Collecting Movie Reviews

Evidently, this DVD release was NOT authorized by either Bryan Ferry or his Management and they have pulled future release of this due to too many omissions. Not only are the releases "More Than This" and "Avalon" missing, but so are Bryan Ferry's solo releases post 1995. Also, there are more earlier video releases both from Roxy Music & Bryan Ferry that are missing. On top of that, the picture quality is lacking on some of the videos on the DVD. Bryan Ferry is going to release a NEW and COMPLETE version between 2003-2004 with many extras. I would imagine the NEW version that will be released will be like the recent two DVD release by David Bowie which is excellent in every way with every release including rare BBC & Dick Cavett performances. It may be a good idea to avoid this release and wait for the Bryan Ferry AUTHORIZED version.

I personally don't understand the in's and out's of this particular situation - but looks like Video Collection is OOP in America, and maybe soon to be in Canada (until it sells out). Anyway, I got mine just after getting the video. Well maybe it isn't the greatest collection on earth but its better than nothing and that's what we have right now (until something else comes out). In the meantime you get a bunch of videos that are going to impress and some maybe not but hey, that's what the fast forward/next track buttom is for. And that's the beauty of DVD. When it comes to this disc there are a lot of videos to explore and they are really good, from the first Your Painted Smile to my favourite Don't Stop the Dance.

I think the real reason for the problem with the release of this DVD is the cheese factor, which could be a slight embarasment for The Man. I'm thinking of videos like These Foolish Things, What Goes On, Angel Eyes, You Go to My Head. These are my least favourite and could have been left out. Still, that leaves 20 videos that are well worth the price of this DVD. I've never seen the More than This video but I have seen an excerpt from Avalon and I don't miss it.

So get this disc in the meantime if you can't wait for a nebulous promise of something in the future. Oh, and in case Ferry and company are reading, how about releasing Live in Europe on DVD? That would make up for the fact that every North American release of the video had a sound problem in the audio. Now there's a greatest hits live video from yesteryear that would be a great compliment to this disc or any release in the future. So in the meantime, enjoy this disc!

The videos in this collection give a good cross-reference of Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry's solo work. The quality of the early videos is fair, but the sound is good, nonetheless. The later videos are fantastic, and sound better than the remastered CD's. But, there's one big omission...where is the video of "Avalon"? I've always considered "Avalon" one of the most sensual and atmospheric videos of all time, and was disappointed to find that it was not here. Still, the DVD is worth it, as we see the evolution of Roxy Music's style from avant-garde art-rock to a more soulful and almost-mainstream band, with the charismatic trio of Ferry, Manzanera and Mackay holding things together throughout the years, and Ferry's development as a single artist growing with each release.

In all, I think Roxy and Ferry fans will be pleased...but, I still want to see "Avalon" sometime in the future. :-)

I love the IMAX films but was disappointed that these DVD's were in standard 4:3, not widescreen 16:9 or 2.35:1.
Also, the audio naration is often drowned-out by the background music and is hard to hear.
Otherwise, the shots and scenes are outstanding.

If you want to get a lot of brilliant space and launch shots, you won't find them here. The best parts of these movies could fit on one disc. "Dream" and "Destiny" are the better ones.
It's kind of creepy watching all of this taking place onboard Challenger.

That's because IMAX theaters are that same 4:3 format. To get widescreen you'd have to either lose picture on the top and bottom, or stretch the screen out over two blocks.

As a kid, I didn't tune in to Robotech until the second episode of the Masters. As a result, I didn't see Macross until I was a bit older. That said, it was the Masters chapter that hooked me on Robotech, and I'd highly reccomend these DVDs to anyone who enjoyed Macross or The Next Generation.

I Starting Watching Robotech When It First Came To America In 1985 When I Was Eighteen Years Old And Now That Im In My Mid Thirtys I Still Enjoy The Robotech-Masters Saga And New Generations I Wasn't Happy With Robotech-Macross The First Series But The Other Two I Liked A Lot My Only Regret Is That The Cartoon Network Go's To So Much Trouble Of Replaceing The Opeing Credits With There Own And That To Me Is A Complete Waste Of Time But Anyway I Like Robotech Being On Dvd And Watching It Broght Back So Meany Good Memery For Me

I am a big Robotech fan. i like it very much,and this part 2 is the best part in robotech i think. although haven't so many heroes, but it is so profound and has so much complexity of characters just like Dana,Zor,also Robotech Masters. this part is the core of Robotech, it is mysterious, solemn and stirring. it make me to see that the real meaning of Robotch is not only anti-war, but the forever principle between universe and being. only this part can show that. if you can't understand this part, you can't understand the whole Robotech.

Jeffrey Lynn and Marjorie Reynolds star in the low-budget MGM programmer HOMETOWN STORY, also called HER HOMETOWN STORY.

Lynn plays a failed politician, now writing for a newspaper and uncovering the shady dealings in reputable factories. Notable only for the early performance of Marilyn Monroe as secretary Iris, and the emotional playing of Reynolds.

Jeffrey Lynn is also quite good (he was one of the original contenders for the role of Ashley in GONE WITH THE WIND), and turns in a good performance.

This two-tape set is a must for Marilyn Monroe completists everywhere. 1) The 1951 film "Hometown Story" stars Jeffrey Lynn as a bitter ex-politician who goes to work for his uncle's newspaper. Monroe has a small but very amusing and memorable role in the picture. 2) "The Marilyn Monroe Story" is one of the best documentaries about the legendary sex goddess ever put together. John Huston, who directed Marilyn in her first really well-known film(THE ASPHALT JUNGLE) as well as her last film(THE MISFITS), takes us on an incredible journey through this remarkable woman's life.

Hometown Story (1951) features Marilyn Monroe in one of her earliest roles, and while Marilyn probably fuels most of the sells for this item, the movie itself is actually quite good in its own right. Jeffrey Lynn plays Blake Washburn, a newly un-elected state senator who returns home with quite an electoral chip on his shoulder. He's not above punching a guy for joking about the election, and even his old friends are likely to be met with a cold shoulder. Washburn takes over his uncle's newspaper, but all he cares about is starting an editorial crusade that will help him win his Senate seat back. Slim Haskins (a young Alan Hale, Jr. of Gilligan's Island fame), his best friend and lead reporter, grows increasingly frustrated at Washburn's politicized agenda, and even Washburn's long-suffering fiancé Janice (Marjorie Reynolds) cannot get through to him, even when she threatens to call the whole thing off. Undaunted, Washburn rakes big business up and down the coals of his editorial pages, even after one local businessman, John McFarland (Donald Crisp), gives him an Economics 101 lecture on the importance of big business and its products in everyday life.

Then Washburn's little sister Katie (Melinda Plowman) enters an old mine to retrieve her new puppy and becomes the victim of a terrible cave-in. The wealthy Mr. McFarland comes to Katie's aid in a very big way, as does big business itself through a number of its mechanical and life-saving products. Hometown Story carries an important message, and it delivers this message in a quite moving and certainly entertaining manner. As for Marilyn Monroe, she plays Washburn's secretary Iris; it is by no means a large part, but she does appear in several scenes. Her acting skills are not very polished at this stage of her career, but she certainly accomplishes her main task of making tight sweaters look absolutely amazing. Alan Hale's character has the hots for Iris, and I cannot help but get a kick out of watching "the Skipper" trying to put the moves on Marilyn Monroe.

Much like "Ain't it Dead", Capitol Records once again releases a sub-par version of what could have been the definitive collection of Skinny Puppy Videos. Channel Dropouts... weird video glitches... absolutely no care or concern for the quality of the material being remastered.

This is a great collection of Skinny Puppy videos (not all of them though), the DVD doesn't have any extras like a menu, behind the scenes kinda stuff but djing a club with videos I get a ton of use out of this DVD. Every last video is good quality, both the video and sound quality, good enough to be played in a club anyway.

I would recommend this DVD to any Skinny Puppy fan and any Industrial type DJ spinning videos.

I'm so glad to finally have this DVD. I've seen parts of the videos on my Brap CD Rom and have wanted them ever since. The DVD has no extras but who needs them, any real Skinny Puppy fan knows all the history, owns Brap for the extras, and is willing to pay next to nothing for the vids straight up on DVD or video. I own several music DVDs and they either speak for themselves and don't need extras (Ministry-Tapes of Wrath) or the "extras" are a bunch of on-the-road fluff (KMFDM-Beat by Beat).

Ok Saturday Night Fever is watchable if you got nothing else to do and it's on on the tv -- but buying it? And with those other 2 ... movies? Don't waste your money.

good story line and i like the music alot

This box set culls together three of John Travolta's most popular and successful films into one nice and easy package for fans of the man.

Grease has finally made its debut on the DVD format. The movie is a long time favorite thanks to countless airings on television that constantly brought in new fans of the movie who weren't even born when the movie was released in 1978. Adapting the immensely popular Broadway show to the big screen brought forth some changes. The theater production had a raunchier edge to it with much more overt ... nature. The film tones that side quite a bit, but it makes up for it in sheer exuberance. John Travolta was the hottest star in Hollywood at the time with the success of Saturday Night Fever on the big screen and Welcome Back Kotter on television. He is perfectly cast as Danny Zuko, the likable greaser and leader of the T-Birds who falls for the wholesome Sandy Olsen played by Olivia Newton-John in her big screen debut. Ms. Newton-John can clearly handle the singing side of the role, but her acting and dancing are suspect at best. Jeff Conaway adds the right amount of toughness as Kenicke and Stockard Channing is excellent as Rizzo, the tough as nails head of the Pink Ladies (Ms. Channing's singing is better than Ms. Newton-John's acting, but not by much and seems oddly out of place as a teenager). The films is full of actors and singers who were popular in the 50's like Frankie Avalon, Sid Caesar, Edd Byrnes and Eve Arden. Grease is extremely entertaining and pure fun to watch and is really the last success old fashioned movie musical Hollywood produced.

Saturday Night Fever was not only the film that made John Travolta a superstar, but also it defined the style of a generation. Disco started to infiltrate the music scene as early as 1974 (with hits like "Rock Your Baby" by George McRae). Discos were wildly popular in New York City by 1976 and they provided an outlet for the youth of the city to escape reality and dance away the night amid drinks, ... Inspired by an article in the New Yorker magazine that described the scene, producer Robert Stigwood wanted to capture it in a movie. He realized the music is what drove the discos and he recruited his biggest act, The Bee Gees to record songs for the film. This proved ingenious as the soundtrack and the movie are inseparable. Although the band does not physically appear in the film, they are the co-stars of the film with Mr. Travolta. The film and soundtrack became huge hits in late 1977 and into 1978 and disco moved from the urban cities to the heartland of America. The film itself seems a bit dated, but it is saved from being a complete period piece by Mr. Travolta's superb acting. He completely embodies the character of Brooklynite Tony Manero who works in a paint store during the week and lives to dance at the local disco on the weekends. At work and at home, he's a nobody, but at the disco, he is the king. The dancing scenes are classics and often imitated, but Mr. Travolta is the real deal on the dance floor. Mr. Travolta earned the first of his two Best Actor Academy Award nominations for the film and it was richly deserved. The soundtrack went on to spend 24 weeks at number one, spawn 4 number one singles and for a time was the biggest selling album in music history.

Urban Cowboy is an attempt to replicate the success John Travolta had with the disco scene with the country music scene that was burgeoning at the time in 1980. Whereas Mr. Travolta was perfectly cast as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever, he seems out of place as Bud in this film. The characters in the film, much like those in Saturday Night Fever, as working stiffs who escape the monotony of their lives by going to a bar to dance, drink and ride a mechanical bull. Instead of a discotheque, the main hang out is a honky tonk called Gilley's (which is a real bar owned by country music singer Mickey Gilley). The film revolves around the relationship of Bud and Sissy (played by a young Debra Winger) who meet at Gilley's. They fall in love, get married, separate as each go on dalliances with others and in the end get back together. While the film has some decent moments, the bull riding does get old after a while, a very fine soundtrack, it ultimately comes off as an attempt to recreate Saturday Night Fever and it doesn't succeed.

Everybody nows, Judy Garland, is the top. My only one star and my dissapointed is about the bad realese of this sad collecction, Believe me I'have the same in VHS and I prefer it. I'm feell so deceived. Nothing to compare with the Judy Garland Show in DVD.

All four of these DVDs are first-rate entertainment. The Judy Garland Collection is made up of three television specials and a documentary/retrospective hosted by daugther Lorna Luft. Luft, who is best-known for her performances in "Grease 2" and "Where The Boys Are '84" and as author of the book "Me And My Shadows", appeared on her mother's television series in 1963. Since the interview sequences of Joey Luft (Judy Garland's mostly-forgotten son) are brief and Liza, who has evidently completed her transformation into her own mother (scary, isn't it?), is busy with her bizarre come-back, it is Lorna who gets to display her talent, which she does with ease and professionalism (although she does look a bit frostbitten by the chilly weather). She makes the most of this opportunity to remind the public that she is Judy Garland's daughter, too. Little-seen film clips as well as some of Garland's showstoppers from her self-titled television show round out the clips.

Another disc has a television special where Judy was accompanied onstage by daughter Liza Minnelli. Liza proves she's a chip off her mother's yellow brick block, and surprises her mother more than a few times with her talent. One humorous moment has Judy mouthing something--a question--to someone off camera. Evidently she was told to move Liza's microphone closer to her mouth.

A third disc has a TV special costarring Robert Goulet and Phil Silvers. Who knew Phil Silvers could sing? There is some great singing in this show, and some of the jokes are hilarious.

The last disc is Garland's television performance with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Judy more than holds her own with these two powerhouse crooners, outsinging the two of them with one vocal chord tied behind her back.

The Lorna DVD has a very good quality image, the interviews being new and the old footage being mostly in top-notch condition. The other two shows (with Liza and Phil Silvers and Robert Goulet) are in pretty wretched shape. It's not the transfer to DVD, but rather the poor quality of the source material. The sound is okay, but just okay. What a shame these couldn't have received the same high quality restoration as the "Judy Garland Show" DVDs, but at least they are available and real fans of Judy shouldn't mind too much. It's the entertainment value on these four DVDs that make it worth the box-set price; the degraded video and sound aren't distracting enough to lessen the power of these incomparable performances. Judy Garland's legendary talent bumps what would have been a 1-star video treatment up to 5 stars.

Historical perfomances are difficult to duplicate. I have the DVD version of this set and it is incredible. So the quality of the DVDs aren't the best, the quality of the performances are. I highly recommend this set to anyone who enjoys great performances, and the video and audio are not that bad.

Ok, the movie is GREAT, I love it, but this edition did not satisfy my. The dvds are just the same that were released previously, the film and the matrix revisited. No extras, no deleted scenes ( I believe there are none though :) ), no extra making of... Pay more than the lord of the rings - the fellowship of the ring, that even come with the statues, and 5 DVDs, 2 only for the movie, with great compression quality and dts sound. they could at least reencoded the film and removed the documentary from the movie dvd, saving space for better video quality, using more disc space. There are no other languages, but english, both for audio and subs. I regret payin 90 buck for a fake film frame, tha not even has dolby digital sound printed on it, like the Star wars episode 1 vhs special edition had. PLEASE buy the normal combo: the matrix and the matrix revisited, its the same thing for much less money.

If you do not appreciate the matrix with the utmost sincerity, then you truly do not understand the matrix, and even if you do, there's a high chance that you do not fully understand either. This, of course, is not to say that I completely understand myself. The Matrix redefines cinema and bridges the gap between film and reality. To call it a rip off is a baseless insult to those who are 5000 times more seeing and visionary than yourself. Bravo to the Boys.

This film is simply one of the best films I have ever seen...add the amazing gift things (high quality slipcase, 35mm image in frame, etc.) which I'm always a sap for, and you get simply the best "Matrix" version out there. Plus there's the indispensable "Matrix Revisited" DVD, which has great insight into how they made the film, plus info about the upcoming ones (Matrix 2 and 3). I can't recommend this enough.

If you're buying this (which you should, definitely), and you're into the psychology part of it (reality vs. simulated reality, etc.), then buy these as well:

"Simulacra and Simulation (The Body, in Theory: Histories of Cultural Materialism)" by Jean Baudrillard

"Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems and the Economic World" by Kevin Kelly

"Introducing Evolutionary Psychology" by Dylan Evans; et al

"The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (Popular Culture and Philosophy, V. 3)" by William Irwin

Oh, and a Merry Christmas to you all. :-)

Just a response to another reviewer; yes, this is Clair's 1950 recut of the film. But the recut is ill-advised, and is generally considered by most historians as a prime example of someone far removed from the circumstances of the film's actual production butchering their own work.

Is this the 1931 classic, intact, as Clair originally intended?

No, it is a recut, which most critics feel strongly is a disgrace.

Do NOT buy this DVD; get the uncut version on VHS while you still can. Once again, Criterion should have restored the original version, rather than presenting this cut version; anything less violates entirely the spirit of the original film.

This is an abridged version of Clair's 1931 masterpiece, with two key sequences cut, and added to the DVD as "extras" in beat up 16mm prints, when original nitrate material is readily available. The two sequences in question are the singing flowers who serenade Emile outside the factory; and Emile's quest for romance in a Parisian cafe. All in all, this is about 10 minutes of material! It is impossible to overstate the effect that the elimination of these two scenes has on the film as a whole; it destroys, in large part, much of the magic of the film.

On the plus side, the subtitles are vastly superior to any other version available, and the transfer of the feature (minus the cuts) is superb....but with the cuts, you're really not getting the film. Criterion made a serious error with this one.

... The film is fully intact as Clair intended, and the deleted scenes are available for us to see. The circumstances of these cuts by Clair are fully explained on the DVD's deleted scene menu pages (Clair cut the scenes between the original release and the 1950 reissue), so it is totally inaccurate to say that the film has been "mutilated" since it was the director who made the cuts. The reviewer from Lincoln needs to pay a little more attention to history and stop writing such misleading gibberish.

Live?!

Well that's what the packaging says. There is a complete setlist written on the back. The description says its a live performance. But, they failed to tell me there was only 15 seconds of each song. Thats right, 15 SECONDS.

Each track begins with a loose explination of the song by Todd. The band starts to play the song, then, out of nowhere it 'fades' into the next track.

I don't really know the reason for selling a live performance that is missing the performance. I think I just got ripped off, and if I could get my money back, I would.

Perhaps some of the other reviewers didn't get far enough to look at the Desktop Collection. 6 full-length videos with great computer animation and a great studio video of "Want of a Nail". I'm just now watching the other section, but already feel like I got my moneys worth. The computer animation was way beyond state-of-the-art for videos from the early 90s - and creative/relevant as well.

It's a little too obvious that these other guys that gave this DVD a poor rating didn't get it. All they want is concert footage? I thinks this shows another amazing side of Todd's talent. The computer art is very inspiring, beautiful and challenging. Todd has always been a great computer artist. The clips of the tour band for the Nearly Human/Second Wind tour show them at work on rehearsals for the songs. I found it very interesting and fascinating, even just the brief clips of each song. It is rare that we even get art of this caliber anymore these days on DVD or CD, so I don't understand what they are really complaining about. I am also a Todd fan that has seen nearly every tour the guy has done, and I am completely satisfied with his work.