have DVD-ROMS features in the form of art, interviews and comics.

it's weird, suprising, and sure to please anyone into odd japanese movies.

If your not some snotty rich movie snob, you know the type that suck the fun right out of all good movies. If you can understand the laws of time but still enjoy a good time travel movie than your not one of them. This movie is fun. Thats the best word for it. The second one actually has more nudity but less fun. Weather women has nudity and is very sexy but stands on its own as a good movie. if your looking to get into campy asian movies this would be a great way in. however i would say only get the two pack if you get it cheap. weird stuff happens in the back ground of the movie if you pay attention. great movie. you will like it. i like it with lasanga or mongolian beef!Enjoy your day.PhiPPs

Excuse me, who or what is Adam Sandler supposed to be? An actor? A comedian? An actor-comedian? No, no, no...Eddie Murphy is an actor, a comedian; an actor-comedian. To watch Eddie's stand up, his stint on Saturday Night Live...then his movies...even the BAD ONES...then compare and contrast with what passes for Adam Sandler's standup, stint on SNL and his movies...what gives? I'm sorry even if you didn't compare...Adam Sandler is devoid of comedic skills, and couldn't act his way out of a paper bag with the president of the paper bag manufacturing council talking him through the hard parts. This 'collection' is only, sadly, indicative of the decline of western society's standards...Chaplin, WC Fields, Buster Keaton, Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Benny Hill, Chevy Chase...it's been a downward spiral ever since...leading to Adam Sandler as the lead ... going down the... Admittedly, America's tastes have changed and no doubt the youth contingent are leading the way in demanding Adam's special brand of what I loosely term 'humor'...but this only shows they'll watch anything...

Despite the ideas and opinions of others,ideas of an individual whom seems to have a bit of a crush on Eddie Murphy..ok.. want to make a CONFESSION?...Homo-Erotic OBSESSION? DEPRESSION? REPRESSION? Or just CONSTIPATION? I must admit, I believe Adam Sandler has never been as talented as Eddie Murphy at picking up gay transexual prostitutes and "giving them RIDES home." First off,to be honest I DON'T LIKE THIS Adam Sandler COLLECTION. Billy Madison is a great comedy, while Happy Gilmore is a CLASSIC performance by a CLASSIC comedian. Bulletproof...how could Adam Sandler and Damon Wayans make such a bad movie?...almost as bad as Damon's brothers' Scary Movie 2...not that bad though. Happy Gilmore should have been offered in Widescreen and that is the main reason I didn't buy this collection. To go back to the Eddie Murphy/ Adam Sandler comparison again though. First off, both have released multiple albums, Adam Sandler's first two being far superior in comedic quality and talent as opposed to any album ever recorded by Eddie Murphy. Yet, neither of these two should torture us with their singing "abilities." I'd rather hear Shaq rap...and that's real torture. I admit...I'm not a big fan of Adam Sandler's stand up comedy either. But then again, Eddie Murphy attempted to be a stand up as well, attempting to be another Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor, yet SEEMED to INSULT HOMOSEXUALS quite often...the same people who were his "Friends" that he gave "RIDES" home to. Hell, in the stand up area Bob Saget would even make decent competition for both Sandler and Murphy. That's how bad they both are at it..although Eddie is "RAW"(note, don't waste your money on that garbage.) As for the absurdity that Murphy's movies have reached as compared to Sandler's movies....I have yet to see Adam Sandler want a clip in his movie where a Gerbil gives anal sex to a male human being..as what happened in Nutty Professor 2. Is that supposed to be funny? Yeah, nuthin like a rape scene to bust me out into laughter(note the sarcasm). What the hell was THAT? Did Eddie give the Gerbil a ride home after shooting this film also?.... In addition, Sandler has never made a sequel, as Eddie has...now one could say that sequels are the signs of success..Does this mean that Children of the Corn 4 was so huge that a part 5 was made? He can't come up with any original ideas. Beverly Hills Cop definitely was befitting of a sequel..but Beverly Hills Cop 3? Did anyone actually watch this stinkfest and enjoy it? Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps. Whoopeeee..let's hear retarded farting noises the ENTIRE movie by the supposedly creative multiple roles Murphy played.. and watch a man raped by a gerbil....and and elderly woman act like a 2 dollar whore...exciting!(sarcasm appears again). Thank God there was no sequel to such pieces of crap he made such as Vampire in Brooklyn, Distinguished Gentleman,Holy Man, Metro, LIFE...The saddest thing of all is that Shrek is actually the best movie Murphy has made in a while and that is the one where he played the role of an ass. Eddie Murphy has released more material than Adam Sandler, but a greater quantity doesn't mean better quality. Every Eddie Murphy movie is like playing Russian roulette with half the chambers loaded. The only difference is that part of your life is just wasted by viewing film not using a true bullet. I think I'll stick to quality and Adam Sandler, Bill Murray, Sam Kinison, Richard Pryor, Chris Farley,John Belushi,Dave Chappelle,Lenny Bruce,Michael Keaton and that guy from whom he stole his last name from..what was his name again? As for Eddie Murphy, I know I just trashed him, but I have enjoyed some of his material. Before someone calls Murphy a genius and insults Sandler's comedic work, they might just want to think about which comedian has had more original ideas that have made people laugh their asses off. Remember it's all about quality, not quantity, so Sandler doesn't have to make a Happy Gilmore 2 or 3 to try and keep his name alive. He creates quality using a twisted sense of comedy. Yet, the greatest all around comedian/actor(Movies/Stand-up/Any environment he is in)since Richard Pryor is Jim Carrey.

You'll Want These Movies. Billy Madison will make you laugh with the language, humor, and jokes played by Sandler In School. Happy Gilmore will laugh the he'l outta you especially the part where Sandler and Bob Barker start beating the [heck] outta each other. And Bulletproof you will want: The Best Movie With Adam Sandler. Sandler and Damon Wayans star as a crook and a cop on the run from a drug lord trying to kill them you'll like this because of the humor, violence, and language. These Are Funny Movies.

A complete set for a cheap price is the largest bait this has to offer. The animation is decent, but not top notch. The story could also use a lot of work. If your a teen looking for a laugh or just a silly few hours, I suggest this to any of you (even girls). This is totally NOT a fanboy/serv. video, just good clean silliness.

As other reviewers have said, this isn't the best anime ever, just good entertainment. The movie combines romantic comedy, homemade superheroes and power suits to create a fun short story.

Most of the actual story is about Hiroshi and Mirai trying to prevent the evil Dr. Machinegal from stealing pieces of retro technology for his collection. When Mirai is in control of the Moldiver suit, which is most of the time, we are treated to massive destruction of anything that crosses her path, such as buildings, roads, the odd spacecraft and the occational evil mecha doll.

Mix this with a nice dose of romantic fun as Mirai and another girl try to impress the handsome Mr. Misaki and you have Moldiver in a nutshell.

*Spoiler below*

Because most of the episodes are light comedy I was a bit surprised at the bittersweet ending. I have to disagree with the editorial reviewer who thought the "Last minute romance" between Mirai and Misaki was forced. Both because there was no "romance" as far as I could tell and because Mirai had been chasing him from episode 1. Also, Misaki obviously cared for Mirai, but perhaps more as a friend than a girlfriend.

Personally I thought it was a good twist to the story that Mirai didn't force Mr. Misaki to choose between her and his dream. I actually thought it was kind of noble in a way, to avoid troubling him with the fact that she was really sad to see him go and thereby letting him pursue his dream without regrets.
If it wasn't for a good ending I'd probably have rated the DVD at 2-3 stars.

To sum it up: Lots of romantic fun, Lots of destructive fun, Lots of fun situational comedy and good ending, but generally uninteresting conflict lines Moldiver<->Machinegal.

I bought Moldiver because the art looked cool, because of the price, and because I love Anime.

Prudish parents be warned, there is nudity, however it is NOT sexual in any way.

I wasn't expecting much at this price but as it turns out, this is a worthy part of any collection. Even a "hardened, seen it all," Anime veteran friend of mine thought it looked cool based on just 7 minutes.

The quality of the art is 10x better than what you see on the cover.

The first episode is a bit slow, but is important. It starts moving along with the 2nd episode.

Moldiver is mostly comedy, and is partly a love story.

BTW, I call it a movie because it has a beginning and an end, despite the end being a potential for a new beginning.

I'll try to do Moldiver some justice by pointing out a couple of the many scenes (sans some details for the sake of brevity and for the sake of "surprise") that I consider to be hilarious. Please note that I've done my best not to reveal anything:

1) The inventor of the Moldiver saw the professor and ended up showing him an "ancient" video tape instead. As it turns out, the professor is the bad guy [1st episode].

2) The hero goes into a changing room, a burst of light appears, and out comes the transformed hero. A bystander looked in shock. This is hilarious because it shows how "unprofessional" this hero is [3rd episode].

3) The hero "saves the day" but always manages to cause massive destruction in the process [ongoing].

4) The hero, having started out, got so wrapped up in competing against an enemy and getting used to the suit that they got side tracked momentarily forgetting to rescue someone [1st episode].

Take the same chance I did, I'm sure you'll love Moldiver :)