Reference Services Movie Reviews

This Movie is one of the best I've seen in a while. Jami Gertz who plays Kat is absolutely stunning and gives a knock out performance as the wild friend from college (to put it mildly). Sybil Temchen plays the well to do and very put together Allison Cole. Kat is a nymphomaniac and Allie is too scared to entirely act on her impulses. The movie has hints of comedy, drama, and suspense but I'm not sure exactly which category it should be put in. All in all, it is a great movie with a few unexpected twists. I highly recommend this movie to everyone (over the age of 17).

What can i say. Its a movie thats meant to be a bit suspensful and it is. Its also quite hilarious. Alie is quite well off, and runs her own company selling artsy furniture that she puts off as her own designs. Her most successful piece being a rosebud chair. Only thing is Alie really didnt make that chair. Her best friend Kat made that chair. Well, Kat comes in for a visit. See Kats not like Alie, atleast not anymore. Kats still the same as she was in art school. She sleeps around alot, drinks alot and basically does everything alot. Shes a dred head bohemian wild child and Alies, well, not. Kats a sweetheart and Alie knows that, but when Kat finds out that Alie has used her gift to get ritch off of while Alie was selling herself to make money for dinner she is less than thrilled. She then proceeds to slowly destroy Alies success. Its not a thriller. Its not a drama. Its not a comedy. Its a movie about honesty, rules in love, and of all things, its a movie about friendship and finding the root of it and whats worth fighting for. This movie is not risque, which the cover makes it appear that way. Its a fun movie. I definatly recomend it. Its also set the the sounds of Ani Difranco which is a definate plus in my book. She fits the film.

Morse travels out of the city of Oxford into it's suburbs to try to track down the murderer of a church warden inside the church. During the course of his enquiries he becomes attached to the part-time cleaner, Ruth Rawlinson, not realising at the time of her key role in the mystery.

This is a curious perspective on Morse. At the church he seems smitten by Ruth at first glance and in a way the episode is about Morse persuing Ruth until he apparently succeeds only to be thwarted.

Service of all the Dead has all of the trappings of Colin Dexter's Oxford - the central role of ritual, social class, and the little details which make these shows so good - in this case the idea that there could be tramps in Oxford ( a recurring theme), the cycle riding middle classes, volunteerrism and carers. All good ingredients.

This particular drama is one of the most gruesome with six deaths all together. Also novel is the fact that the opening scene is found to be a set up. A lot of the death's seem to be red herrings too, to throw us off the scent.

There is a particulary sensitive scene which has some relevance to contemporary events in a different church where Morse perceives the vicar as a paedophile. Later on the child in question is found murdered although the exhumation of the body is not filmed.

Service of all the Dead is a gripping thriller replete with issues of blackmail, infidelity, revenge etc. Throughout it all Morse holds true to his feelings for Ruth and, despite the revelation that she loved someone else, he offers her a helping hand which, if discovered, could cost him his livelihood and his liberty.

As one of the characters puts it, an alpha.

Kiki, a 13-year-old witch, leaves home with her black cat, Jiji, to carry out her apprenticeship, which consists of living on her own for a year. She settles down in a picturesque seaside village, makes some friends, starts her own delivery service, and learns the true nature of her power. This wonderful family film features no violence or conflict between characters, yet there isn't a dull moment in it. Kiki's struggle with herself provides plenty of drama, and the flying scenes provide the excitement. Writer/director Hayao Miyazaki has crafted something special.

I wasn't going to watch this movie..until the child i was babysitting fell asleep on me and i had no choice..(since i couldnt move) ANYWAY..it actually kept me entertained for the most part and is a really cute movie.

I know it is aimed for youger kids, but still it's great for all ages.
I think the newer version of this movie is better than the older one, which I rented and immmediatley liked. I was probely 10 when I rented it and I still love it.
I think this version's box is alot cooler, and thhe behind the scene's documentary is great.
This movie about a girl named Kiki. When she turns 13, she and cat Jiji{ I don't know why but they spelled like this in the movie, and Gigi on the box. Or maybe it was vice-versa}, must leave their house for a year so Kiki can train as a witch. And she begins a delivery service. I would advice people to {at least} rent this movie. And if you like it, you would not regret buying it, whether you're an anime fan.

I don't understand the reviewers who complain that Disney "ruined" these movies by the silly dialog or score changes they made in their dubs, or their choice of who to do the english voice acting.

C'mon, people -- they're DUBS. What do you EXPECT?

Watch them as they were intended to be seen -- use the Japanese audio track with English subtitles. If I'm not mistaken, you get the original soundtrack that way as well. It is AWESOME (and dare I say it uncharacteristic) that Disney provided the original japanese versions on these DVDs.

With a very few exceptions (Cowboy Bebop, for example), DUBS are almost always inferior to SUBS. As far as I'm concerned, people who are too LAZY to appreciate a foreign language film deserve what they get in Disney's alterations.

Hayao Miyazaki's films are well known in Japan, but America has had little exposure to its films. PRINCESS MONONOKE received an excellent DVD release from Miramax three years ago, and just last year Fox Video released a barebones version of MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, but other than these two films (as well as THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO), the catalog of Miyazaki's films on DVD has been rather skimpy. All of that is about to change, however, for Disney is (finally!) bringing Miyazaki's titles to the U.S. on DVD -- especially now that they have just been issued in Japan. And what better choices to start out with rather than three of his most popular (and most requested) films -- SPIRITED AWAY, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and CASTLE IN THE SKY?

For those of you who don't know, you can read my reviews on each of these titles. Otherwise, here's a brief plot outline and impressions of each of them.

CASTLE IN THE SKY is an exciting action-adventure tale about two young orphans who team up to find the fabled lost island of Laputa, aided by air pirates and pursued by government agents. It's a lot of fun, with endearing characters, beautiful animation, spectacular music from Joe Hisaishi (composer for all of Miyazaki's movies save CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO, which was done by Yuji Ohno), and just the right amount of action, romance, and humor.

KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, an ideal choice for small fry as well as grown-ups, focuses on the trials and tribulations of a young witch-in-training's quest for independence in a big city. It's funny, moving, and never dull to watch. The artistry is equally breathtaking, the characters are real people dealing with tangible emotions, and a message that should appeal to all ages.

SPIRITED AWAY, the (first ever for an Anime!) winner of the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and arguably the jumpstart for the release of Miyazaki's films, is a surreal, gorgeously animated fable of a cute little girl and her struggle to rescue her parents from the spell of a greedy enchantress. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I suggest you do so now. It's something else. No, really.

These DVD releases features the following: great if not spectacular transfers, entertaining and extremely well done English dubs, and a handful of extras (mainly the SPIRITED AWAY DVD; the CASTLE and KIKI DVDs' extras are more than the PRINCESS MONONOKE DVD, but somewhat lacking in comparison to those on SPIRITED AWAY) to please newcomers and fans alike.

I should mention that not everyone has been pleased with Disney's treatment of Miyazaki's movies. Naysayers and Anime elitists have written complaints on all three of the dubs done by Disney. KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE took hits for having Phil Hartman improvising (excellently) on Jiji the cat as well as a few musical alterations, and, as you probably are aware, some rabid purists just *hated* the CASTLE IN THE SKY dub for its extra dialogue and rescored music (both of which are awesome and actually ADD to the movie) and found themselves clamboring for the old dub done by Streamline (even though it too is said to be awful, cut out a lot of scenes, and was partially responsible for the failure of the film's first US theatrical release in 1989). Even SPIRITED AWAY, otherwise regarded as Disney's best dub, received complaints for adding even one or two extra lines (to help viewers understand what they're seeing). But these complainers continually forget that Miyazaki and his company have complete control over any musical alterations and transfers whatsoever, and NOT EVEN ONE SECOND FROM THESE FILMS ARE CUT.

My suggestion -- pay no attention to what these carpers have to say and watch the movies however you like. Both the subtitled and the dubbed versions on all three of these titles are great entertainments, though getting the most out of the dubs may depend on what you bring with you to them. Whatever version you choose to watch, all three of these films are essentials to anyone's collection, animation or otherwise. In the words of Miyazaki admirer John Lasseter (head of PIXAR Animation Studios), who introduces each of these films on all releases, "YOU are lucky!"

These films are pure art, magic put into a DVD. There are very few other films, either animated or live action, that capture such a sense of appreciation for nature and love of life.

If you're an older fan of anime and have done research on the subject, you're aware that quite a bit of animation from Japan has been shown in the U.S. The U.S. versions are different (sometimes vastly different) from the originals because of the american attitude towards the audience for animation here in the states.

Anime in Japan is for everyone. Adults, children, action, romance, there is an animated film genre for everyone's tastes. Anime in the U.S. is, for the most part, for children. Japanese version characters cuss, whine, and even die sometimes. American versions of these characters get silly catch phrases and disapear for no reason (Voltron anyone?).

If you're showing these magical movies to your kids, they will certainly enjoy the Disney versions with wonderful american voice actors and a great score. If you're an older anime fan and want to experience the wonderful multi-layered plots and genuine characters that the director is so famous for, turn on the Japanese version with English sub-titles and enjoy. Even better, experience both versions and think it like a great re-telling of a classic tale the second time around.

POSSIBLE SPOILER

This movie is probably the most complete compendium of commonplaces I have seen in years. Every cliché in the book is there, from the failed musician in rehab, to the unscrupulous producers, to the frustrated housewife, to the mindless bimbo. Oh, by the way, in the subplot department we find the unsupportive husband, the moronic teenage son and the angelical little daughter.

I'm not saying that you can't have a good time watching this movie, if you find a moment in which you don't want to occupy your head in more demanding tasks, but the shortcomings are impossible to conceal. There is no character development whatsoever, the kind of "comedy of errors" procedure is specially annoying since nobody can understand why do they want to complicate things in such a stupid way, the ending is "Singing in the Rain" like (and that should be enough to get the picture), and so on.

The acting doesn't help a lot the efforts of the, apparently gifted, screenwriters to put some intelligent humor in the dialog. The male main character is appalling and the rest of his male colleagues are not much better, except for the one who plays the cajoling producer, which is even worse. However, it is fair to say that the difference with the women performances is monumental. Gail O'Grady gives a dignified rendering of her one-sided character and, although the script forces her to do stupid things, she manages to remain lovable to the audience. Kari Wuhrer is superb. She succeeds in taking her dumb-brunette role and pulling a person out of it, with different facets and an opening for development, which is aborted because she doesn't get enough time to work on it. But this is not her fault, of course. I would love to see her in a really interesting role in which she could show what she can, as well as how great she looks, which is undeniable, by the way.

As I said, you can spend an uncritical one hour and half watching this movie if you are not looking for fancy things like logic, character development or intelligent entertainment.

Lip Service (2001) (a.k.a. Out of Sync)
Starring: Gail O'Grady, Peter Outerbridge, and Kari Wuhrer
Co-Starring: Stewart Bick, Harvey Atkin, Jerry Ciccoritti, Ryan Dennis, Jonathon Whittaker, and Isabella Fink
Directed By: Graeme Campbell (many sci-fi TV shows)
Rated: Not Rated (equivalent of a very, very tame PG-13)
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Milli Vanilla, Kari Wuhrer style

VH1, in all of its suckiness, does manage to produce a few bright spots in its vapid schedule. Out of Sync/Lip Service is one of those things.

A few years ago, I managed to catch this film on VH1 something like twice, and it was never heard from again. Understand that at this time it was called Out of Sync, so of course I searched for a DVD release of this film under that title, until I discover Lip Service on Amazon. Same cast, some story, same everything as Out of Sync. So I ordered it. And while I can't say I'm not disappointed with the DVD release, it's serviceable.
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Plot

Maggie Stanley is a bored housewife and mother, until one night when she is doing karaoke at a restaurant. Her breathtaking voice catches the ear of washed up record producer Roger Deacon. Deacon is currently having trouble with his latest musical charge, a hopelessly bad "singer" named Sunni. That is until he asks Maggie to record a few of his songs. What Maggie doesn't know is that Roger has passed off her voice as Sunni's, and Sunni becomes a superstar. Making matters worse is a planned wireless concert of Sunni's - and she doesn't know it's not her voice. Though Maggie's family doesn't believe her, she and Roger must team up to stop Sunni's concert once and for all.
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The Cast

Gail O'Grady as Maggie Stanley
(TV's China Beach, NYPD Blue, and American Dreams)
In real life, Gail O'Grady is a big name in TV movies and also in TV series. However, in Lip Service O'Grady is convincing as bored, amd then life-loving, and then furious housewife Maggie Sranley. I can't think of any other actress better than her for this rule.

Peter Outerbridge as Roger Deacon
(Cool Runnings, Better Than Chocolate, Mission To Mars)
Peter Outerbridge, a fantastic actor whom I've never heard of, gives a commanding performance as a record producer pulling off the ultimate music deception.

Kari Wuhrer as Sunni
(TV's Sliders, Kissing a Fool, Eight Legged Freaks)
Kari Wuhrer (the queen of direct-to-video "erotic thrillers") has long been known as being very hot, but a terrible actress. Thank God that's exactly what the role of Sunni (an awful singer who thinks she can sing) calls for!
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So, What Did I Think?

Whichever title (Lip Service or Out of Sync) you prefer to call, it, this is a suprisingly excellent TV movie with commanding performances. Though you're more likely to rub it off as just another terrible TV-movie, it's a lot more than just that. It's actually a rather good social commentary, and it's entertaining too.

And did I mention Kari Wuhrer is hot?
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DVD Overview

In a word: Awful.

Previews: This "feature" is simply a bunch of previews for other Starlight Entertainment releases. This company's releases seem to be domestic thrillers and the like that air on the Lifetime channel.

Star Bios: Bios of the three leading stars. Too bad, like all star bios on DVDs, it's simply filler. And soon, they'll be out-of-date as well.

Scene Selection, which is of course, on every single DVD. It's really not a feature.

Unfortunately, there are no other audio options, suntitles, or even closed captioning on this disc.

Not a great buy, but fans of this film will be glad it's available to buy.

Note: This film is also available on VHS.
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Recommended
Yes

This movie was great!! I loved it!! I loved it so much that I want to find out where I can find the movie's music/soundtrack! I cannot find anywhere that sells a soundtrack. I would like know if someone can tell me who it is that is the voice behind Maggie (Gail O'Grady), the titles of all the songs and where I could find a list of the songs on the movie... and possibly the lyrics. I know the name of four of the songs:
*SATURDAY
*DESPERATE MEASURES
*IF LOVE COULD ONLY LIVE
*NAME OF LOVE

Could someone help me??

Top movie!! EXCELLENT!! ***** FIVE STARS!!!!!!!!

First Review: Silent Service is full of action, adventure, sea battles and backroom politics. As long as you don't mind the Anti-American slant, which I don't because the anime movie doesn't show the Japanese leaders in a very nice light either, and don't mind the fact that the Seabat seems to be able to hit anything the Captain wants it to hit, the story is a very good one. It asks many Post-Cold War questions, like what role will Japan play and how will the Americans continue to be the police force of the world when even a tiny nation may have nuclear weapons? What kind of relationship will America and Japan have after the Cold War? 100 minutes long, this anime movie asks a lot of hard and valid questions. Made in the late 1990's, the artwork holds up well, if sometimes very dark (as in hard to see in those underwater scenes). The plot can get VERY twisted because of the fears and paranoia of BOTH sides. I give it 4 out of 5.

Second Review: Area 88 is a 50 minutes movie about a fighter pilot named Shin. He was tricked into joining a air mercenary group in which the only ways out are to either survive for three years, pay 1.5 million dollars, desertion OR death. The problems, or maybe I should say issues, he has is that he is not sure his girlfriend will wait for him or even want the man he has become - a cold blooded killer. While an older movie, made in the mid-1980s, and also being the FIRST of what is a two parter, as they show the trailer to Area 88 Act II on this DVD, I still have to give it 4 out of 5 for the drama, the issues of friendship and the cool combat scenes.
Both movies are good enough to buy together or alone, depending on what kind of story you like. I would suggest also getting Area 88 Act II if it is available.

My review will serperate each title.

Area 88 Vol. 1:
In the year 1979, a mercenary base of jets fights for the kingdom of Asrian. But these pilots aren't really soldiers. They were either tricked or chose to come to Area 88. The only way to get out of Area 88 is either 3 years of service, earn 1.5 million dollars in kills or dessert. Shin Kazama, a Japanese pilot, was tricked into joining by his closest friend, Kanzaki, because Kanzaki wanted Ryoko all to himself. Now, Shin tries his best to get back home.

For an 80's OAV series with only 3 episodes, I must say it is quite amazing. The animation is smooth and the music perfect. Even the air combat is great. All of the characters feel very realistic and none of them seem they're just for show. The disc itself is pretty good. The main menu, however, is real slow. Video quality is okay. There are only a few small rainbows here and there, but it shouldn't bother you. The extras are basically skip to your favorite scenes parts for both combat and characters. Overall, a pretty good title that will have a lot of replay value to it.

Silent Service:
A Japanese\American submarine is built called the Seabat, that is armed with 8 torpedo bays, making it the most powerful sub ever built. However, on it's way to the escort, the Seabat deviates from it's coarse and soon claims the sub as the nation of Yamato. How much more complex can it get?

Considering that this was the first film Ryosuke Takahashi has ever done, it is a pretty good thriller. It's not really an all explosion ship battle because the Seabat never actually fire any armed torpedoes, only duds. Still, the film holds up well as a thriller. Again, this disc has skip-to-scene extras, but also has some DVD-Roms extras as well. This title is not really an exciting action packed film, but as a thriller, it is sure to entertain.

Great story ruined by the inclusion of Lazenby as the legendary spy. Even worst is the replacement of Donald Pleasance by Telly Savallas as Blomfeld. The cold sinister performance of Pleasance is now performed by the coarse New York persona of Kojak. All together one of the most forgetable Bond actors and films along with the Timothy Dalton series.

this one is dynomite and I think Lazenby did a better job then Dalton and Moore put together, though he should of did more damnit. the end is probably one of the best Bond endings of all time(remember when his wife is killed, that was shocking to me) considered the best also. Lazenby left and then Connery came back on

This is one of my 3 favorite Bond films along with The Spy Who Loved Me and Goldfinger. While Lazenby isn't as badass as Connery and Charming as Roger Moore, he does what no other Bond has done so far, made Bond human. Seeing this film, Lazenby is in this film the type of character Ian Fleming wanted Bond to be in the book series. He has emotion and real feelings for Diana Rigg, who in my opinion is the greatest Bond girl ever. Diana Rigg is absolutely beautiful in this film, but isn't the helpless victim so many of the Bond girls tend to be. She is certainly better than Denise Richards or Terry Hatcher ever thought of being. This film is really a high point in the series and its too bad beacuse so few have seen it due to the lack star power. Connery and Moore are now iconic with Brosnan now not far behind, but Lazenby brings a human element to Bond that has nearly been achieved (For Your Eyes Only, Die Another Day) but not to the point Lazenby could muster. The ending to this film the most heart-breaking in the entire franchise. If you haven't seen this entry, I implore you to do so. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the best films in the whole series.

If you like submarine movies like the German DAS BOOT or THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER you will undoubetly enjoy this anime.
The story revolves around a secret US-Japanese joint venture: the first Japanese nuclear submarine. On the U-boat's first mission captain KAIEDA and his crew start a mutiny and arrest the US liaison officer. The renegades rename their vessel YAMATO after a famous Japanese World War II battleship. Captain KAIEDA has an agenda of his own (namely achieving world peace by bluffing the USA into believing that the YAMATO is armed with nuclear missiles) and soon Japan and the United States are on the brink of war...
SILENT SERVICE moves at breakneck speed and is actionfilled from start to finish. More naval battles than in the second World War! Okay, okay, I admit I am exaggerating here, but it is amazing how much naval action (and story!) is crammed in the film's 100 minutes running time. The film also succeeds in creating quite a tension in the scenes which are common to submarine movies: officers listening anxiously to their sonar, vessels trying to out-manouvre one another, depth charges attacks, crash dives. The military hardware on display appears to be depicted accurately. I also liked the main character, captain KAIEDA, who is a righteous man and an excellent naval officer with nerves of steel.
While it did not bother me, I am aware that some US viewers may dislike the "the Americans can't be trusted" message of the film, evident not only in the overall storyline, but in some details as well (e.g. the American president before attending an international summit reads a "Japan Re-occupation Plan").
Don't let this put you off!
In my view most anime suffer from their usual sci-fi settings with aliens and mechs, so a more realistic and mature japanimation feature is always welcome, even more so when it concerns a war toppic. If you are a military buff, you'll like this one.

Unfortunately the DVD is rather weak on the extra side. There is a rather pointless "meet the characters" - feature and a multiple angle option for the end credits sequence, where you can switch between Japanese and English end titles with your remote control (I recommend to stay with the original). There are also some trailers, of which I liked VIRGIN FLEET best.
The optional English subtitles are easy on the eyes and free of misspellings. There is an English audio track, too.

This is one of the better non-TV-series anime OAVs I've recently seen, mostly for its accurate and authentic use of the naval weapons shown here.

This OAV can best be described as an anime version of The Hunt For Red October, but it has a highly implausible plot which is the premise for the whole OAV. The best way to describe it would be as nationalist anti-American sentiment for Japan's return back to a pre-World-War-II military dictatorship, and a rogue nuclear submarine, dubbed as the Sea Bat but renamed as the Yamato, would lead the way. Highly unlikely, don't know if it's one man's opinion or shared by a nation, but it isn't the strength of this DVD.

The cool factor on this DVD has to do with the naval battles shown here and the surprising accuracy of the proper existing naval weapons depicted here. Unlike most anime where lots of weapons are created from the imaginations of the creators, all of the weapons shown here exist in real-life, except for the prototype super-sub Yamato, which is fabricated here.

When the US Navy hunts down the Yamato, they don't improperly show F-14 Tomcat or F-18 Hornet fighters try to attack a submarine, as a Hollywood film would inaccurately do to shown the sleekest aircraft on screen. Here, P-3 Orions are used for surveillance, and S-3 Vikings (the only submarine hunting airplanes in the US Navy) and Kamen Seasprite helicopters are shown launching torpedoes into the water, as it might happen in the real Navy.

The use of AEGIS cruisers and destroyers, armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 5" cannons, and ASROC anti-sub torpedoes, while defending with Phalanx Vulcan cannons, are all existing weapons in the US Navy, and they are depicted here with surprising accuracy, even with the terminology being used correctly.

If you like submarine movies like The Hunt For Red October or Crimson Tide, you'll appreciate some of the genius tactical moves by the Yamato sub commander here, once you get past the highly dubious political plot of the story.

If you like submarine movies like the German DAS BOOT or THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER you will undoubetly enjoy this anime.
The story revolves around a secret US-Japanese joint venture: the first Japanese nuclear submarine. On the U-boat's first mission captain KAIEDA and his crew start a mutiny and arrest the US liaison officer. The renegades rename their vessel YAMATO after a famous Japanese World War II battleship. Captain KAIEDA has an agenda of his own (namely achieving world peace by bluffing the USA into believing that the YAMATO is armed with nuclear missiles) and soon Japan and the United States are on the brink of war...
SILENT SERVICE moves at breakneck speed and is actionfilled from start to finish. More naval battles than in the second World War! Okay, okay, I admit I am exaggerating here, but it is amazing how much naval action (and story!) is crammed in the film's 100 minutes running time. The film also succeeds in creating quite a tension in the scenes which are common to submarine movies: officers listening anxiously to their sonar, vessels trying to out-manouvre one another, depth charges attacks, crash dives. The military hardware on display appears to be depicted accurately. I also liked the main character, captain KAIEDA, who is a righteous man and an excellent naval officer with nerves of steel.
While it did not bother me, I am aware that some US viewers may dislike the "the Americans can't be trusted" message of the film, evident not only in the overall storyline, but in some details as well (e.g. the American president before attending an international summit reads a "Japan Re-occupation Plan").
Don't let this put you off!
In my view most anime suffer from their usual sci-fi settings with aliens and mechs, so a more realistic and mature japanimation feature is always welcome, even more so when it concerns a war toppic. If you are a military buff, you'll like this one.

Unfortunately the DVD is rather weak on the extra side. There is a rather pointless "meet the characters" - feature and a multiple angle option for the end credits sequence, where you can switch between Japanese and English end titles with your remote control (I recommend to stay with the original). There are also some trailers, of which I liked VIRGIN FLEET best.
The optional English subtitles are easy on the eyes and free of misspellings. There is an English audio track, too.

This is one of the better non-TV-series anime OAVs I've recently seen, mostly for its accurate and authentic use of the naval weapons shown here.

This OAV can best be described as an anime version of The Hunt For Red October, but it has a highly implausible plot which is the premise for the whole OAV. The best way to describe it would be as nationalist anti-American sentiment for Japan's return back to a pre-World-War-II military dictatorship, and a rogue nuclear submarine, dubbed as the Sea Bat but renamed as the Yamato, would lead the way. Highly unlikely, don't know if it's one man's opinion or shared by a nation, but it isn't the strength of this DVD.

The cool factor on this DVD has to do with the naval battles shown here and the surprising accuracy of the proper existing naval weapons depicted here. Unlike most anime where lots of weapons are created from the imaginations of the creators, all of the weapons shown here exist in real-life, except for the prototype super-sub Yamato, which is fabricated here.

When the US Navy hunts down the Yamato, they don't improperly show F-14 Tomcat or F-18 Hornet fighters try to attack a submarine, as a Hollywood film would inaccurately do to shown the sleekest aircraft on screen. Here, P-3 Orions are used for surveillance, and S-3 Vikings (the only submarine hunting airplanes in the US Navy) and Kamen Seasprite helicopters are shown launching torpedoes into the water, as it might happen in the real Navy.

The use of AEGIS cruisers and destroyers, armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 5" cannons, and ASROC anti-sub torpedoes, while defending with Phalanx Vulcan cannons, are all existing weapons in the US Navy, and they are depicted here with surprising accuracy, even with the terminology being used correctly.

If you like submarine movies like The Hunt For Red October or Crimson Tide, you'll appreciate some of the genius tactical moves by the Yamato sub commander here, once you get past the highly dubious political plot of the story.

This dvd set has too many bad movies for it to sell as much as the other sets will. First of all, there are only six discs. Also, five dvds suck and one is GREAT. Not worth 60 dollars

Octopussy-although some do not like this movie at all,I must say I enjoyed it.(HIGHLY). Roger Moore is a better James bond when he was old then when he was young,although never as good as Dalton but better than the rest. John Barry's score is great and a relief after Bill Conti nearly messed up For your eyes only. Moore already had done much better. Check the part where Rog is climbing outside the Monsoon palace and he sees Prince Kamal Khan greet General Orlov, Great MUSIC!!!

On her majesty's secret service- This is in my three favorite Bonds section(along with For your eyes only and the living daylights). The story is GREAT and Telly Savales is the best Blofeld which after all is Bond's arch nemesis. This movie has an awesome score, Lots of great action and the story flows like water and does not EVER get boring, which some of Connery's previous ones do(like Thunderball). I cannot believe how many people have never heard of this movie or George Lazenby, MGM did to this movie what they did to CLOWNHOUSE, which was also a GREAT movie that is also highly underrated and deserves more respect

LIVE AND LET DIE- this is not a good movie in any way.It is cheesy like most of Roger Moore's movies. Everyone loves the title song but i hate it.Roger Moore is at his best-looking though. The only good thing about this movie is that Yaphet Kotto, who is suprisingly vicious and a great villian!!!

A view to A kill-If you are going to overload a dvd set with Roger Moore don't do it with his worst movies.(You might as well have put the man with the golden gun and moonraker in there too).
If you want a Bond set and good movies in it, then get Volume 2 which has Moonraker and For your eyes only, two good MOORE films but completely different. A view to a kill plain out sucks. There is no good action, no story, and ATROCIOUS acting. How could they let this movie be made, they should have straight out skipped directly to the living daylights and give Rog the final good movie that he deserves to end his legacy with. TRAGIC

THUNDERBALL-One of Connery's pretty good ones, GOOD score and great cast and locations, but the story needs a serious jumpstart. Connery really started to suck after this movie, but he is better than Brosnan ,at least. Sir Sean kicks some ass at the end of this one. His best line in it "can my friend rest, she's just dead". Terence Young was a great director to. This is the only good movie in this box set, except for Lazenby's.

Die another Day- THIS MOVIE is just plain out awful and does not deserve to be in same class as these other movies i reviewed that are far superior. Was i the only one who noticed that at the end they totally duplicated "The Living Daylights" when Brosnan does the same thing with a helicopter that Dalton does with the jeep and they copy Licence to Kill because Bond goes rogue. They also copy the end of Goldfinger by trying to make a tense airplane fight, but the cheesy special effects make this movie even that much worse. Halle Berry is a horrible Bond girl. I wish Bond would strangle her for information or feed her to some sharks, but I never got that. My father's girlfriend told me this was good? What is wrong with people today. No real tense action, all crap.
BUY the james bond collections volume 1 and 2 and buy ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE SEPARATELY, BECAUSE THE REST HERE SUCK!

Well, James Bond is being released yet again. These are the same special edition dvds that were released three years ago (replacing a few early barebones dvd editions) for the high price of $35. They were then pulled from shelves and placed on moratorium by MGM not long after initial release, when the dvd format started to take off, nonetheless. To coincide with the theatrical release of Die Another Day, MGM fed on our appetite for Bond by releasing seven films, both in a gift set and individually, only to make us salivate another year for the rest of them (they were going to release one in the spring but pushed it back to give the dissapointing Die Another Day a big lone payday on dvd). Now the rest of the Bond catalogue is being released for the holiday season in gift sets only. Currently, all of the early films' soundtracks and most of the films video is being remastered for new special editions to coincide with the next Bond flik in 2005. So, for those of us who purchased a few favorite films individually last fall and planned on purchasing a few favorites yet again this fall, are forced into buying these gift sets instead. I'd love to have the entire Bond library, but not if they're going to have new & superior editions in two years. Even if I decided to purchase the gift sets now, I'd be doubling up on films that I already purchased last year. Very few people want A View to a Kill for anything more than completing the collection, so does anybody really want to buy it twice in two different releases. MGM really wanted to squeeze us Bond fans dry I guess. After waiting so long for these films to be re-re-released, I just feel kind of duped and dissapointed. Too bad Q's not here to fix this poor and thoughtless marketing campaign for us.

The Bond movies are not so much a series of films as they are a cultural phenomenon. Every 007 fan should own these sets. Having said that, the quality of the films varies widely, but that is to be expected from a series 40 plus years in the making. Mr. Wilkinson (see other reviews), misses the point of On Her Majesty's Secret Service entirely. Love it or hate it, it is the most satisfying emotionally of any of the Bonds, and I only wish Sean Connery had been the star. I also think referring to any 007 epic as "retarded" is a vapid generalization. What does that mean, anyway? "Retarded", as in not a fully realized work of art, cinematically retarded? Anyway, to me Pierce is the best Bond since Sean, and I feel all the movies are worth watching, even Never Say Never Again, a pallid remake of Thunderball. At least it brought Connery back, something which Broccoli and Saltzman weren't able to accomplish. If pressed, I would say highlights are Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Goldfinger, Goldeneye and The Living Daylights. Enjoy!