Wichita State Movie Reviews

this is a great dvd to add to your collection. for all the fans of the 2002 national champions ohio state buckeyes, this is a must. shows the complete game, and the 2 overtimes...no commercials. great dvd.

Unlike Jeanne Crain's, Vivian Blaine's singing voice is her own and she outclasses everyone in the film. Compare her magnetism and composure to her partner, Dick Haymes, in their duet "Isn't it Kinda Fun." Real talent shines through and Vivian's delivery of a song is the only thing in this movie that doesn't seem naive, contrived, and dated. And to the reviewer who told us to "listen for Harry Morgan's voice over as the barker," look closely: that's no voice over... that young face IS the young Harry (billed as Henry Morgan).

This movie is pure delight. Yes, it has some of the corniest moments ever put on film -- but isn't that part of the charm of these old movies? The music is lovely (I just can't agree with those critics who call it weak), and even though Jeanne Crain and Dick Haymes look far too worldly and sophisticated to be smalltown Iowa farm kids, the movie has a colorful and homey feeling to it. It is about a time when people got excited about spending three days at a county fair, riding on ferris wheels and eating candy apples. Our world may be a lot more sophisticated and technologically savvy nowadays, but I can't help thinking that we've lost a lot of the fun that our grandparents had. This movie brings it back. Enjoy!

This was the first movie I ever saw, at the age of four at the Victory Theatre in Wellston, Missouri (The Victory, a new name for the Mikado, dumped when World War II broke out for obvious reasons). During "It Might As Well Be Spring" I was horribly worried Jeanne Crain was going to fall out of the windowsill of her second story bedroom window. I was so relieved when the song was over. This is a colorful, sweet film, though it does demonstrate as so often was demonstrated that only M-G-M could make M-G-M musicals. Jeanne Crain, the mother of many, always seemed to be acting with her mind on what the kids would have for dinner that evening, but she was lovely, so totally natural (my favorite Jeanne Crain film is the totally forgotten "Take Care Of My Little Girl," about college sorority life). Poor Dick Haymes is totally out of his element, though a wonderful singer. Vivian Blaine pretty much steals the show. She should have enjoyed a much bigger movie career; it's Broadway that won her heart. I love the roller coaster scenes. The coaster in the closeups is not the coaster in the far shots. The studio had a limited budget and, because of World War II, even more limited resources to build the darned sets with. "State Fair" has a lot of pasted-together elements, consequently, but if you don't look close (so much doesn't match from shot to shot and the big, overall shots of the Fair clearly are shooting a miniature that if you think too much doesn't make any sense at all) you'll feel you are at the State Fair.

Listen, I've been reading the reviews of this film and had to write in response. I finally saw "State of Grace" the other day, thanks to HBO on demand (big thumbs up there), after I had heard many great things about it. Personally, I disagreed with most of them. I feel like Oldman's performance is over the top in a bad way, the red faced sweaty ridiculousness of his character just seems absurd. However, it is really the actions that his character takes with no repurcussions that makes the film so unreal. When he shoots the three men in the bar, there is no fear of being caught or the cops searching for him? Complete bull. This movie uses violence in spades but the violence has no real point. UNLIKE the great movies other reviewers have compered this to, I find the performances fairly mediocre & the plotline itself drawn out, predictable & daft to be honest (Burgess Meredith being an exception in his bit role). I know this review isn't written very well, but I feel that a [bad] piece of work like this really doesn't deserve much time & thought beyond what I've given it. Avoid unless every other gangster movie EVER made is out at the store.

Unfortunately, this film is no lost classic. It comes off as completely routine, adding absolutely nothing to an already (by 1990) saturated genre niche (the New York gangster 'slice of life'). Indeed, 'State of Grace's only viable claim to fame is that it is mainstream film which added a third ethnic type to its contemporary Italian and Jewish mob 'vogue' templates set by 'The Godfather' films, especially Part 3 (also 1990), 'Goodfella's' (uhh 1990) and 'Once Upon a Time in America'(1984). Phil Jaonou, the director who's previous credits included a rather mediocre U2 concert, was up against a deep-set tapestry of myth created by Coppola, Leone and Scorcese: it was inevitable that this film was going to flounder, and it did.

Good mood piece, though. Excellent performances by the central figures (especially Gary Oldman at a time before his rent-a-villain slump set a bourgeoning career into doldrum territory). Any film with an Ennio Morricone score can't be that bad, right? One niggle: when are American filmmakers going to stop exploiting and start debunking that obviously romanticised New York epicentred 'Good ole Oirish, Beggorah!!' myth. Could 'State of Grace' with hindsight be retitled 'Gangs of New York: One Century Later'?

I first seen this movie soon after it was released (VHS) and was very impressed considering most people hadn't heard of it. It was refreashing to see a director who finally wanted to make a movie about the Irish Mob, who afterall were the longest established organised crime group in NY. I strongly disagree with a reviewer from Medford, NY who described Oldman's character as somewhat over the top. In my opinion, this is Oldman's finest performance to date! Having read many books on the Westside Irish Mob (as they refered to themselves) including The Westies by T.J English, Oldman brought the real life character Mickey Featherstone to life on our screens in Oscar style fashion! Believe me , these characters are not your average Italian style gangster; slick-back hair, well dressed killers. Most of these men had no such delusions of grandeuer when it came to how they looked. Many were hard drinking heroin addicts who if hadn't been shot, would have killed themselves anyway! These story lines have a much harder edge than your average Italian/Jewish gangster film because of a notorious drug and drinking culture that the other two etnic crime groups considered to be sloppy and unprofessional. Other films such as Southie have tackled these issues also, portraying a family from the projects coming to terms with alcoholism, drug abuse and gun culture. Don't get me wrong, I love Goodfellas and The Godfather but you have to admit, you won't beat the Irish when it comes to telling a story with typically unique ingredients. Jonau, indeed, could have been far more brutal in his portrayal of these men. Storys of a victem's head being taken on a pub crawl of the westside are now legendary. Ed Harris and Sean Penn turn in fantastic performances also, but Gary Oldman steals the show. I couldn't believe it when I found out shortly after watching the movie that Oldman is infact English. His portrayal of what is generally accepted to be Mickey Featherstone, is awsome! Those of you used to your typical Italian gangster movie be prepared for a crash landing into the world of psycotic, alcoholic, drug addicted killers! No dyed hair and flashy suits here! Just cold blooded, knee jerk reaction murder!

Let's not be fooled, folks: the VHS reviews, which appear under the DVD listing, refer to an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT version. This is SUPPOSED to be a different staging, as you can tell from the cover of the DVD. It looked like it was done by the same people who did Yellow Submarine, or maybe by Julie Taymor (who did Oedipus Rex for the Tokyo Met, and Titus with Anthony Hopkins).

But here's the kicker: it ISN'T! The video case for the DVD SHOWS a different staging, but the actual video is of exactly the same staging featured on the VHS version, and recorded (in a slightly better performance) on the double-CD set released by Deutche Grammophon.

This is REALLY irritating. I was expecting a different staging, since i've already heard this one, and seen it as well. The whole point was to see a DIFFERENT one, and that's what the packaging implies is recorded on the enclosed DVD.

I don't know why they took the poorly-taped 1987 performance, and put it on a DVD with all these photos from an entirely different production (with even different actors, it appears) but that would be called fraud in almost any context. Having just watched this DVD production, i'm going to contact the company and demand an explanation.

You've been warned.

Great performance, vocally and orchestrally. The acting is good as well. Staging is appropriate throughout, and visually at times quite lovely, as in the drowing scene.

One minor caveat, already noted by another reviewer: the images on the box have nothing to do with what's inside! They look like they were taken from a Disney version!

This is a must buy for the discriminating Berg fan. I particularly like the live audience which only added to the realism so obviously heard in the music but sometimes missed in staged videos. The doctor and the Captain's street walk is particularly effective.

This review is about the DVD presentation only. The movies are ALL CLASSICS and worth the price of admission. But I must caution the investor of the this Box Set.

THE GOOD NEWS: These are the greatest Rodgers & Hammerstien II musicals now in a Box set. They have all been digitally remastered both picture & sound. The colors, picture quality excellent and the sound crystal clear. THE BAD NEWS: All this work but "State Fair" is lost in the WideScreen aspect ratio presentation.

Qualifying Statement: I am a Home Theatre, HDTV - 55" x 16:9 WidesScreen, Progressive Scan DVD, Dolby Prologic Sound System owner. I have over 400 DVD movies ,mostly remastered, WideScreen (preserved in the original theatrical aspect ratio), Anamorphic or enhanced for 16:9 TV's.

NOTE: Full Screen - 4:3 (1:33 to 1 ratio) made for TV or film before 1953. WideScreen - 4:3 letterbox (horizontal top & bottom black bars adjusted for any aspect ratio 165/185/225 to 1 etc. It is still letterbox) are movies made after 1953. (to compete with the popularity of Television) ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN IS THE ONLY TRUE HDTV 16:9 PRESENTATION. This format automatically adjusts to the Television being used. To get the High Definition picture the DVD MUST BE ANAMORPHIC & ENHANCED FOR 16:9 TELEVISIONS!!!!!!

Now in SUMMARY: STATE FAIR Full Screen Technicolor is the best presentation and the movie. Oklahoma, Carousal, The King & I and South Pacific are WideScreen (4:3 Letterbox - small picture horizontal & vertical black bars) great color, music but small picture very disappointing. Finally the Sound of Music was adjusted to an Anamorphic WideScreen but was not enhanced for the HDTV 16:9 format. The results is a very grainy picture.

Bottomline - Now that the Home Theatre environment is becoming more common it is time to sort the GOOD from the BAD DVD's. This is only from a dedicated videophile of old classic movies who enjoys the total viewing & listening Home Theatre experience. The movies themselves are the main ingredient but unfortunately Film Studios don't always give us what we think we are getting. (Quality vs Quantity) Another words they are already re-releasing DVD movies with these mentioned enhancements & special features for WideScreen TV's etc SO WE NEED TO BUY RIGHT THE FIRST TIME & not repeat buying on the same movie as we upgrade our Televisions & Home Theatres. REMEMBER - ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN & ENHANCED FOR 16:9 TELEVISIONS adjusts automatically to any size aspect ratio television!!!!! ENJOY.

Growing up in the 50s and 60s Rogers and Hammerstein musicals were the highlight of a trip to the theatre or the movies. Now they still provide great music and, even if the style of the drama seems a little outdated, a wonderful glimpse of the simpler genre that we had then. It seems that recent musicals such as Moulin Rouge and Chigago have taken many of the best features of the old R & H musicals and given them a new high-tech flair. It will be interesting to see if these modern productions are still as loved in forty or fifty years.
This boxed set gives a good balance of the R & H musicals and shows the creativity and flexibility that this duo added to theatre in their day.
Students of modern music and drama could do well to have these assigned as compulsory viewing.

The wonders of Rogers and Hammerstein are displayed beautifully in this DVD set. Sound quality and picture quality are excellent; I've even got my two young sons interested in musicals. I had seen all of the movies before except for Carousel, so I was very pleased with "Oklahoma!", "Sound of Music", "South Pacific" and "The King and I"; but my family and I didn't enjoy "Carousel" as much as we had hoped. While I read that it was Rogers' favorite, I found it dull and tedious. The songs were much too long, and the story moves on quite slowly. At a backwards glance, I may have saved money by purchasing the movies I liked separately.

Another greatly produced movie from Jerry Bruckheimer which showcases the talent which Will Smith has not only as a singer but as well as an actor.
With the addition of the legendery Gene Hackman,the cobination produces great specticale for the audience.With the ever evolving plot in this movie,it will be always interesing to watch time and time again.
However one minor disadvantage is that the munes of the DVD could have been improved.
Overall,a great movie to enjoy for evey end of the audience spectrum.

I just finished watching Enemy of the State and I have to tell you that I should have watched it sooner. I love thrillers and this movie hit the right spot. Some great chase scenes but with a good plot which leaves you hanging until the very end. Definitely worth to watch.

When WILL SMITH in this MOVIE who's confronted witch very much difficults problems of a STATE CONSPIRACY, he become a precedence of the elite which is composed of C.I.A. N.S.A. F.B.I. and many other stranges services illegitimates SPYS WHO ARE OBEYING of the orders of influent strange man who has killed his almost friend, and then, these CONSPIRATORS who are ables to kill anybody throught their road so as to ensure an uncovicing PROGRESS whitch consist to have any authority for transgress yhe all of the private life of any body in the AMERICA OR THE WORLD WITH CONSIDERABLES AVERAGES SUCH WHITCH ARE SATELITTES AND EMITTERS, THEN THE YOUNG MAN (WILL) WHO'S JUST A SPARE FOR GOVERNMENT AND A SIMPLE ADVOCATE WHO BEGAIN STRONG WITH A ITALIAN MAFIOSO Who has difficulty whith THE LAW, and after that when he is deprived of his credit cards and many other things , when he is forced in a jift to take away his alls garments with a curious intelligent old man for him but he is very much contented to know the identity suddenly of an ancient efficient best of the bests SPYS whou's BOUND TO SHATTER HIS CONFIDENTIALITY EVER SINCE LONGTIME (GENE HACKMAN) THEY WILL SURPISE EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD OF THESE STRANGES MEN WITH ABILITY TO ASSASSINATION RHEY FORMS STILL AGAIN BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME TWO IN PICTURES HISTORY AND EVERY INGREDIENTS ARE GOODS IN THIS SPLENDID D.V.D.MOVIE NOT DEAD TIME WITH THESE ALL ACTORS WILL SMITH AND GENE HACKMAN ARE VERY GOODS ACTORS

Domingo is a fine Lohengrin and the rest of the cast sing beautifully. They are also well complemented by Abbado and and the Vienna Philharmonic.

But an opera is more than its music: It is also a drama. Those of us who purchase a DVD also expect -- and deserve a convincing production. And, unfortunately, this Lohengrin is not worth seeing. The staging is stilted and confined. The camera work is boring. Even the poor king's costume lacks regality.

It is difficult to be a hero in Wagner's operas, to both sound and look the part. Domingo does that. It seesms to me his distinctly non-German voice sets him apart from the rest of the cast and adds to the White Knight ness of his character. Welker is a first rate "bad guy"; he seems to have a soul, and be much more than the usual two dimentional characters you encounter in this type of role. The sets are odinary and depressing. Thank God for the singers!

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I thoroughly enjoyed this performance. Abbado was wonderful in his conducting. The cast was solid and the singing quite good, even Placido Domingo who is not one of my favoite tenors. Judging from the applause at this live performance, the audience loved what they saw. Given the reasonable price, I wouldn't hesitate to add this to an opera collection.

An excellent production by the Vienna State Opera. Comparisons with the Met production featuring Birgit Nilsson are inappropriate - like comparing apples and oranges - as the interpretations are not comparable. The Vienna version emphasizes the "black and bright" nature of the drama (Hofmannsthal's own phrase) with stark, almost monochromatic sets. Marton makes a very convincing Elektra and Fassbaender's Klytemnestra is truly ghoulish, though a little bit over the top and one-dimensional. Klytemnestra is a woman on the verge and the actress portraying her must keep this in mind - to be convincing, she must walk a fine line between madness and sanity without falling over the precipice, and this is where Mignon Dunn's performance, in the Met version, is superior, imbued with a regal and scrupulously delineated dementia that almost manages to win sympathy. It is in the central Klytemnestra scene that the Vienna version suffers. In the Met version, Elektra's numbingly cold indifference to her mother's suffering, as portrayed by Nilsson, chills the soul. In the Vienna version, the conflict between mother and daughter is never convincingly established - and this conflict is central to the drama: the mother's need to nurture and dominate collides head-on with the daughter's alienation and need to avenge a father and an older sister. These needs are irreconcilable and tragedy results. Nevertheless, Klyemnestra's entrance scene in this version, amidst the requisite flickering torches and with Strauss' pounding score, is a particularly effective piece of staging. The production captures the almost claustrophobic terror of Sophocles' drama brilliantly. Any competent performance of this opera should leave the viewer emotionally drained - and this production certainly had a cathartic effect on this listener. Almost a century after it was written, Strauss' score remains a shocker - a marvel of inspiration and compositional technique. Though I still prefer the Nilsson/Rysanek/Dunn version by the Met, I thoroughly enjoyed the Vienna production: if gritty realism and raw emotion are what you look for in opera, this production will certainly not disappoint.

Despite what other reviewers have said, Eva Marton is, in this production, superior to Brigit N's Elektra done at the Met. In fact all the singers in the Vienna State Opera production throw themselves body and soul into their roles. The set / costume design is outstanding, dark and otherworldly but never distracting from the performances or Strauss' superior music. The one enormous set-piece is a 100-foot statue of the murdered Agamemnon, the huge head having fallen to the ground. Thus Agamemnon has an overpowering albeit mute presence throughout the show. Very effective I thought. Klytemnestra is simply odious. She looks like a grotesque parody of Tammy Faye Baker doing a "Mommy Dearest" Joan Collins impression, but with complete sincerity. That is Klytemnestra and her maid pictured on the DVD case by the way. Marton's Elektra is strong, insane, tear-streaked and oddly sympathetic.

One of the most intense performances ever. In (any!!) music category!!! look at Marton and Abbado at the end! Totally out of this world. The sets are nightmare stuff. No wonder there is some booing at the end. Those old folks at the audience probably couldn't watch it for it's a life shortening performance for people with weak hearts. Buy it!!

I thought this would be a good mobster movie-but no it was just plain boring!

Dj Qualls was the best and should of had more scenes!

Dont waste your time with this boring stupid movie!

Featuring: Jamie King, Joshua Jackson, John Mellencamp
Rating: ** (not the worst, but not good)

This movie was a little shy of average. It certainly had it's moments though, one being Jamie King's portrayal of the lead female character, Baby. She shined as both the sensitive and driven young waif. As well as showing the flashes of anger that result if you cross her or her loved ones. Joshua Jackson did a fine job as the lead male character of Earl.

In a nutshell, Earl and Baby are planning on moving from small town Texas to big L.A. when all hell breaks loose around them. Nutty relatives, drug dealers, two-bit criminals and stupid folks abound. Through it all Earl, the normal one, and Baby, the sexy one, keep plugging away trying to move forward in their lives and help the ones they love.

Although it had a lot of cliches and was at times stupid there are worse ways to spend an evening than watching this movie. Jamie Kind is the one that kept this movie from a one star rating (don't bother). If you rent it, it should be for her performance alone.

This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. Joshua Jackson sexy with his long tall Texas draw accent, especialy the bathtub scene. Gives me a whole new prospective on "cowboy hat and boots". The whole cast did a great job, I love the countryfied ways it was hillariously funny, one of thoes movies you can watch over and over.

John Sayles returns to his Altmanesque "Lone Star" formula, with mixed results. Instead of a small town in Texas, a sleepy little resort community in Florida is put under the microscope. Once again, Sayles juggles about a half-dozen subplots that eventually tie together, although in a somewhat less compelling fashion than his Texas tale. The now-familiar Sayles themes of family ties, bittersweet love stories, culture clash and community traditions are trotted out and examined. The film opens strong, with greedy land developers descending on quirky small-town landowners, initially leading the viewer to think they are headed for a picaresque Carl Hiaasen-flavored social satire. Instead, we are given a deliberately paced, almost Mike Leigh ("Secrets and Lies")-style glimpse into the lives of several families. The various little epiphanies that result are, at best, only a little interesting. Sayles is an actor's director, and while that usually guarantees good performances (which this film does have), it doesn't necessarily guarantee a riveting story. In fact, there are so many good actors in the huge cast (Edie Falco, Tim Hutton, Angela Bassett, Ralph Waite, Jane Alexander, Mary Steenburgen, etc.) that it's almost distracting, since no one stays on screen for very long at any given time. Worth a look, and more intelligent than 95% of the current Hollywood offal, but not quite gripping enough to compare to Sayles' best work.

Land developers preying on naive and worldly-wise landowners in Florida isn't the most original idea, indeed it sounds dated, but this ensemble comedy-drama from Writer-Director John Sayles is as engaging as a warm ocean breeze on your favorite Floridian beach. All the interlocking stories of the potentially wealthy residents are entertaining and amusing but the film really belongs to Angela Bassett and James McDaniel as a woman returning to her home town with her husband, half-heartedly willing to confront unresolved family affairs and relationships. They provide a strong backbone to this gentle and funny film.

There are so many elements going on in this movie, it's hard to focus on which ones stand out the most.

First and foremost, as a Florida resident for 25 years, he nails the sleepy ocean-front atmosphere. The characters in relation to the land, their struggles with local government and big-time developers are utterly believable and accurately portrayed. The sense of community is delivered admirably with looks into the lives of a wide-range of citizens.

The characters are (for the most part) subtly woven together, no matter how disparate they initially appear. Marly, portrayed by Edie Falco, is my favorite. She's a not-quite-bitter-divorcee who has taken over the family's restaraunt/hotel business. A former Wikki Wachi (sp?) mermaid, this is *not* what she wants to do with her life. But because nothing better has come along, she stays and keeps her father happy.

Rather than one main plot, there are several sub-plots throughout the film. Desiree (Angela Bassett) reconciling herself with her mother and her past. Marly deciding what she wants and what she doesn't want. Exley (sp?) Plantation trying to buy out the town. Dr. Lloyd trying desperately to save the town. Mrs. Stokes wanting to save Terrell, or, at the least, redeem him. Jack just doing his job. Francine running the annual Buckaneer Day. Delia Temple making the best of her situation. Earl trying to kill himself. And the Florida Flash, whom no one really knows what it is he's doing back in town. All of this tied up neatly with four golfers, musing on the nature of the land.

It's a glorious movie. I've watched it four times already, and plan to watch it many more.