Tightrope

Starring:Clint Eastwood, GeneviÃ¨ve Bujold, Dan Hedaya, Alison Eastwood, Jenny Beck, Marco St. John, Rebecca Perle, Regina Richardson, Randi Brooks, Jamie Rose, Margaret Howell, Rebecca Clemons, Janet MacLachlan, Graham Paul, Bill Holliday, John Wilmot, Margie O'Dair, Joy N. Houck Jr., Stuart Baker-Bergen, Donald Barber
Director: Richard Tuggle
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
The screenwriter of Escape from Alcatraz, Richard Tuggle, sold a second script to Clint Eastwood on the condition that he be allowed to direct it. The result is a near classic, a grim psycho-thriller set in New Orleans, which remains one of the star's boldest attempts to undercut his unshakable rock-bound image. It was interpreted by some critics as an exercise in self-exploration, although that might be stretching it. Still, as a cop whose own kinky yearnings are pulled to the surface as he investigates a series of stalker murders of women, Eastwood often seems tormented by self-doubt, and that was a new flavor for him. The French-Canadian actress GeneviÃ¨ve Bujold plays the seductive Cajun shrink who helps Clint get in touch with his dark side. The great thing is that the movie works as pure suspense, despite its larger ambitions. Tuggle made sure that the crime-solving elements and the psychological explorations fit smoothly together: the twist is that in order to be able to anticipate the sicko's actions, the cop has to learn to share his feelings, and finds the transition a little too easy to negotiate. --David Chute
Description
A police inspector, investigating a string of sex crimes, succumbsto the wiles of some of the prostitues he questions. He finds that he has much in common with the murderer he's pursuing.

Clint Eastwood - Cop (Dirty Harry / Magnum Force / Tightrope)
Average customer rating:

It's "Classic Clint!!!!!" Enough said!

A good deal

Clint Eastwood-Dirty Harry

Clint Eastwood - Cop (Dirty Harry / Magnum Force / Tightrope)
Starring: Clint Eastwood 3pak
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
Dirty Harry | Series & Sequels | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
Clint Eastwood | Action Directors | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
Action & Adventure | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
All Titles | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
Action & Adventure | DVDs Under $20 | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Clint Eastwood - Westerner (The Outlaw Josey Wales / Pale Rider / Unforgiven Single Disc Edition)

The Man with No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)

The Dead Pool

Sudden Impact

The Enforcer

ASIN: B0000CABAR
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Customer Reviews:

It's "Classic Clint!!!!!" Enough said!.......2007-07-01

The movies sell themselves. However, they are not the first in the "Dirty Harry" series I was trying to find as a set. It was as close as I could come to it. I had a hard time finding these the way it was. I'll have to purchase "Sudden Impact" seperately.
This was also the best price I could find on the web from a reputable source. Fast delivery. Very Satisfied.

Thanks Amazon!!!!!!

A good deal.......2007-04-23

When you figure that all these movies go for about 13-15 dollars each elsewhere, it's a good deal. Individually, the choice of movies is odd. While the first two Dirty Harry movies are the better of the series, and entertaining, the psychological horror of tightrope almost feels misplaced. Perhaps Dirty Harry, tightrope, and another non-dirty harry copy movie would have been better. Regardless, the movies themselves are all good, and worthy of purchase.

Clint Eastwood-Dirty Harry.......2007-02-20

If you are a "Dirty Harry" fan this set is a must. wonderful. I wish more of the movies were on DVD.

Average customer rating:

"There's a darkness inside all of us. You, me, and the man down the street. Some have it under control. Others act it out."
Exploration of Dark Desires
okay flick
One Of Eastwood's Darker Films.....And A Good One!
Explore the fascination with the dark side of the hero!

Tightrope
Starring: Clint Eastwood , Geneviève Bujold , Dan Hedaya , Alison Eastwood , and Jenny Beck
Director: Richard Tuggle
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Detectives | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Gauntlet
Coogan's Bluff
The Dead Pool
The Rookie
City Heat

ASIN: B00009N83W
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Amazon.com

The screenwriter of Escape from Alcatraz, Richard Tuggle, sold a second script to Clint Eastwood on the condition that he be allowed to direct it. The result is a near classic, a grim psycho-thriller set in New Orleans, which remains one of the star's boldest attempts to undercut his unshakable rock-bound image. It was interpreted by some critics as an exercise in self-exploration, although that might be stretching it. Still, as a cop whose own kinky yearnings are pulled to the surface as he investigates a series of stalker murders of women, Eastwood often seems tormented by self-doubt, and that was a new flavor for him. The French-Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold plays the seductive Cajun shrink who helps Clint get in touch with his dark side. The great thing is that the movie works as pure suspense, despite its larger ambitions. Tuggle made sure that the crime-solving elements and the psychological explorations fit smoothly together: the twist is that in order to be able to anticipate the sicko's actions, the cop has to learn to share his feelings, and finds the transition a little too easy to negotiate. --David Chute

Description

A police inspector, investigating a string of sex crimes, succumbsto the wiles of some of the prostitues he questions. He finds that he has much in common with the murderer he's pursuing.

Customer Reviews:

"There's a darkness inside all of us. You, me, and the man down the street. Some have it under control. Others act it out.".......2007-04-22

I recently "discovered" the genius of Clint Eastwood ... and I have a lot of catching up to do. After seeing this film, I have a deeper appreciation for this performer's tremendous range.

Of the film itself, it is phenomenally gripping and complex. I was stunned at the "grey area" this work explores. Contemporary mainstream film often writes "black and white" characters: this character is "good," that one "bad." So tedious is this trend, that many critical viewers have abandoned "Hollywood" films entirely. Nonetheless, "Tightrope" illustrates that Hollywood once created deep, rich characters. Tuggle's work toys with a seeming contradiction: that Eastwood's character is a loving single-father to two young, sensitive girls AND that he has shockingly misogynistic impulses. The audience views Eastwood's character, Captain Block, indulge his sexual aggression with prostitutes (which is perhaps a result of his bitter divorce or perhaps a genuine aspect of his personality) and then return home to gently tuck his children into bed. This is jarring! Moreover, that Captain Block's love-interest is a powerful, rape-defense instructor only complicates his very human character. Eastwood enacts this multi-faceted role with absolute precision.

The casting is remarkable!! That Tuggle cast an "average" (read: unconventionally attractive) actress to play Eastwood's love-interest is ingenious. Geneviève Bujold plays the aforementioned defense-expert. As Beryl Thibodeaux, Bujold is the perfect counterpart to Eastwood. While intrigued by Captain Block, Thibodeaux quickly detects his misogynist tendencies and indicates that she will not be another conquest, but an equal. For instance, while on their first lunch date, Block tells Thibodeaux, "[I wonder] what it would be like to lick the sweat off your body." Her reaction is perfect: she is not angry, she is not aroused, she merely states that he could attempt a bit more subtlety ... that he could express a sentiment to her that he does not express to every woman he meets. It is both clever and progressive.

When watching this film, I wonder where these complicated works are today. I think Hollywood should take a lesson from Tuggle's work and show its audience characters who are both good parents and professionals with deep "flaws" (and the manner in which Block comes to terms with his sadistic side is quite compelling ... but no spoilers here!!) Block's humanity is excellently portrayed ... and I am continuing my exploration of Eastwood films hoping to find more of this!

Watch this film if you are interested in 1980's Hollywood, Eastwood's films, crime dramas, or the use of "strong women" in male-dominated films.

Exploration of Dark Desires.......2006-12-29

Perverse, voyeuristic and nightmarish are not words commonly associated with Clint Eastwood's oeuvre, but in 1984 Richard Tuggle on the strength of his story was given the opportunity by Eastwood to direct his first film. The result is a seedy stroll through the backstreets and whorehouses of New Orleans. The success of the film relies on Eastwood's willingness to manipulate and subvert his iconic screen image. Since the warm comic capers of "Every Which Way But Loose" Eastwood had shown a propensity to experiment with his characters. This reaches something of an apex in the trouble and haunted homicide detective Wes Block. Block finds himself empathising a little too much with the serial killer who is plaguing the warm New Orleans nights. Adding to Block's complexity is a turbulent family life in which he is the single parent of two young children and a blossoming romance. The film really gets to grips with psychology of the serial killer as Block attempts to get inside his mind, the revelation that Block finds himself enjoying certain perverse delights creates a wonderful tension in the film that implicates Block as a possible suspect. Another major success of the film is the location, New Orleans beats not with life, but with death as the Mardi Gras takes a back seat and Tuggle explores the dark and seamy nightlife of this soulful and mysterious town. Ultimately this film is the real Dirty Harry, with the emphasis on Dirty. "Tightrope" is to the Eastwood detective image/film what "Unforgiven" was to his western image, a deconstruction of myths and iconic status. It deserves re-appraisal.

okay flick.......2006-07-02

THI ITEM IS A GOOD MOVIE , BUT THERE ARE SOME MINOR FLAWS IN THE DISC , OTHER WISE I AM SATISFIED WITH THIS ITEM

One Of Eastwood's Darker Films.....And A Good One!.......2006-04-23

Here is a very, very tense thriller about a New Orleans cop (Clint Eastwood) finding a serial killer.....and vice-versa.

This is a very dark (literally) film with a big film-noir look and feel. Neo-noir, I guess, is what they call post-1950 gritty crime films like these.

Eastwood's character in "Tightrope" is a complex one. On one hand, he's a wonderfully loving father of two sweet girls (one played by his actual daughter, and played well), and yet he is a weak man when it comes to prostitutes. But, whatever side he shows - light or dark - he's interesting, as always. So is the female star of this movie, Genevieve Bujold, a woman with a very intriguing face and just a trace of her French accent. Dan Heyada contributes strongly in a low- key performance.

Yes, this film is a bit too much on the seedy side for my normal tastes, definitely sordid, but very well done. It's a story that grabs you early and locks you in all the way.

Explore the fascination with the dark side of the hero!.......2006-03-27

Clint portrays the dark side of a homicide cop who is investigating a series of murders in New Orleans. While Clint is a single father and has a menagerie of dogs at home, he also has kinky sex with prostitutes. The killer he is targeting becomes aware of Clint's proclivities and uses this to taunt Clint. An interesting tale of the tension of opposites and the need to reconcile them.

Average customer rating:

The less you know about it going into this, the better...
Twisted, strange and wrong... In the best way possible
Not for the squeemish...
Excelent, if a tad over the top at times

Save The Green Planet
Starring: Ki Ju-bong , Shin Ha-kyun , Hwang Jeong-min , Baek Yun-shik , and Lee Jae-yong
Director: Jang Joon-hwan , and Jang Jun-Won
Manufacturer: Koch Lorber Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Satire | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

Oldboy
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Lady Vengeance
Bad Guy
J.S.A. - Joint Security Area

ASIN: B000A0UICK
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Description

A sensitive, blue collar sad sack hopped up on conspiracy theories and sci-fi is convinced that aliens have infiltrated human society and are planning to destroy the planet at the next lunar eclipse. He sets out to kidnap his boss to torture him until he confesses to his alien identity and stops the invasion. Of course, it's hard to confess to something that's just a delusion in a sick man's mind.

Customer Reviews:

The less you know about it going into this, the better..........2007-05-28

because 'Save the Green Planet' is one of the most surprising movies I've seen in a long time. I rented this along with 'Hard Candy,' not realizing that there would be a similarity in terms of some of the content - but there it ends. 'Hard Candy' is a painfully dumb (and preachy, arguing endlessly a side that most of the audience is probably already on, anyway) one-note dud, whereas 'Green Planet' is a luminous gem that manages to hit so many seemingly disparate notes so successfully that you can hardly believe it's all in the same movie. I would never have believed that all of the elements that are crammed in could have added up to anything but a confused and superficial mish-mash, but this film not only works, it works beautifully. By turns funny, gruesome, silly, serious, cruel, tender, fun, tragic and dizzyingly exuberant - it just keeps working more and more in, and the most unexpected surprise is not just that it manages to be effective, but that it is ultimately quite moving, as well. I could see any number of viewers who would normally be put off by some of the violence on display here finding themselves becoming very emotionally attached to the film in spite of all that. I don't know if there is any precedent for such a goofy manic-depressive throw-in-the-kitchen-sink hash of pop-culture references leaving its audience not only entertained, but touched, as well.

And the first-time director makes it all seem effortless.

This could not possibly be a perfect film, and it isn't - but I'm giving it five stars, anyway. Some of the references to other films are more overstated than they probably should be, but they don't really drag the movie down the way they should. Also, the brief inclusion of actual atrocity footage is bound to bother some people (especially in such a frivolous, at least on the face of it, context). It gave me pause, but the movie is wierdly sincere enough to be able to squeak by with it, at least for me.

This is the kind of balancing act that Hollywood tries (ad nauseum) to pull off and fails at regularly because those films are typically so far out of touch with anything in actual human experience and feeling that they can only leave the viewer feeling drained and cheated - they are a crass waste of the audience's time. 'Green Planet' is frequently cartoonish, and it crosses shock-lines that Hollywood is too timid to even approach for fear of alienating anyone (even while trying to pander to an audience's supposed appetite for cheap thrills). Those films are alienating, anyway, though, as they grasp soullessly at whatever they think an audience will want to pay to see. 'Green Planet' is able to have those elements that usually mark cheap entertainment, make them work, and then transcend them because it has a core of humanity that is inevetably killed in utero by the executive committee "creative" process that has rendered American cinema largely worthless in its overwhelming and elephantine banality. Those films tend to be noisy for something that doesn't have a pulse, and their perfunctory attempts to engage the viewer emotionally are patently insulting.

This is an amazing little movie that manages to have its cake and eat it too - and what a cake it is!

Twisted, strange and wrong... In the best way possible.......2006-07-24

"Save The Green Planet" is many things. It is funny, parodic and innovative. It is well made, although the story isn't terribly well constructed. It is sickeningly violent and gruesome, maddeningly cagey about its plot points, and completely and utterly insane. It's also a great movie, because of everything above.

It's important to note that this is not a film for everyone. The torture scenes are painful and plentiful, and make up the bulk of the film. They are NOT done in a slapstick fashion, as the title and opening sequence might suggest. There is repeated electroshock, stabbings, stranglings and an even gorier plot twist later on. Suffice it to say, this isn't a kids movie.

"Save The Green Planet" is about Byung Goo, a man who is even more messed up than is initially revealed when he begins saying that wealthy, successful industrialist Kang is an alien from the planet Andromeda. In fact, Byung Goo is patently psychotic, a kidnapper who cons his tightrope-dancing girlfriend into helping him carry out his paranoid schemes.

All the while, he pops powerful metamphetamines, robs banks to take care of his comatose mother, raises bees and creates manniquins. Byung Goo becomes the movie's simultaneous hero and villain, and it's clear that our sympathies are supposed to lie with this utterly screwed up loser. The odd thing is, more often than not, we do sympathize with him.

If you think that's weird enough as it is, the movie doesn't stop there. The tone swerves wildly from whacked-out comedy to brutal violence to teeth-on-edge suspense, swinging from one to the other as rapidly and disorientingly as possible. The plot is equally wobbly, the psychopathically quick and risky twists constantly threatening to lose the viewer. Some serious suspension of disbelief is required much of the time, just because it's unrealistic that several main characters haven't died from all the damage they've sustained.

But as many things that can be said against it can also be said for it. "Save the Green Planet" is a true original, a movie that only a total mind-job could make and is interesting, if not always pleasant, to watch. It helps that there are a number of entertaining references dispersed every so often to keep the viewer going, and that there's the occaisional glimmer of sanity in everything that's so terribly off-kilter. The filmmaking is as good as anything else in the film, well-executed and often joltingly original. It's a visionary film, if an undeniably strange one.

Not for the squeemish..........2006-06-12

I was unprepared for the level of violence in the film, and was *this close* to turning it off, but opted not to. I'm glad I didn't. STGP is about a deranged young man (Ha Kyun Shin) who is convinced that aliens from Andromeda are trying to destroy the world. His chubby girlfriend as his accomplice, he kidnaps the head of a business who he believes is the only one who can communicate with the Head Prince of Andromeda.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Save the Green Planet, but one thing I was unprepared for was the amount of violence. I'm not much into violent movies (I shut off Ichi after the first ten minutes) but I stuck with it because I love Ha Kyun Shin. In the end, it turns out the violence is for a purpose, it is not meaningless, and it makes you think twice.
Another thing I liked about this movie was the relationship between the deranged young man and his girlfriend. The girl was not your typical asian beauty that you would expect. She's chubby, homely and insecure, and the perfect match for Ha Kyun. Ha Kyun's character genuinely loves her, but does not realize how much until she is gone.
There is a message in this movie, that is very clear at the end. And if you stick with the film through the ending credits you will see clips with the main characters that will break anyone's heart.

Excelent, if a tad over the top at times.......2005-09-02

let me preface by saying that Jun-Hawn Jeong is my favorite writer/director in Korean film right now so I'm probably a little biased.

As far as presentation, Save The Green Planet is very well shot. There are some very moving shots in the film that add a very lush and colorful package for the main story where the film really shines.

In short, a disgruntled man has become convinced that his boss is an alien from the planet "Andromida" and so kidnaps him and immediatly begins to torture him. While this doesnt sound like a good film, trust me it is. In context of the IMF fallout and other economic troubles and threats of violence, the film really starts to make sense on another layer; a much more real and personal one about the fate of humanity. Honestly though, words just cannot discribe this film. It is a darkly comic mix of sci-fi, horror, HK Action, and good old fasion drama/romance. The finest moment in the film comes with a retelling of the Andromidan history of earth which makes many good emotional and moral points without overmoralising (which would be very easy to do in a film like this)

On the downside, if the translation remains unchanged since the Asian Film Festival of Dallas where I got to see this, is the poor word choice. Repition of the same word over and over really hamper to poetic nature of the screen play. Also, some parts of the movie are dreadfully over the top such as the ending which cannot even be put into words.

Very graphic violence makes this movie not for the squeemish. If you cant handel leg amputation and nails being driven through hands then I'd stay away from this. In addition, strong language and some nudity make this film definatly 18+

Overall, Save The Green Planet is an excelent film from one of the best directors working in Korean film, or film period. I highly recomend it to anyone.

On a side note, if you like this film I suggest "Marrying The Mafia" also by Jun-Hwan Jeong

Average customer rating:

Great, but you need to see the first one first
Second parts.... Yes, This time was great!

El Lado Oscuro del Corazon 2
Starring: Nacha Guevara , Darío Grandinetti , Santiago Ramos , Manuel Banderas , and Ariadna Gil
Director: Eliseo Subiela
Manufacturer: Maverick
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Dark Side of the Heart
Don't Die Without Telling Me Where You Are Going
El Dia Que Me Amen
Last Images of the Shipwreck
Despabilate Amor

ASIN: B0001ENX4K
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Customer Reviews:

Great, but you need to see the first one first.......2004-05-04

Great movie, but you need to have seen the first one to enjoy at max. Not as much Benedetti or Onetti poetry, but still great, romantic, comedic, a movie for young people to reflect, analyze and laugh.

Second parts.... Yes, This time was great!.......2004-04-22

When I first knew about the second part of The Dark Side of the Heart, I wonder myself why a great director as Eliseo Subiela was doing that. I thought that all the magic of the first part was going to be lost. I was wrong. Yeap! even when Ariadna Gil is not one of my favorites, the movie kept the magic, and made me love it. Another one to own in your collection.
(Still waiting for Man looking to the Southeast in DVD)

YogaSlackers - Slackasana: The art of slackline yoga

Average customer rating:

YogaSlackers - Slackasana: The art of slackline yoga
Starring: T- PhyProductions LLC , T-PhyProductions , and Yoga Slackers
Manufacturer: CustomFlix
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Fitness | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

Skateboarding | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video

( Y ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Walk the Line: The Art of Balance and the Craft of SLACKLINE

ASIN: B000J6H1BG
Release Date: 2006-10-02

Description

The Journey began in Estes Park. Together, two yoga practitioners found a love for combining yoga and slacklining (tightrope walking). A natural synthesis occurred during the following months of practice and the Yoga Slackers were born. This video will give you all the tools you need to begin using slackline yoga to enhance your personal journey. The DVD covers a unique and simple way to set up the line, simple one person tensioning system, and lots of techniques. It covers basic standing, walking, sitting, turning, and then several yoga postures and sequences. The goal is to teach the basics and give the practicioner the tools to tailor a program to their needs. Slacklining is a great training tool for yoga, surfing, climbing, snowboarding, and just about any sport that demands focus, balance, strength and attention. Plus, it is an amazingly impressive skill, and a great way to meet people. So get your line out and start walking!

Average customer rating:

The less you know about it going into this, the better...
Disappointed
Morbid
Holy crap.
Twisted, strange and wrong... in the best way possible.

Save the Green Planet (Tame Cover)
Starring: Ha-kyun Shin , Yun-shik Baek , Jeong-min Hwang (II) , Jae-yong Lee , and Ju-hyeon Lee
Director: Joon-Hwan Jang
Manufacturer: Koch Lorber Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Satire | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

Memories of Murder
Oldboy
Attack the Gas Station
Oasis
J.S.A. - Joint Security Area

ASIN: B0009KA7B8
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Description

Customer Reviews:

The less you know about it going into this, the better..........2007-05-28

Disappointed.......2006-12-16

I was so hyped to see this movie after viewing the trailer. It looked like nothing else I had seen before.
Boy was I wrong. It turned out to be a torture-fest, for no reason other than to be intentionally shocking (it wasn't).
Rental.

Morbid.......2006-08-01

I thought by the cover that this foreign film was a comedy. It was a sick movie and was disappointed. Unless over the top violence is your thing, I highly suggest staying away from this film.

Holy crap........2005-08-10

This movie is amazing. I work at an independant theater and we gave this film its western Canadian premiere on Friday. I just saw it last night, and the fact that I'm already looking for the DVD says something. The poster is entirely misleading, this is the creepiest movie I have seen in a loooooong time. That doesn't mean that the movie is bad, far from it, just don't expect a lighthearted B-movie style romp. I won't reveal any of the plot, but damn is it good.

I would have given 5 stars, but I'm not sure what the (Tame) in the title means. If they censored it too much, it wouldn't be as good, as part of the amaing effectiveness of this movie is in how unrelenting the camera work is in showing the scenes of torture. Therefor, a 5 star movie, knocked down a star because of the potential for censorship in this edition.

Twisted, strange and wrong... in the best way possible........2005-06-08

"Save The Green Planet" is many things. It is funny, parodic and innovative. It is well made, although the story isn't terribly well constructed. It is sickeningly violent and gruesome, maddeningly cagey about its plot points, and completely and utterly insane. It's also a great movie, because of everything above.

It's important to note that this is not a film for everyone. The torture scenes are painful and plentiful, and make up the bulk of the film. They are NOT done in a slapstick fashion, as the title, the box cover and opening sequence might suggest. There is repeated electroshock, stabbings, stranglings and an even gorier plot twist later on. Suffice it to say, this isn't a kids movie.

"Save The Green Planet" is about Byung Goo, a man who is even more messed up than is initially revealed when he begins saying that wealthy, successful industrialist Kang is an alien from the planet Andromeda. In fact, Byung Goo is patently psychotic, a kidnapper who cons his tightrope-dancing girlfriend into helping him carry out his paranoid schemes.

All the while, he pops powerful metamphetamines, robs banks to take care of his comatose mother, raises bees and creates manniquins. Byung Goo becomes the movie's simultaneous hero and villain, and it's clear that our sympathies are supposed to lie with this utterly screwed up loser. The odd thing is, more often than not, we do sympathize with him.

If you think that's weird enough as it is, the movie doesn't stop there. The tone swerves wildly from whacked-out comedy to brutal violence to teeth-on-edge suspense, swinging from one to the other as rapidly and disorientingly as possible. The plot is equally wobbly, the psychopathically quick and risky twists constantly threatening to lose the viewer. Some serious suspension of disbelief is required much of the time, just because it's unrealistic that several main characters haven't died from all the damage they've sustained.

But as many things that can be said against it can also be said for it. "Save the Green Planet" is a true original, a movie that only a total mind-job could make and is interesting, if not always pleasant, to watch. It helps that there are a number of entertaining references dispersed every so often to keep the viewer going, and that there's the occaisional glimmer of sanity in everything that's so terribly off-kilter. The filmmaking is as good as anything else in the film, well-executed and often joltingly original. It's a visionary film, if an undeniably strange one.

Area 88, Vol. 3: Tightrope at the Speed of Sound

Average customer rating:

Disappointing, yet very entertaining
Finally, a new Area 88 anime!
It's fair

Area 88, Vol. 3: Tightrope at the Speed of Sound
Starring: Area 88 TV
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Area 88, Vol. 4 - Wings of the Wind
Area 88, Vol. 2: A Lonely Crossing of Paths
Area 88 - Target 01 - Treacherous Skies + Series Box
Area 88 - Original OVA Series
Yukikaze, Vol. 2 - Fog of War

ASIN: B000B8I9TU
Release Date: 2005-11-15

Description

Japanese ace Shin Kazama was staring at a cozy future at Yamato Airlines, where he was dating the president's daughter. Instead, he's tricked into signing on as a mercenary and now must serve a three year hitch or raise $1.5 million to buy his way out.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing, yet very entertaining.......2006-06-23

So I've been a big fan of Area 88 ever since the original anime came out in the 80's. It had a gripping plotline, superb character development, and great combat scenes. Too bad they made only one of the three volumes into a DVD.

I was extremely elated at the news that ADV films was going to remake Area 88. After I watched the entire series, I must admit that I was a little disappointed, but found it still very entertaining to watch, and that's the reason why I still give it a 4.

There were a couple of things about the new series that I did not like. First of all, the original series was rated MA, meaning it was meant for the mature viewers. The blood, violence, nudity, and language all added to the dark, desperate tone of the original series. However, with the new Area 88 series, the rating was a TVPG. Not even a TV PG-13. Wow, this change took a lot out from what I believe the original creator had intended. I felt like it was a watered-down version of the original series.

Secondly, the new series had new characters and left out some of the old characters from the original series. I actually liked the new characters a lot. They added a lot to the plot and discreetly revealed some key elements about the main character, Shin Kazama. However, the mere fact that some of the original characters were taken out infuriated me. They had contributed so much in terms of character development and unfolding of some of the mysteries in the story.

Having said that, I do not want to judge this series in comparison to the original series. Instead, I rate it on its own at 4.

I still recommend watching this anime. It's a great series.

Finally, a new Area 88 anime!.......2006-04-20

Area 88 (2005.)

INTRODUCTION:
In Japan over the years, a very popular manga series is Area 88. The series, based on a mercenary Air Force base in the middle east, has only grown in popularity over the years. In 1985, it inspired a three-part anime series. In 1991, it inspired a launch-era game for Nintendo's then new Super Nintendo video game system. I came to be aware of the series by playing the aforementioned game (it was called U.N. Squadron for its American release), and many years after playing it I learned that the series inspired the 1985 anime, which I promptly watched. Needless to say, it impressed me. And I was even more excited when I heard that in 2005, a NEW, twelve-episode series of Area 88 anime would be released! So, how is the new animated take on Kaoru Shintani's classic manga? Read on for my review of Area 88.

OVERVIEW:
Area 88 tells a story of a mercenary Air Force base in the middle-eastern kingdom of Aslan, a kingdom torn apart by a bloody civil war. Pilots from all over the world have enlisted to serve at Area 88 and fight in this civil war - A young middle eastern prince trying to toughen himself up, a former Vietnam combat pilot, and even an airline pilot trainee who was tricked into enlisting by his so-called friend. There are only four ways to get out of Area 88 alive - serve for three years, pay a one-point-five million dollar breach of contract fee, desert the base successfully, or be killed in action. With these mercenary missions being the only way these soldiers can earn the money to go home, they fly frequent missions, day in and day out alike. And the conflict is only growing...

REVIEW:
I am, for the most part, satisfied with this new, twenty-first century take on Area 88. However, in a lot of ways, I actually preferred the older 1985 anime take on the series (of which, sadly, only the first of three parts ever got a DVD release.) Let me clear up that this is a REMAKE of the older series, not a continuation of it. Now, onto my critique. Where this series succeeds is in serving up some of the finest animated aerial action around. The series uses REAL plane types and weapon types, and with the well-developed characters, it's believable. It's a serious series, so if you're looking for a fantasy-oriented series and/or one with lots of comic relief, look elsewhere. This series consists of twelve episodes, while the older series consisted of three extended-length episodes. I really can't say which series is better, the old one or the new one, but if you're a fan of aerial combat, check out both series. The new series isn't the leaps-and-bounds improvement over the earlier series I was hoping for, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great series in its own right.

DVD:
The DVD has bonus features, but I wish there had been more episodes on the DVD. The price range for this DVD is all over the place (I've seen it anywhere from $20-$30.) At the suggested retail price, another episode would have been nice - I would have sacrificed the bonus features for one more episode. In my opinion, the DVD is a little too pricey (some TV shows' season sets cost the same price!), but if you like this sort of thing, it's worth buying.

OVERALL:
Final verdict? If you want the best, most realistic aerial combat anime series around, Area 88 will fit the bill nicely. It's great to see that Kaoru Shintani's series is still doing well, even after all these years. And this new anime series breathes new life into an old franchise. I strongly recommend this series.

It's fair.......2006-01-16

I think that Area 88 deserves some respect considering that it's the first anime to really go into the spectrum of modern (or near-modern) air combat. The dogfighting sequences are fast paced, if not too unrealistic, and will satiate almost any aviation buff. That being said, there are a few low points as well.

Being only 12 episodes long, the main plot is built very quickly, rushed actually, with time wasted in small single-show subplots, more especially early on. It's not until disc 2 that you really learn what's going on, and disc 3 finally expands on that. Disc 3 felt pretty much like 2 or 1; great air to air action certainly, but the plot forced into 12 episodes makes the viewer less empathetic with the main and supporting characters.

All in all, if you're a fighter jet fan and would like a show with that Top Gun feel to it, more luster; fast '60s and '70s-era planes blasting one another out of the sky, and less plot line, or less pronounced plot line, more correctly, than by all means, this is for you. If you're more into plots and complex storylines, you might want to pass this one over. If you're part of that later party, but have a real affection for fighter aircraft, you will probably still find a good deal of enjoyment in this show.

Average customer rating:

Tightrope Production: Daytona Unplugged
Starring: Daytona Unplugged
Manufacturer: Mo' Music Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000HIP46U
Release Date: 2006-09-12

DVD:

DVD

Johnny Mnemonic [1996]

DVD: Hollywood Western Classics 1

Doctor Wai / Jet Li - The Kung Fu Years