Collecting Movie Reviews

Ever since seeing his 90's work I've been a fan, so it was with great hopes that I unpacked this collection. After viewing the first DVD I was thinking that he has really improved since that and hoped for the next discs to be better.

Unfortunately, it turns out that they all contain pretty much the same jokes and even the George Carlin favourites is mostly a rehash of the previous three discs. I have a feeling that this will never leave my bookshelf again. My advice? Stay with the more recent material...

I was excited by the promise of this set - hell who would not at the prospect of 4 -5 hours of Carlin?

Carlin has wonderful timing and a wicked and wacky grin that precedes anyone of his reflections on the absurdity of the human condition that he delivers with a complete mastery of American idiom.

This is a collection that is hard to ignore for a die-hard fan like me - but suffers from repetition of many of his classic pieces - like "Words they won"t let you say on TV" to "Stuff" especially since his delivery of his masterworks does not vary greatly from one performance to the other. The editors must have been sleeping.

But if you have the cash, splurge.

very funny comedy acts, but flimsy box, bad audio, definately not worth more then 35 dollars

While visually interesting, Tokyo Drifter lacks a cohesive story or any character development. It seems as if the editor removed the most important scenes. At one point in the movie the main character Tetsu has two hitmen in the back of the car he's driving and inexplicably escapes unscathed. The final outcome of the car scene is missing. This is just one of the many examples of poor editing. The subtitles on this DVD are equally disjointed and incomprehensible (laughably so, at times).

This movie is for students of Japanese film only.

[DW]

it begins black & white and bursts into hallucinogenic technicolor. avant-filmmaking, to be sure. the sets are color-coded and the action highly stylized. james bond on acid? yep. through a kaliedoscope, too. it's hard to follow, you may have to view it 3, 4... 30 times. but it's good. i love the hero, and the doomed secretary. it smacks of true 60's film style and feels a bit like a clint eastwood spaghetti western. if you've ever seen woody allen's "what's up, tigerlily?", this movie begs to be re-dubbed with corny dialogue, it's even got the pop-music interludes. (i hope i haven't offended the purists who hold this movie sacred). i have seen it on the independent film channel and it's that kind of experience - an action movie for the bohemian, artistic outsider.

Stylin' color, smooth story, catchy tune... and that blue suit with those white shoes! A thorough pleasure from start to finish. Also, fascinating interview with the director - gives a real insider view on the Japanese film studio business in the 50's.

Admittedly, this is the only Ozu film I've seen. But I do have an opinion on it.

The film eventually adds up to something, a slightly interesting meditation on the nature of small talk and personal happiness. But it's too slow a journey along the way. I had to watch the film in about 5 runs, I kept drifting to sleep along the way. Also, the stuff about the kids' digestive systems and the one who kept soiling his pants was very strange, it must be something that really does not translate from Japanese culture to other viewers.

This quiet little film, set in working class Japan ca. 1960, focuses on the community's children and the way they are drawn to western entertainment, i.e. television, wrestling, etc. Parents are more concerned with getting from month to month, glad to have a job, fearing financial difficulties in their old age. One neighbor's purchase of a washing machine creates mumbling among the rest of them; How could they afford this?

A side plot has one woman turn a misunderstanding into vicious rumors about a neighbor. The fact that the neighbor's children are conducting a "silence strike" only fuels the gossip.

Although visibly produced on a minimal budget, the quiet feeling of being told a bed time story is mezmerizing. The insight into the social conventions of the time and place are at times very touching. I can recommend this film particularly to students/teachers in the fields of Sociology or History. A simple film, but not without the sparcle of a little gem!****

Working Class Japanese families ca. 1960 dealing with idle gossip, the difficulties of parenthood, and "competing with the Jones'" when it comes to modern gadgets like washing machines and TV set.

The main focus is on a misunderstanding involving misplaced Union dues and the mean-spirited gossip resulting from an honest mistake. A side-plot has two little boys enter a pact of silence in protest that their parents are "too cheap" to buy a TV set, so they need not watch Wrestling and Baseball at their neighbors house. Will their "strike" pay off?

This is a simple film about simple situations in working people's homes. Given the times, the daily struggle for survival and a few modern comforts are the center of each day's discussions. To think about one's retirement is discussed among people in their prime. The much used greetings (thus the title) and constant small talk are explained as a necessary means to achieve greater things. To sell a product, or to initiate friendliness with a prospective marriage partner.

A visibly low budget, absolutely no cinematic frills and a minimal number of actors, none-the-less give the viewer a pleasant excoursion into the life of hard working people in a given place and time. The film makes you smile, laugh out loud, and it also includes moments that may tuck at your heart strings. No classic or epic, yet a very pleasant little film to bring you joy.****

So far, I've found the picture & sound quality of the Robotech DVD series to be shockingly inconsistent: some volumes have pretty good sound & picture (considering the limits of the source material), some are of mediocre clarity, and others are danged-near-deplorable. In the case of this particular box-set release, the Robotech DVD series has likely reached its lowest point in the way of video clarity-many of the eppies on volume 7 and 8 are fairly muddy. My old VHS tapes, even after several viewings, looked better than these! The sound fluctuates from fairly good to poor here. Mayhaps the fans' consensus assertion (including myself) that the 'Southern Cross' segment is the weakest part of the Robotech saga has rubbed off on Harmony Gold in the form of apathy and half-hearted effort in the release of the 'Robotech Masters' eppies on disc?

To add insult to injury, the extras platter included with this box set is the most barren of the lot! All that's included are the opening & closing credits sequences for the original Japanese 'Macross', 'Southern Cross' & 'Mospeada' shows, character & mecha model sheet sketches, a comic book cover gallery, and the obligatory selected scenes dubbed in various European languages. We're talkin' scrapin'-the-bottom-of-the-barrel-type-stuff here. They shoulda just added these onto the 5th box set's bonus disc and save the fans a bit of shelf space. 'Course, that wouldn't be very businesslike, would it?

'Late

well i guess i'll blaspheme but these episodes are rough. i remember as a 14 year old nerd in the mid 80's watching these after school (no sports for me, thanks) and thinking robotech was (...)...but man these southern cross episodes i must have just blocked from memory or something. theyre awful...i remember the whole macross saga pretty well and enjoyed them but even those get pretty dull and meandering once they get back to earth..hey rick..make a decision already...minmay, lisa...i dont care..it's been 4 freakin years man!!!! maybe this love triangle scenario was more plausible as a 14 year old rather than a 30 year old, ya know, but it gets real irritating. and i remember the last segment pretty well with the invid and the cross dressing pop star (shudder) but these i barely remember...and for good reason. i just made it through the first disc of this set and consider that an acomplishment. meandering and slow with tons of filler. i thinks i'll skip the fifth set and go straight to the 6th and 7th when they come out next year. get this only if youre a copmpletist.

while the middle saga of the three tends to feel contrived, the characters are what keep it alive. Dana and her buddies are fun to watch as they argue, flirt, and fool around. Just get the whole thing...it is worth it.

This DVD is awesome! I really enjoyed it and the uncut version is great, because you see little scenes that the've cut out for strange reasons but still, its good. I really liked the episode "Protect Darien(Mamoru)! Jealousy of serena(usagi) the Ninja" cause its hilarious! I mean when Raye(Rei) walks in when Darien is taking a bath is pretty funny and Serena dressed up as a ninja is also funny. Another episode I really liked was "Try for the best of Japan! The Worries of a Beautiful Girl Swordman" cause its sad and funny and interesting at the same time. So, just buy the DVD cause you'll enjoy it!

The second DVD in the Pegasus Collection has it all--funny episodes, serious episodes, and touching episodes. We all look to the episode, Protect Mamoru! Jealousy of Usagi the Ninja. Without a doubt this is the best, or at least the funniest episode on the DVD. It starts out with hilarity when Diana mistakes some smoke for a fire and Rei, getting the fire extinguisher, trips and sprays it everywhere. Then Mamoru ends up staying at Rei's place, much to Usagi's discontent. This episode is just one hilarious thing after another as Rei accidentally sees Mamoru in the bath, Grandpa Hino tries to teach Yuuichiro to get girls, and, the highlight of the episode in my opinion, Usagi dresses in a ninja costume and stalks Rei throughout Mamoru's stay there. Diana's innocence is cute too. The other episode I'm going to feature in this review is Try for the Best of Japan! The Worries of a Beautiful Girl Swordsman. Little Miharu, seemingly misunderstood by her mother, stays with the Tsukinos for awhile. She is trying to be the best swordsman in Japan, but her mother battles her and acts cruel to her. Usagi and Chibiusa are furious and confront her, only to be told to leave her alone and to go away. Miharu is fooled by Tigerseye and after she is found not to be hiding Pegasus in her dream, helps defeat the Lemre. She learns a lesson and her mother turns out to be justified after all. A sweet episode. Also don't miss Fisheye's first episode, Makoto's friend Tomoko, Ami helping to fix a car (?), and Chibiusa nearly being revealed as having Pegasus in her dream.

I'm really glad they decided to put 6 full episodes on each Sailor Moon DVD! Now I can see alot of episodes. The last episode on this disc was my favorite. It was about a swordsgirl named Miharu, who was camping out in a tent. She's had ten duals, and so far she's won everyone of them. But when her mother comes to fight her, Miharu loses. Her mother is very strict, but she's that way because she loves Miharu. This episode is very touching, and the whole Super S season is soooo cute! Sometimes the senshi do faces that look soooo cute! I recommend this cute, sugary sweet dvd to anyone!

Roman Polanski's first feature, KNIFE IN THE WATER (Criterion) is an idiosyncratic psychological thriller about a married couple who pick up a hitchhiker and take him sailing. The husband's an ass, the wife's frigid and the hitchhiker's a psycho. Naturally, they toy and taunt each other. Oh, and there's a large knife on board. And what's with Polanski's requestthat no scan forward or freeze frame function on the disc?

Knife in the Water features some great camerawork and manages to evoke an astonishing amount of tension in certain scenes. I can level no real complaints against it aesthetically, save that less is translated than I would've liked. But the ending is not particularly satisfying and the conflict is not played out as dramatically as you're led to believe. The DVD package is decent, though you'll no doubt be able to find better prices for it than here. You get an interview with Roman Polanski and his cinematographer, then a second disc of short films. Some of these are bit taxing on one's patience (i.e. When Angels Fall and The Fat and the Lean), but others are quite brilliant (The Lamp and Mammals). I'd say this is a positive treasure trove if you're a big fan of the director.

This brilliant debut by director Roman Polanski has all the elements of his later works; sexual undercurrents, jealousy, physical danger, and dramatic confrontation of the generations. The simple but intelligent script by Jerzy Skolimowski, Jakub Goldberg, and Polanski concerns a couple off for a weekend of sailing, who bring a young hitchhiker into their midst. The tensions that follow grows out of the interplay of characters, which is skillfully manipulated by Polanksi. Received an Academy Award Nomination for best foreign-language film in the year of its release.

Buy this if you are interested in Ted Healy's productions from really early Stooge days. If not, skip it. The quality (audio and video) of the DVD is shabby...hence, the low price. There are only 4 of 12 shorts really worth owning, available on other, higher quality products.

This disc contains four classic Stooges shorts -- "Brideless Groom," "Disorder in the Court," "Sing a Song of Six Pants" and "Malice in the Palace" (all of which are in the public domain) -- and 8 others that were done before the Columbia era and feature either one Stooge or the Stooges with Ted Healy, who they worked with in their early days. The Columbia shorts are great, especially "Disorder," a classic Curly short (the other three are Shemp). Those who aren't familiar with their early work will find some interesting stuff here, including several routines that popped up later in the Columbia shorts. The quality on all is as good as can be expected. But be aware that, since most of these aren't the classic Columbia shorts, the Stooges, as seen here, are in slightly different form from the familiar versions that came later. Still, from a historical standpoint, this disc is invaluable, as several of these shorts aren't available in complete form on DVD elsewhere, to my knowledge. Other than the fact that "Nertsery Rhymes" is b/w instead of color (as it was originally released), this disc is recommended for Stooges fans who are interested in the team's history and their early work. Another nice thing: It's over 3 1/2 hours long, so it's a nice value for the price.

What a DVD! This has three hours of extremely rare, hard to find material. And its not filler, like some of the other Three Stooges collections out there; this is all content, baby. The best part about this collection is that it has many of the hard-to-find shorts with Ted Healy.

The only problem is that no effort was made to clean up the video or the sound, and the original prints from which this DVD was made seem to have been in poor shape in places. A new release, with the latest in digital remastering, will be most welcome.

Sandrine Bonnaire is flawless in her performance. This movie will haunt you whenever you have the urge to chuck it all and hit the road.

In Agnes Varda's "Vagabond", a young girl (Mona) drifts from place to place throughout the countryside and towns of France. She scratches out an existence mainly through the largesse of those she meets along the way. Unlike in the United States, where homeless people are assumed to be mental defects, the itinerants portrayed in this film (including the main character) seem to be making a very self-aware and philosophical choice to be vagrants. Mona seems to have dropped out of conventional society out of sheer self-indulgence and an aversion to work, rather than for any other reason. Along the way, characters alternatively envy her lifestyle, take pity on her or revile her completely.

The story also threads characters in and out of the plot, and many seem peripherally related to each other. Throughout the film, some of these characters speak directly to the camera about their impressions of Mona. This technique seems vaguely contrived. But the gritty unwashed feel of the movie makes it a special experience. It lends a documentary feel to the film that draws the viewer in. The director avoids passing off any overt judgments about the main character and her lifestyle. Portrayals of purposeful vagrancy in Europe seem to be a rare phenomenon. The film's unique view of the underexposed underbelly of France makes it worthy enough to ingrain in your memory.

The film opens on the scene of a bare vineyard, it's winter, and a worker is collecting vines off the ground after pruning. He suddenly comes upon a woman, sprawled dead in the frost covered ditch, nothing but an old dirty blanket on her back. Her face is contorted with pain from the cold she suffered. Her hair looks almost gray from being frozen.

The police come to investigate, she's got no identification with her.
But as the film progresses we learn her name is Mona, short for Simone. In flash backs we see her traveling like a leaf on the wind, never staying in one place for too long, hitching rides, and pitching her tent. Bumming cigarettes, and getting water and bread (sometimes dope) from kind strangers, a few she gets to know, but they never really figure out who she is. But, they agree as they talk to the camera, she's someone they'll never forget.

The film takes place during winter, Mona says she likes to travel then because there aren't that many people out, and it's easier to get a ride. Those who she meets, are mostly good, but some bad. She experiences the perils of a young woman traveling alone. Hunger, cold, rape... She isn't a naive street urchin, but a gritty character, tough and defiant.

I found Mona, so endearing and painfully haunting. I became more and more sad, to know she had died. And when that tragic moment came, I couldn't help but cry a little. Sandrine Bonnaire made her seem so real. And I love how the movie was shot. Told in flashbacks, by the people who had known her, however briefly. They speak directly to the camera. A very powerful film, very poignant and absolutely haunting.

Filmed in Nimes, France. In the stark landscape of mid-winter. Anges Varda's masterpiece. Sandrine Bonnaire won the Cesar award for best actress. Even though it's sad and ends (and begins) with tragedy, I am definitely going watch it again.

This film deserves no less than five stars!

Over all this DVD is entertaining for X-men fans. However, there are several elements of the comics that bothered me as a fan. The plot lines do not always follow the classic story line of the X-men. Most of them are much younger and still in high school. I thought how Jean and Cyclops were still in high school, yet storm was around 30 years of age was off base, as well as Kitty Pride only being a few years younger than Cyclops and Jean. X-men: Evolution's version of Rogue also bothered me. I always considered her a tough southern belle. This version of Rogue seems to edgey and gothic, making her an outcast and ruining the southern charm I have always loved about her. Also, she does not have her flight and strength abilities. I always thought she aquired them while she was with Mystique, before joining the X-men team. Colossus and Gambit were always two of my favorite characters, and I was bothered by them appearing on Magneto's side and not part of the beloved team. Other than these complaints the episodes are very well done, with not as much of a serious tone as the X-men series of the early 90's that I hands down loved. If you are a big fan of the early 90's series you may be disappointed in some of the character changes but will still enjoy these episodes.

Now ending its 4th season, I've watched X-men Evolution from the begining and I like it. I enjoy how the characters are different from the tradition. The tradition has been done before and its nice to see change (Not saying the early 90s cartoon was bad, far from it). For those that wonder about Rogue and her flight and strength watch the last episode of season 4. The Prof. gets a glimpse into the future due to Apocalypse and he tells them that he saw his X-men grown which you see(they are wearing the uniforms from the Ultimate X-men Comic)... Colossus is with them and probably Gambit and you see Rogue fly down from off screen (among other things like Jean as Phoenix and Nimrod and the Sentinels).

When I first saw this series, I was put off a bit by the animation style, especially the noses! I was quickly won over by excellent writing. This is different from the traditional x men, in my mind that's a good thing. Try it, it's well worth it.

Agreeing with most of the reviews below, I'd add that the two hour length features appear to take the same pace and plot development of the Adventure series (with which I am most acquainted), and stretch it out into two hours. The result is that it appears dull and lifeless. Case in point, simple scanning of Sir Henry's ancestor's portraits in the hallway of the Baskerville Estate is slow and tedious, a time killer of sorts. If Hound was done in the standard one hour, with the same level of plot development, etc., it would appear as brilliant as those stories covered in the Adventure series. I'll take the Rathbone and Bruce version of Hound over this without question. The Last Vampire is slow, a little better done than Hound, but still below the quality of The Adventures. The Sign of Four is good, quite passible in terms of pace and plot. I can't comment on The Eligible Bachelor, as I haven't seen it yet. Skip this set and buy The Sign of Four as a single, its worth it.

I'd recommend cherry-picking the "fourth-season" 1988 episodes, "Hound" and "Sign," and purchasing them individually, rather than obtaining this set. The other three "movies" are from 1991 (after "Case-Book" and before "Memoirs"), and were the first episodes done after John Hawkesworth and Michael Cox had left as producers of the show and the faithfulness to the original stories fell dramatically: just as an indication, all three of these movies had their plots altered so much from the Doyle stories that the writers changed their titles (none of the other episodes had this happen). The only reason to purchase this set is to save money if you're a completist who needs ALL the episodes, or if you're a British-actor fan who doesn't care about script quality or Holmesian faithfulness.

What exactly are they comparing the masterful performances of Jeremy Brett and his cast members to anyway? The terrible performances of virtually every other actor's work in the world today? The films are masterfully intelligent, well written, and certainly as good as the source material. Wonderful, enjoyable, and excellent fun all around.