Oriya Movie Reviews

I think it's going 2 be good because, 1-9 was very good. They are very adventures, a dino- video for kids of all ages. It's about new longnecks entering the Valley, and persuade littlefoots grandparents to migrate w them.Cera,Spike,Ducky,and Petrie follow them.

As this does not come out until December 2003 I have not seen it, but know that it features a new song (recorded in Las Vegas May 2003) by Olivia Newton-John called "Best of Friends." The DVD also includes a bonus feature "In the Studio with Olivia Newton-John." ONJ fans celebrate!

Who we are as individuals, and what we become, is nothing more than who we have always been and will always be; but within the psyche there are paths that lead to a myriad number of possible destinations, and often the choice of which to take is not ours. More often than not, circumstances-- some beyond our control, some not-- will determine which road we follow, and in our youth, even a single, significant emotional experience can dictate who we become and where life will take us. A shadow cast over one in adolescence is not easily dispelled, and all the beauty of life to that person may forever be elusive or clouded, hidden by a dark secret of the heart which prevents that person from ever being whole or capable of stepping out into the light of day. "Things Behind the Sun," written by Allison Anders and Kurt Voss, and directed by Anders, is an examination of the causes and effects of journey's taken that are not of our own choosing, but which nevertheless define who we are. It explores the complexities of human nature and the inescapable dictates of fate that make each of us unique; it's a study of survival and need, and the struggle of attempting to extirpate oneself from the darkness while reaching out to the light-- a light perhaps never offered and ever denied.

Owen (Gabriel Mann), a Los Angeles based writer for a magazine that covers the rock scene, becomes involved with the story of a young singer in Florida, Sherry (Kim Dickens), who has just been arrested for being drunk and disorderly. Sherry's band has risen beyond garage status or playing local Legion halls, but 120 people in the audience at a gig in some small dive they still consider good. They've been getting some notice, though, with a song gaining popularity on college campuses in the area, and Owen has a personal interest, also: They are old childhood friends. So Owen heads to Florida for the story. But he knows even before he leaves that what he's after isn't really the story, but a catharsis-- for Sherry as well as himself-- to relieve the pall cast over their lives by a haunting incident that occurred when they were only fourteen-years-old, and which Owen hopes may alter Sherry's self-destructive lifestyle. It's a journey through which he will seek to change the course determined for them so long ago by forces beyond their control. He has no idea where it will lead them, but he knows he has to try; try to repair damage that just may be irreparable.

Extraordinarily crafted and delivered by Allison Anders, this film is intensely personal and affecting. The way it was written, filmed, acted-- everything-- has an honesty that rings true every single moment. And the way it is presented-- the pace, timing, the gradual way the information is revealed-- is impeccable. With this film Anders bares her soul, as well as that of her characters, to tell the story. She takes you into those dark corners we've all known in one way or another, those sometimes so brief-within-a-whole-lifetime, yet defining moments we'd probably just as soon forget, but can't, and exposes them for what they are: The appointed time in which Evil insinuated itself into our hearts and pierced it so deeply that the bleeding will never stop. That moment in which the soul is branded and scarred and penetrated so thoroughly that the rest of your life is spent treating the wound. It's a rare film that goes far beyond being mere entertainment, and may actually serve as a catharsis for someone who has experienced the darkness it so succinctly illuminates. And, in the same vein as "You Can Count On Me" or "Sling Blade," it says so much for the importance of independent film and the truth that can be found outside the dominant studio system.

There are some remarkable performances in this film, beginning with Kim Dickens as Sherry, whose deep, unpretentious and detailed presentation of her character is as good as it gets. It's dismaying that a performance and a film like this can be lost so easily amid the Hollywood shuffle. And under closer scrutiny, the work Dickens does here gets even better. There's not a single moment when she is on screen that is false; not a blink of her eye nor a nod of her head. Everything she does is honest, and it makes Sherry not only believable, but very real and very human. What she does here is not only entirely effective, but pure in every sense. And like with Bjork in "Dancer In the Dark," you have to question the absence of an Oscar nomination for it. Another dark corner over which we have no control.

Gabriel Mann (very reminiscent of a young James Spader here) gives an excellent performance, as well, and develops his character with subtle precision. Like Dickens, he comes across in such an unaffected manner that it really brings his character to life. And it's one of the things that makes this film work so well-- the fact that the characters are so very real and true-to-life. Moreover, it demonstrates what a talented actor can do in the hands of a gifted director.

Not to be outdone by his costars, Don Cheadle turns in the kind of performance we've come to expect from him, as Chuck, the manager of Sherry's band. He's a talented actor and a definite asset to this film. And it must be noted that Eric Stoltz, with limited screen time, turns in what is arguably the best performance of his career, as Owen's brother, Dan.

"Things Behind the Sun" is a triumph for Anders, who not only has exemplary insights into human nature, but knows how to transfer them to the screen. This is a film that gradually draws you in and involves you emotionally; and ultimately, it provides a genuinely memorable experience.

Things Behind the Sun tells the story of an up-and-coming singer, Sherry McGrale (Kim Dickens), whose haunting, biographical song is starting to get regular airplay on college radio airwaves. The song, about a rape she experienced in middle school, may be her ticket to stardom. But there is a lot standing in her way, as she has never fully recovered from the experience. If anything, her symptoms and problems are getting worse by the year (she even shows signs of post-traumatic stress disorder). She's never heard of EBay, doesn't know one of her favorite rock singers is dead. She is in that space that some people go to, that "In Between" space between being fully alive, and almost dead, or at least numb to the point of it (a Pink Floyd song comes to mind here). We meet her in this space and it is our true hope as viewers that she can find some sense of light in all the darkness, some reason to get past it, and that she will be able to move on to a more fulfilling life, a second chance.

When the film begins, an LA rock journalist for the fictional 'Vinyl Fetish' magazine (helmed by 'Pete,' played by Rosanna Arquette), is assigned an article about McGrale and her new song. But not just 'any' journalist. Owen (Gabriel Mann) knew Sherry in middle school, she was his first girlfriend. And not only that, he knows the story behind the song, as he experienced the event first-hand as well. The experience has like-wise haunted him for years, in different, but not necessarily less significant ways. When he admits to his editor that he knows who raped Sherry, she immediately sends him to Florida to cover the story. He goes with that intent, but there's more to the story than that.

When Owen and Sherry were children, they bonded immediately over their shared love of music, and became fast friends. Their mutual appreciation for music has only grown since, and both have built their lives around it. Sherry's talent as a singer-songwriter is undeniable, and Owen is enjoying a successful run as a senior editor at his magazine. His life, with a couple of irritating (though important) exceptions, is coming along fine. Sherry, however, though on the cusp of 'making it' in the music world, is held back by the haunting trauma of her rape, which has led her into a self-destructive spiral of alcohol, careless promiscuity, and failed relationships. We see that her success as an artist too, so close at hand, is only possible if she can find some way to deal with what has happened to her. She has been emotionally damaged to such an extent that a normal life has become almost impossible.

Sherry has a savior of sorts in the dedicated, honestly devoted Chuck (the explosive and amazing Don Cheadle ' his acting is *incredible* in this film). But there's only so much he can do. He cleans up the mess when she drinks, makes sure she eats and gets to her gigs on time, not to mention attending her AA meetings, but beyond a certain point, saving his "baby girl" is beyond his hands.

When Owen travels to Cocoa Beach to interview Sherry (and come to terms with their shared past), the opportunity presents itself for them both to find a way to heal, however difficult. Sherry's difficulties haven't ruined merely her own life. The repercussions of the sexual abuse have rippled out into the lives of Owen, Chuck, Sherry's band members, and any of Sherry or Owen's sexual partners. Their scars run deep.

Eric Stoltz aptly plays the leader of the rapists, Dan, who has a repulsive and upsetting disregard for even the most sacred of personal boundaries and concerns. We watch the destruction stemming from the brutal attack affect each of the characters like a line of 'trauma dominoes,' and we see his inability to accept and take responsibility for his actions, and we hate him for it.

Dickens' performance is pitch-perfect, and she lets go of any movie-star pretensions to let us see Sherry as genuinely bruised and battered, genuinely broken-hearted.

Director Allison Anders tells this story with remarkable realism, and the soundtrack (most notably a tailored score by Sonic Youth, several pieces by the Left Banke, a heart-breaking cover of a Smiths song (by Mike Johnson), and some amazing songs by Anders' daughter, Tiffany), is finely tailored to the events in the film, creating a rich and emotional viewing experience.

The film was shot on digital video in the space of about 20 days, but the result is anything but sloppy or rushed. This film is remarkable, and will leave its mark on its viewers for a long time to come. The impressive acting, the muted/bright colors and the haunting emotive force of the film's music come together to create an enduring, important, memorable film. A difficult, but ultimately beautiful and inspiring, journey. Recommended.

This film is up for three Independent Spirit Awards, Best Feature Film, Best Actress (Dickens), and Best Supporting Actor (Cheadle).

(The impact of this film is made even more significant when one realizes it is based in part on the real-life rape experienced by director Allison Anders when growing up in Cocoa Beach, Florida. And in an amazing turn of events, the rape in the film was shot in the very same house in which Anders experienced her trauma. (I may be wrong, but I think Anders makes a cameo in one of the AA scenes, towards the end of the film.)

I was introduced to "The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island" by my 5-year old nephew, and it's one of our favorite films to watch together. This animated tale, the fifth in the series, takes the viewer on an adventure with Littlefoot and his mixed-species group of young dinosaur friends. Separated from their parents after an invasion by locusts, Littlefoot and pals wind up on the "mysterious island" of the title, where they are re-united with the friendly little Tyrannosaur named Chomper. The story concerns the young dinos' effort to survive dangers and to find their way back to their families.

"LBT5" has likeable characters, fun songs (especially the catchy "Friends for Dinner"), and some good humorous moments.

I felt that the movie's one weak link was its unsettling portrayal of relations between predator and prey species. Granted, this is a fantasy about talking dinosaurs, but it's still unnerving to know that Chomper and his family eat members of the other characters' species. The film's attempts to mine humor out of this grisly situation (thankfully, no successful predation occurs in the film) left me uneasy. (You may get the same queasy feeling from the way the same theme is addressed in "The Lion King"). This aspect of the film didn't bother my nephew at all, but it left me wondering if the filmmakers were unconsciously putting messages about social Darwinism into the film.

Oh, well--I may be reading too much into a kid film. Bottom line: LBT5 is good fun, as long as the adults in the family don't think too much about the film.

My girls are 3 & 4 years old. My 3 year old asks to watch a movie from this series at least once every other day! This one has catchy tunes "Big Water" and "Friends for Dinner" that even my husband and I sing along with! My husband & I don't mind watching this one with the girls, it's entertaining! It teaches kids how to work together...and a few other life lessons. It's a keeper! I recommend it, and all of the movies in this series.

My three-year-old daughter loves this movie. She repeatly watches it and even sings along with all of the songs. I sometimes even find my nine-year-old son watching the movie with her. We all love this movie because it teaches morals and lessons to the children without lecturing them. This is an overall wonderful movie and my daughter and I would recommend it to everyone, but I still think the 1st movie is the best of them all.

Here we are on the penultimate DVD of RahXephon, and any thinking viewer still can't adequately explain why anything is happening. It's 23 episodes into a series and there is NO explanation (even assumable) as to why ANY of this is happening. The 'revelations' springing up in the installment aren't really revelations- it was easy to understand all of them through the story so far. There is an old man in some far off bizarro citadel watching a girl play a piano. The Space Aztec Kindergardeners have run amok fingerpainting flat bellies, and that qualifies people as instrumentalists. Some fighter pilot dies after he makes his first only contribution to the story- noticing a flowery hanky. Reika is suddenly in the control room at Terra pulling Jedi mind tricks on Isshki. Mamoru got out of Tokyo Jupiter and makes a lame excuse that he was helped out (but hide me! I don't want them to know I'm here!) and is on a pathetic revenge kick that sort of comes out of the mist, as if his appearence is just waiting for the ability to be hostile. Odd mentions of blue things, and a blue bird in a cage. Isshki acts weird. A voodoo painting gets ripped and the fake-Reika disappears...wait. Who is who? Cities appear floating all over the place, for no real reason. After a death or two, Tokyo Jupiter gets magically replaced over the island headquarters. ....uh...

What's happening? This is just a jumble sale of cheap ideas strung into a 'series'. I can't imagine watching this random junk one episode per week. Every week would be a new arbitrary direction, instead of every 22 minutes. Truely the post-modern ultimo spaz out of anime, because even the writing becomes random nonsense to match the graphics.

The art hit the mid-series budget crunchies with episode 20, but did it better then almost any other anime series. Simplified BGs and characters did their best to maintain the style and not turn into blobby art. The film is still pretty close to attrocious. But, the art and design is still what makes this series ANYTHING worth watching. How anyone is still buying this series at this point baffles me, unless it is for the art. I buy it just so I can be amazed at how ridiculous it is, and write these truely honest reviews bumping out the 5 star cowboys while providing something substantial to think about. None of the reviewers thus far have really explained anything, they merely say what they saw, or rah-rah the whole cluttered affair. In my opinion, the 5 star guys would think they saw Shakespeare if they were sat before anything with flashing color and sound; Teletubbies.

The art IS good, tho!

'Can't you see the sky and oceans are BLUE and therefor owned by those with BLUE blood!' .... uhg....

After the dramatic ending of the previous DVD left Ayato stunned and grieving, events in Terra proceed without him. Isshki, the Bahbem Institute's observer, takes over command, to everyone's chagrin. He quickly earns the title of 'White Snake,' convincing Haruka to cooperate with him, and even threatening Ayato with execution. Mysteriously, Reika (Ixtli's human form) shows up at the command center in uniform as an alternate Haruka with an agenda of her own - to start the beginning of the end.

But Reika/Ixtli's efforts to initiate the tuning of the world is by no means the only crisis that is building - Mamoru, who knows that Ayato caused the death of his girlfriend appears. He takes advantage of Ayato's guilt over Hiroko to gain the opportunity for revenge and to carry out the Mulian agenda of destroying the island of Hirai-Kanai.

Isshki is intent on bringing down the Jupiter barrier, regardless of the effect of freeing the Mu, expecting to win the ensuing battle. But by using an ingenious reversal, the plot manages to turn things upside down, trigger a world crisis, and make Ayato take steps toward assuming the instrumentality he has been desperately avoiding - all without ending the series four episodes too early.

If it sounds like a lot is happening in a short period of time, that is the case. Overall, the pace of this series has been fairly steady, but the directors are now trying to make up for lost time and build up steam for the conclusion. And they do a good job of it.

The subtle otherworldliness that is created by using Aztec and Nahuatl symbols and names becomes much more blatent in these episodes. This ranges from Reika/Ixtli's declaration "I am but the true face" (Ixtli is the Nahuatl word for face) to the appearance of Aztec sculpture and symbols. However, this never quite makes it to being a plot device, working more like the Kabbalistic symbolism in Evangelion, the series to which RahXephon is most often compared. It adds mystery, and an alien seeming terminology, but doesn't ever rise to being a cause or explanation for what the viewer is seeing.

While RahXephon will go throughout it's life being compared to Evangelion, this is unfair to both efforts. While there are similarities both in plot and theme, they really are each truly unique. In addition, RahXephon's commitment to strong artwork and music are outstanding, while Evangelion's animation shows better choreography and use of film angles. both series get high marks for acting. Personally, I'm delighted to have each of them on my shelves as examples of anime at it's finest.

depending on if you liked the previous dvds in my opinion this one is the best so far. it has all the action and story twists your used to but adds a few things you wouldnt expect at this point. it has a little more of an emotional edge to it than the previous, but if you dont like that it dosnt dwell on it too long. This is one of my favorite shows and if your looking for another show to watch i recomend evangelion for the gundam ish take but with alot more style and complexity, cowboy bebop for awesome music style comedy drama and basicly everything else you could ever want(can you tell its my favorite), berserk for all your midevil fighting and killing needs, his and her circumstances for any relationship style anime, either of the kenchin movies are good and i think thats enough of a rant so if you want to know anything more about basicly any anime email me and ill see if i can help you out. i have alot of different stuff.

A friend of my wife recommended this to me, insisting it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. I'm not convinced.

This movie is ok; not great but ok. Not the funniest thing ever made or the greatest comedy of the last 30 years. The opening scene is funny - it then tails off from there.

Ok so I know that the plot is allowed to be absurd but I got the feeling the movie didn't know into which genre it wished to be placed. Was it straight comedy, slapstick, black comedy or what?

Watch it and laugh a couple of times. Then take it back to Blockbuster.

Super Troopers is a great movie that will no doubt have you laughing throughout. The story follows the efforts of five Vermont highway patrol officers and their captain. Because of certain budget cuts, the station may be shut down forcing them to transfer to another station. The officers know they have to do something big or else they could all lose their jobs. Their opportunity arises when a murder and a drug trafficking ring is linked together. All the while, the highway patrol is battling nearby local police for control of the area. This is a very funny movie with an excellent ensemble cast. The best part of the movie is the routines the guys have that they use to mess with people when they pull them over on the road. Some of the other routines are just as funny like the bulletproof cup and Rabbit's diversion late in the movie.

Super Troopers has an excellent ensemble cast that works great together. Brian Cox plays the veteran captain trying to keep his men together and is very good especially the last half hour. The five officers are played by Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Eric Stolhanske as Thorny, Foster, Mac, Rabbit, and Favra. The DVD offers theatrical trailers, widescreen format, extended scenes, deleted scenes with commentary, outtakes, an alternate ending, and a featurette. Super Troopers is a vastly underrated comedy that is hilarious from beginning to end. Don't miss Super Troopers!

This movie is the best god damn comedy i have seen for awhile. Farva is the man and mac and rabbit are funny too. Buy this movie beacuse you won't stop laughing. Farva's#1,Farva's#1.

If you are interested in a silly DTV movie with lots of naked girls (including Julie Strain), by all means this won't disappoint. However, if you are intrigued by the 3-D idea then forget this one. Not one second was actually shot in stereoscopic 3-D at all. What the makers have TRIED to do is exploit something called The Pulfrich Illusion. This technique can give the impression of depth in a flat movie if the camera and background move in different directions. This has been tried, usually without success, in Super Bowl half times, music videos, cartoons, even sitcoms. They did not understand how to do do it and even with the glasses on there is very little if any depth to be seen, and certainly not anything which should be advertised as being "in 3-D". Shoot out the passanger window of a car moving at 25 MPH and then watch the video with the glasses and you will see more of the pulfrich effect than you will in 13 EROTIC GHOSTS.

13 Erotic Ghost,is a fantastic movie,,, Julie Strain is at her best in this movie,,,, only Julie can walk into a room and light up the whole room like she does,,,with her radiant smile, her natural wit, and humor,, and her natural beauty,,,,, If you love Julie, like I love her,,, you will want to see this movie,,,It has alot of Lesbian ghosts, doing their thing,, but Julie has a way of introducing humor that makes even their antics funny and humorous,,Julie is such a talented actress; and even though their was not a formal script and the actresses and actors adlibbed, they did a great job, a must see if you are a die-hard Julie Strain Fan like I am....

An erotic comedy that is funny because of the jokes, not just the low-budget status of the production. There is a range of girls: cute, sexy, dangerous and infamous (Julie Strain) and the 3-D effect is an added touch. It's a really good show.

This is an ok kids movie, like the movie Jack type, but the kids are not cute in this one! It stars that Ernest guy. Its an okay movie for like 9 and 10 yr olds.

The Treehouse Hostage, an evolutionary masterpiece in the art of high school drama, takes a daring step in analyzing the social dynamics of the youth of our nation. Starring such unsung talent as Jim Varney, who has played the hopelessly lovable Ernest in the well...Ernest movie classics series, plays a ex-vietnam, underwater, basket weaving coach who befriends a hilariously charming talking dolphin named Nicodemus. Jim Varney's arcane knowledge of ancient Filipino stick fighting style makes for a zenith in the realm of martial arts cinema, the culmination of 20th century action. Overall I would recommend this to anyone possessing any type of obsessive compulsive disorder of the shin, of south east Pennsylvanian descent, or is in any way named Bob. 5 stars. Nuff said.

i enjoyed this movie. buy it or rent it. enjoy it!

Children's videos and stories don't have to be this dumbed-down. As the editorial review says, this story is much like the others - and that's my big problem with the whole series.

Sarah screams as often in this movie as she does in the first one. Spike still can't talk (except when he's particularly moved, say, by the thought of losing a friend). Ducky is still helpless, and hasn't advanced with her speech pathology therapy. I don't have the sense that the characters learn anything they don't know when they start; these characters don't develop. Come on, doesn't Little Foot ever get testy with his grandpa when he has flashbacks of his mother dying?

The contrast with Disney movies is tremendous. Not only are the Disney songs listenable (I can't believe an adult can listen to "The Lone Dinosaur" and not cringe), but the characters there *learn* something during their adventure. This is probably why Disney movies don't lend themselves to good sequels - the character's development is all played out in the original movie, so what more does Simba or Ariel have to learn? Here, the sequels are naturals, because all the characters stay the same.

Perhaps this is comforting for young folks, but I don't think so. I asked my six-year-old whether she liked these movies as much as Lion King or Lilo and Stitch; she said no, she found them boring.

Another quibble with this movie: there is a dumb (I can't think of a better word) subplot about "bad luck." Did Doc bring "Bad Luck" to the Great Valley? Do you believe in "Bad Luck?" What if "Bad Luck" really exists? I've seen the movie several times, and I have no idea what this subplot is supposed to be teaching children, except that sometimes Stephen Spielberg funds movies that raise nonsensical questions.

Yet another winner from The Land Before Time series! This is no different from all of the others in that your kids will love it! As in all, the young ones go on an adventure that makes them work together & count on each other for safety. I haven't met a kid yet that doesn't sit through the whole movie from beginning to end - singing as they go! Worth the money!

My youngest daughter just received this for her 5th birthday. Both my 5 year old and my 6 1/2 year old love this movie. They currently own five of the LBT dvd's and want the remaining ones.

They also own the original, The Big Freeze, Journey to Big Water, and The Mysterious Island. They love all of them. However, my youngest likes the original the best and my oldest likes the Stone of Cold Fire the best (which we have only rented and have to still purchase). The Secret of Saurus Rock is their second favorite, but they just received it so it could still just be that its new!

This movie provided Liz Hurley with her big break. Soon after this, Dennis Potter snapped her up for the lead role in the BBC adaptation of Christabel Bielenberg's 'The Past is Myself'. She became Hugh Grant's girlfriend and the rest is history. She transformed herself physically during her twenties, which is why some viewers have had problems identifying the occasionally nude actress that appears here as the very slim Liz Hurley they now know.

For me, 'Aria' was the classical music community's response to the rise of MTV and the pop video. Directors like Ken Russell and Nick Roeg wanted to show us that opera could be equally colourful and sexy, even if you couldn't dance to it. And they proved their case, to my mind.

But like a pop video, you wouldn't want to watch this too often. There's no substantive connection between each of the videos, so you end up feeling much the same as you would after a 90-minute immersion in MTV.

This movie was great the first time, on the big screen. The music and the images shock you, and make you squirm and react to this movie. It's an artistic roller coaster ride.

I've found since, however, that this shocking quality doesn't preserve especially well. My favorite way of watching this movie these days, is to turn the music on, while I'm doing stuff around the house, occassionally looking at the images.

It's artistry, it doesn't hold up under critical thinking.

Who will like this movie? Despite (or perhaps because of) the billing of mature content, I think that this is a good film for teenage viewers with a liking for art films. One must be able to appreciate both the variety and intensity of the images, and be able to forgive the story. Not a problem in an action movie, but for an "art film", it shows it's high concept roots.

Maybe a gift for an opera lover, or an "art film" buff.

I first saw Aria in the theater back in high school (about 3 million years ago) and only because I wanted to impress a girl way more artistic than myself.

It worked, but not in a way I'd expected. The movie, a series of vignettes, runs the whole emotional spectrum. In my younger days, we were blown away by the Wagner/Roddam piece starring a young Fonda, so loving and jarring at the same time. These days I find all the music beautiful, but one or two of the vignettes boring. The entire movie is beautifully shot and all deserves to be watched at least once.

After having done that you'll find continual enjoyment watching Sturridge, Beresford, Roddam, Jarman, and Bryden's interpretations.

Who knows, you might fall in love with opera too.

This movie provided Liz Hurley with her big break. Soon after this, Dennis Potter snapped her up for the lead role in the BBC adaptation of Christabel Bielenberg's 'The Past is Myself'. She became Hugh Grant's girlfriend and the rest is history. She transformed herself physically during her twenties, which is why some viewers have had problems identifying the occasionally nude actress that appears here as the very slim Liz Hurley they now know.

For me, 'Aria' was the classical music community's response to the rise of MTV and the pop video. Directors like Ken Russell and Nick Roeg wanted to show us that opera could be equally colourful and sexy, even if you couldn't dance to it. And they proved their case, to my mind.

But like a pop video, you wouldn't want to watch this too often. There's no substantive connection between each of the videos, so you end up feeling much the same as you would after a 90-minute immersion in MTV.

This movie was great the first time, on the big screen. The music and the images shock you, and make you squirm and react to this movie. It's an artistic roller coaster ride.

I've found since, however, that this shocking quality doesn't preserve especially well. My favorite way of watching this movie these days, is to turn the music on, while I'm doing stuff around the house, occassionally looking at the images.

It's artistry, it doesn't hold up under critical thinking.

Who will like this movie? Despite (or perhaps because of) the billing of mature content, I think that this is a good film for teenage viewers with a liking for art films. One must be able to appreciate both the variety and intensity of the images, and be able to forgive the story. Not a problem in an action movie, but for an "art film", it shows it's high concept roots.

Maybe a gift for an opera lover, or an "art film" buff.

I first saw Aria in the theater back in high school (about 3 million years ago) and only because I wanted to impress a girl way more artistic than myself.

It worked, but not in a way I'd expected. The movie, a series of vignettes, runs the whole emotional spectrum. In my younger days, we were blown away by the Wagner/Roddam piece starring a young Fonda, so loving and jarring at the same time. These days I find all the music beautiful, but one or two of the vignettes boring. The entire movie is beautifully shot and all deserves to be watched at least once.

After having done that you'll find continual enjoyment watching Sturridge, Beresford, Roddam, Jarman, and Bryden's interpretations.

Who knows, you might fall in love with opera too.