Merlin

Starring:Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, Helena Bonham Carter, Martin Short, John Gielgud, Paul Curran (II), Jason Done, Rutger Hauer, Isabella Rossellini, James Earl Jones, Mark Jax, Jeremy Sheffield, Daniel Brocklebank, Lena Headey, John McEnery, Thomas Lockyer, April Mills, Billie Whitelaw, Agnieszka Koson, Emma Lewis
Director: Steve Barron
Studio: Live / Artisan
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Perhaps the most charming movie of all time, Amélie is certainly one of the top 10. The title character (the bashful and impish Audrey Tautou) is a single waitress who decides to help other lonely people fix their lives. Her widowed father yearns to travel but won't, so to inspire the old man she sends his garden gnome on a tour of the world; with whispered gossip, she brings together two cranky regulars at her café; she reverses the doorknobs and reprograms the speed dial of a grocer who's mean to his assistant. Gradually she realizes her own life needs fixing, and a chance meeting leads to her most elaborate stratagem of all. This is a deeply wonderful movie, an illuminating mix of magic and pragmatism. Fans of the director's previous films (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children) will not be disappointed; newcomers will be delighted. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay, this magical comedy earned overwhelming acclaim nationwide! A painfully shy waitress working at a tiny Paris cafe, Amélie makes a surprising discovery and sees her life drastically changed for the better! From then on, Amélie dedicates herself to helping others find happiness ... in the most delightfully unexpected way! But will she have the courage to do for herself what she has done for others?

Customer Reviews:

The best Movie!.......2007-06-28

This movie is a MUST watch and buy!! It is in my top 5 list of fav movies, and comes in 2nd place, after True Romance. My boyfriend and I watch it all the time and love seeing new things in it eachtime! It's SO AWESOME!!

Rent it first.......2007-06-10

This movie is good, but I don't see myself watching it again. I should have just rented it.

A great movie.......2007-06-06

I don't even like reading subtitles, but this movie is so awesome I don't mind it. Buy it!

Very French, very charming, very funny!.......2007-05-28

This movie is a definite must-not-miss. It's a very French, very feel-good, very colorful romantic comedy. The colors in this movie are so inviting and the characters are very quirky! Pop this movie in whenever you're feeling down...it'll definitely cheer you up :)

I really really tried to like it.......2007-05-27

What is up with all the fuss? The fan-club reviews here have me all excited before I watched it. It did nothing for me. Didn't inspire me. Didn't make me laugh. Didn't make me think. Didn't entertain me. I did like the green and beautiful scenery and the cute girl. Except for that scene where the little girl kept messing with the tv antenna to get back at the person who made her believe she was responsible to all those car crashes by taking pictures with her camera, the movie did not have any other funny moment. It's not for me. Please wake me up when it's over. Thanks.

Average customer rating:

Classic 80's flick
Still Great After All These Years!
Rough, Gritty, and Not Lacking in Truth
Creativity, madness and hard lessions. Realistic and enteraining.
Fame

Fame
Starring: Irene Cara , Lee Curreri , Laura Dean , Antonia Franceschi , and Boyd Gaines
Director: Alan Parker , and Mark Schneider (II)
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

Flashdance
A Chorus Line
Footloose (Special Collector's Edition)
Fame - The Complete First Season
All That Jazz - Music Edition

ASIN: B00008WJBF
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Description

At the New York City High School for the Performing Arts, students get specialized training that often leads to success as actors, singers, etc. This movie follows four students from the time when they audition to get into the school, through graduation.

Amazon.com

This early effort by director Alan Parker is lively but jagged as it follows four students through their years in the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. Rather predictably, the kids fall into four clearly defined stereotypes: brazen, gay and hypersensitive, prickly, shy. It makes up for a disjointed presentation with a lot of heart and a great soundtrack (for which it won two Academy Awards). The hopes and disappointments, failures and successes of these teens are fodder for emotional scenes and exuberant dancing in the streets. It also turned out to be the first of many imitators and spawned a popular television series. (It was the breakout film for the short-lived feature film career of Irene Cara, who sang the title song.) --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

Classic 80's flick.......2007-05-12

Very good acting and writing. The music is OK kinda corny ,but overall Great Movie.

Still Great After All These Years!.......2007-05-07

Although I LOVED this movie when I was in college, I wasn't sure if my high school drama students would get anything out of it because it is more than 25 years old. However, my students talked about the characters for days and really enjoyed the movie. It is still timely and fresh, and they could relate to the characters. They greatly enjoyed the music, too. I would recommend this movie to any performance student or to anyone with a passion for his or her career. It is still quite an inspirational movie.

Rough, Gritty, and Not Lacking in Truth.......2007-04-17

Having been born after the time of Fame and other break out movies of the time, I knew that this was something I had to experience much the same way as my mom did when she was younger. What I hadn't expected was the terribly torn reviews between either hating it or loving it.

Still, I went with my gut and purchased the video to find meaning to both sides of the story.

First, the audition sequence was very long, much longer than necessary even. While it was interesting and visually appealing, it got sort of boring and right when you thought that it was never going to end, the students get their calls of acceptance!

Beginning Freshman year with "Hot Lunch" sets the mood for the rest of the movie, energetic and in your face. Students dancing and singing all over the place show us the naivety of the youth as they begin their journeys toward becoming performers.

The movie did have continuity issues and was inconsistant in it's presentation of each year. It spends too much time on Freshman and Sophomore year and shortens Junior and Senior year to maybe 15 minutes more or less. The fast pace of the movie, however is what gives it it's feel and it's ravor sharp edge.

The issues are real though I don't believe that ever single person should have suffered from them. A previous reviewer described the movie as pornographic which it is not at all. Bare chests do make several appearances through out the movie (mostly involving Irene Cara's barely noticable breasts), but there are no explicit sex scenes or even noises. There are two implied scenes and you don't see anything but the girl beckoning that the guy follow, no more.

All around. this movie has an impact many movies fail to achieve. It defines a subculture, a dream, and an era that will not soon be forgotten in pop culture. If you are looking for a snappy dancey musical with an upbeat ending, pass this one up and I suggest you take a look at Grease or Rent. If you want reality and hard hitting truths backed by an incredible soundtrack, then take a look at this.

Creativity, madness and hard lessions. Realistic and enteraining........2007-03-25

-I got hooked on the Fame TV series when it was actually on TV. Then in the ninety's, I rented the movie and was shocked by the content, especially Coco's screen test that turned out to be with a porn producer(not overt). But it is a good lesson to better learn through the screen and not in real life. Just having purchased and watched it, I would recommend this to anyone that had aspiring childern; though be it with caution. One of the things that I noticed was the shell that many of the students found themselves in and how they broke out of it. It is also a good progression of going through the high school years.
-It reminds me of my high school days when I was involved with art[photography] and known as the academic smartass. I was a frequent award winner and at one of the ceremonies, a person asked how I was able to beat him out. Never thinking about the other winners, I mentioned that I simply competed with myself, to do the best work that I could put out. This theme comes through in the movie with the characters, as well. You may be the best dancer and find that you are in rough competion with yourself regarding academics. It also demonstrates that becoming the best also relies on the other people in your life that break through and make a difference.
-Anyone that enjoys live performance would be interested in this as it illustrates the behind the scenes sacrifice and commitment that performers actually make. A very enteraining deciption of everyday life and how to get the most out of it.

Fame .......2007-02-12

I forgot that I enjoyed the tv series a lot better than the movie. There were too many characters with too many issues and the movie was too short to cover them all. The tv series allowed these issues to be explored. It was was a good concept for a movie but not put together well at all. I forgot how disappointing the movie was.

Average customer rating:

me please
Wings of Desire is better by far
The Original Is Better
City of Angels
meg ryan fan

City of Angels
Starring: Nicolas Cage , Meg Ryan , Andre Braugher , Dennis Franz , and Colm Feore
Director: Brad Silberling
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

What Dreams May Come
Michael
City Of Angels: Music From The Motion Picture
Meet Joe Black (Ultimate Edition)
The Family Man

ASIN: 0790737345
Release Date: 1998-09-29

Amazon.com

Some critics complained that City of Angels could never compare to Wim Wenders's exquisite German film Wings of Desire, which served as the later film's primary inspiration. The better argument to make is that any such comparisons are beside the point, because Wings of Desire was a much more deeply poetic, artfully contemplative film, whereas City of Angels is an enchanting product of mainstream Hollywood. Meg Ryan stars as Dr. Maggie Rice, a heart surgeon who is grieving over a lost patient when an angel named Seth (Nicolas Cage) appears to comfort her. She can see him despite the "rule" that angels are invisible, and Seth's love for Maggie forces him to choose between angelic immortality and a normal human existence on earth with her. Featuring heavenly roles for TV veterans Andre Braugher and Dennis Franz, the film liberally borrows imagery from Wings of Desire, but it also creates its own charming identity. Cage and Ryan give fine performances as lovers convinced they are soul mates, and although the plot relies on a last-minute twist that doesn't quite work, this earnest love story struck a chord with audiences and proved to be one of the surprise hits of 1998. The Special Edition widescreen DVD includes audio commentary by Nicolas Cage, producer Charles Roven, and director Brad Silberling in addition to deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a featurette about the film's special effects, and the theatrical trailer. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

me please.......2007-06-27

Found the item to be of good quality what was said was what I got found them to be reliable and effficient. Thank You.

Wings of Desire is better by far.......2007-05-16

"Wings of Desire" (the movie that "City of Angels" is loosely inspired upon), is a masterpiece and "City of Angels" is...is... how could I explain it not being too rude? It is just a piece of junk in comparison. Somebody wrote that he didn't like "Wings of Desire" because he didn't feel the same as he felt watching "City of Angels". I agree in the "feeling" part, because I felt nausea watching "City of Angels" and that didn't happen to me watching "Wings of Desire"!! I own "Wings of Desire" and have seen it and enjoyed it many times. Regarding "City of Angels", well I rented it and barely could see it once!

The Original Is Better.......2007-05-13

Back in 1988, on a friend's recommendation, I saw "Wings of Desire" in the theater and loved it. Subsequently, I was interested when Hollywood made its own version of Wim Wender's film with Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan, both actors whose work I've enjoyed. I saw "City of Angels," and for the most part I liked it -- that is, until the very end. What a DOWNER!! No matter that the movie gets all psedo-warmfuzzy-philosophical and time-to-get-out-your-handkerchiefs, it misses the point of the original film, which was a celebration of Human Life and Love. I own the DVD of "Wings of Desire." One viewing of "City of Angels" was enough for me.

City of Angels.......2007-05-09

this is a great movie, a must have. Beautiful music. Two wonderful actors with very expressive eyes. upgrade to DVD

meg ryan fan.......2007-03-18

i like this movie because for me, it was a nice, simple story about love. it made me think and it reminded me not to take life, love and peoples feelings for granted...

Average customer rating:

Pure Genius!! Just give it some time.
The City of Lost Children
What I thought
All I can say is "Wow" !!!
GREAT MOVIE

The City of Lost Children
Starring: Briac Barthelemy , Guillaume Billod-Morel , Geneviève Brunet , Marc Caro , and Jean-Claude Dreyfus
Director: Marc Caro
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

Delicatessen
Dark City (New Line Platinum Series)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Time Bandits (Special Edition)
A Very Long Engagement

ASIN: B00000K3TS
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Amazon.com

The fantastic visions of Belgian filmmakers Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet find full fruition in this fairy tale for adults. Evoking utopias and dystopias from Brazil to Peter Pan, Caro and Jeunet create a vivid but menacing fantasy city in a perpetually twilight world. In this rough port town lives circus strongman One (Ron Perlman), who wanders the alleys and waterfront dives looking for his baby brother, snatched from him by a mysterious gang preying upon the children of the town. Rising from the harbor is an enigmatic castle where lives the evil scientist Krank (Daniel Emilfork), who has lost the ability to dream and robs the nocturnal visions of the children he kidnaps, but receives only mad nightmares from the lonely cherubs. Other wild characters include the Fagin-like Octopus--Siamese twin sisters who control a small gang of runaways-turned-thieves--Krank's six cloned henchmen (all played by the memorable Dominique Pinon from Delicatessen), and a giant brain floating in an aquarium (voiced by Jean-Louis Trintignant). Caro and Jeunet are kindred souls to Terry Gilliam (who is a vocal fan), creating imaginative flights of fancy built of equal parts delight and dread, which seem to be painted on the screen in rich, dreamy colors. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Pure Genius!! Just give it some time........2007-06-12

At this very moment, I'm watching this film for about the 20th time to gauge on whether or not it has withstood the test of time. I can honestly say that it still ranks in my top 10 all time favorite films (although I'm not sure what the other 9 are).

Reading the review by herstory and her pathetically ignorant "It should have been made in America" statement angered me enough to write my first review of this since I saw it in the theater 10 years ago. Being from the states, I'm ashamed at the level of ignorant ethno-centrism prevalent among many from the US. I absolutely love this movie as it is unmatched in artistic vision, unless of course you count Gilliam, Burton, and Jackson (Heavenly Creatures before LOTR).

Admittedly, I didn't fully appreciate this movie the first time. After the third of fourth viewing, the story began to make much more sense. Most negative reviews have noted that there are holes in the plot, but I strongly disagree. Give it a few more viewings and I'm sure you will agree that the open-ended aspects are much more intentional that you previously thought. Every great song, film or piece of art takes needs time to marinate in order to fully appreciate every dynamic layer. This is no exception.

The City of Lost Children.......2007-05-17

The City of Lost Children is a wonderfully strange dark movie that just blew me away. I prefer the French version. I find that I get distracted if the dialogue doesn't go with mouth movements. I loved the setting, filming, special effects. It ranks very high in my list of really great weird movies.

What I thought.......2007-05-15

The music in this video is amazing, not to mention the story, I like it for the fantasy theory as well as the "tripyness" of the plot. The charactors played their parts well, and I will watch it again and again.

All I can say is "Wow" !!!.......2007-04-02

I work at a video store , and I would see people rent this movie once in a while . Finally , I decided to rent it , and ( with no expectations except that it would probably be wierd ) watch it on my day off . What I watched was one of the best movies I have ever seen . It is a perfect mix of a fairy tale and a nightmare . A dream cocktail , if you will . Incredible cinematography and equally great acting . I can't believe that I , being the movie geek that I am , hadn't seen this already . I am sure glad I did though . I highly recommend you do the same .

GREAT MOVIE.......2007-03-26

I had seen this movie a couple of years ago and I have always wanted to see it since. I bought it finally and I'd have to say that I liked it alot more the first time, and it is not a movie I can watch "over and over"
This movie is very dark, and there are alot of subtle funny parts to it. The cinematography is beautiful, and the children in the movie are superb actors. I suggest this movie if you don't mind subtitles and you have an open mind and a good sense of humor. If you like this movie you should also see Delicatessen.

Average customer rating:

THE MAGIC OF DVD
Still the best, but why calling it Special Edition?
I first seen this on tv
Arthurian Fun!
Another view of the Arthur Legend

Merlin (Special Edition)
Starring: Sam Neill , Helena Bonham Carter , Miranda Richardson , John Gielgud , and Martin Short
Director: Steve Barron
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Miniseries | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Mists of Avalon
Merlin's Apprentice
The 10th Kingdom
Merlin: The Return
Arabian Nights

ASIN: B0002235PS
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Product Description

In the classic tale of good of good and evil, the wise old wizard Merlin recounts how he and Arthur fought to overcome wickedness and defeat Mab, the queen of Darkness.

Bonus Features

5.1 Audio, 2.0 Dolby Stereo

The magical making of Merlin

Director Commentary Steve Barron

Charlotte Church music video

Documentary Featurette and more

Spanish subtitle Available

System Requirements:

Running Time 182 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com essential video

What kind of guy was the wizard Merlin, anyway? He lives a long time, raises a boy to be a king, props up a Utopian empire with his magic and wisdom, and then watches as it all crumbles under such banal forces as vengeance and betrayal. This four-hour miniseries re-tells the story of Camelot and King Arthur from the perspective of the magic man who sacrifices a great deal to guide mortals toward a better destiny. Sam Neill plays Merlin as an accessible, flesh-and-blood fellow of real passion, powerless to undo the spell of a rival (Rutger Hauer) who has virtually imprisoned Merlin's great love, Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), but gifted enough to counter the treachery of Morgan Le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter) and the wicked Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson). The battle sequences and special effects are striking and original, and it is great fun to see such art-house movie actors as Richardson, Carter, Neill, etc., in fantasy entertainment the whole family can enjoy. (An unrecognizable Martin Short must be singled out, however, for a wonderful, largely dramatic performance as Mab's sidekick, Frik.) Directed by Steve Barron (The Adventures of Pinocchio), Merlin is a nice bit of glossy revisionism of a beloved legend. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

THE MAGIC OF DVD.......2007-06-01

The movie is amazing i could watch it agian & agian its amazing and now a magical dvd set just makes better. I first saw the movie when I was 6 years old and now I am 13.AND I STILL LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still the best, but why calling it Special Edition?.......2007-05-11

There is nothing on this disc, that was not already in the previous one.

Nothing except perhaps the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Stereo sound, which in the previous appearance had been reduced to a simple 2.0 Channel Stereo sound.

The specials are the very same you had before.

The screen ratio remains the classic TV 1.33:1 ratio screen resolution, which can be "expanded" to Full Screen, but watching the actual filming of the movie in the Making of, I seemed to have recognized a Panaflex camera moving around, hence it could have been transferred either in 1.78:1 or even in a matted 1.85:1 screen ratio as well.

But perhaps they already lost that copy.

Anyway, the acting by everyone involved in this project is magnificent and involving. Sam Neill, Martin Short, Miranda Richardson and Helena Bonham-Carter, without forgetting brief appearances by Rutger Hauer and John Gielgud give their very best and seem to truly have fun playing their respective roles.

The story flows and grips you from the very first shot, to the very last, without ever becoming too obvious or boring.

The special effects for a TV Movie of that era (late Nineties) are exceptional and very well interwoven within the story, without ever becoming overbearing on the plot.

This is the true Family Movie everyone should have. It has fun moments, dramatic moments and even magical moments for everyone to enjoy.

If this movie had been made to be shown in movie theaters, I am sure it would have won an Oscar for best leading Actor (Sam Neill as Merlin) and also best supporting Actress (Miranda Richardson in her double role as Mab, Queen of the Old Ways and as the Lady of the Lake).

I can highly recommend it in the present format.

I first seen this on tv.......2007-05-06

I THOUGHT THIS MOVIE HAD FANTASTIC EFFECTS ALSO MYSTICAL GREAT ACTORS GOOD STORY LINE I HAD TO ADD IT TO MY COLLECTION IF YOU LIKE MYSTICAL MOVIES WITH SOME SUSPENSE AND A LOVE STORY WOULD BE A GREAT MOVIE FOR YOU !!

Arthurian Fun! .......2007-03-14

This movie is a little bit hokie but the special effects are pretty good and overall it's a good movie. It is a very different telling of the King Arthur story. The chief differences are that this story diverges drastically from Malory and that it is told from the viewpoint of Merlin instead of Arthur or Lancelot as the traditional renderings are. If you're looking for magical fun and adventure this is a good choice!

Another view of the Arthur Legend.......2007-02-16

Merlin is a movie, originally made for TV, that presents a different view of the legend of King Arthur. The cast is excellent, the concept well thought out, and the historic details quite correct. The story line has a unique approach to a well worn subject. Like the real legend, this has mature content handled in an appropriate manner. It is not a children's film. Done on a modest production budget, it lacks the very sophisticated computer generated effects that would elevate this to a theater quality release. If you are a fantasy fan and enjoy knights in armor, dragons, and sorcerers, this is a film for you.

Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy

Average customer rating:

A only so/so documentary about Globalization
Commanding Heights
Excellent
Well Done
Important to know who author is affiliated with!

Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy
Starring: David Ogden Stiers , Joe Stanislaw , Newt Gingrich , Tony Benn , and Paul Volcker
Director: Greg Barker , and William Cran
Manufacturer: WGBH Boston
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Politics | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

WGBH Boston | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Documentary | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

The Commanding Heights: The Battle Between Government and the Marketplace That Is Remaking the Modern World
Life And Debt
NOVA - World in the Balance: The Population Paradox
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The Corporation

ASIN: B00006HAZF
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Amazon.com

The history and impact of the new global economy are made clear--and compelling--in Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy. This three-part, six-hour documentary does an astonishingly thorough job of dissecting and explaining macroeconomics and their current political and social importance without ever causing a loss of consciousness for the viewer. Part 1, The Battle of Ideas, chronicles the history of economic thought from the start of the 20th century and its socialist reforms right through the deregulation of the 1980s. Part 2, The Agony of Reform, explores the upheavals that such deregulation caused, focusing primarily on economic growth and gains and touching briefly on the wrenching consequences for the poor. Part 3, The New Rules of the Game, explores the consequences of globalization, including terrorism and the contagion of market collapse. The series makes good use of both large- and small-scale examples, and features interviews with several major world leaders. There is a slight teenybopper feel to The Battle for the World's Economy's admiration for today's celebrity economists, but the contagious enthusiasm is part of what makes the series so interesting. Big ideas are made extremely accessible to the average viewer (without condescension). Well worth watching. --Ali Davis

Description

Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy confronts head-on Americans' critical concerns about the new interconnected world. Based on the best-selling book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, this groundbreaking series explores our changing world—the great debate over globalization and the future of our society.

Commanding Heights reunites the team that created The Prize— award-winning producer William Cran (From Jesus to Christ) and Daniel Yergin—and is the first in-depth documentary to tell the inside story of our new global economy and what it means for individuals around the world. Filmed on five continents, the powerful narrative combines stunning film footage with dramatic stories and extraordinary interviews with world leaders and thinkers from twenty different countries, including: Bill Clinton, Dick Cheney, former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, Mexican President Vicente Fox, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew, former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin, Rep. Richard Gephardt, and President George W. Bush's Economic Advisor Lawrence Lindsey.

Commanding Heights dramatically captures the issues that have defined the wealth and fate of nations and shows how the battle over the world economy will shape our lives in the twenty-first century.

Special DVD Features Include: ? Access to the Commanding Heights Web site, including: ? An exclusive time map, which provides an interactive atlas of economic history ? Comprehensive transcripts from on-camera interviews, and biographies of the people who played significant roles in the development of the modern global market ? An online teacher's guide that provides suggestions for applications of the Web site in classroom instruction ? An excerpt from the companion book to the series ? A complete list of interview subjects included in the series ? Chapter breaks ? English audiotrack and subtitles ? On three DVD5 discs.

Customer Reviews:

A only so/so documentary about Globalization.......2007-06-16

The series is based around the contrasting economic views of John Maynard kenyes and Freidrich Von Hayek whose competing ideas have polarized the debate over how much we should regulate our economies. The current belief, held by the majority of economists and popularized by the Chicago school, supports Hayek's view that less control is better. However what gets excluded from the frame this documentary draws around the debate is the fact that, today, when we talk about "free economies" we are still talking about economies that are run by centralized banks. So what we are really talking about-- and this might be confusing because the language used by Hayek supporting economists suggests total and absolute freedom-- is only a relative notion of freedom within what still remains a heavily planned economy. In other words we have centralized banks here in the west that serve the exact same function that centralized banks do in communist, state controlled, economies. The single difference is our centralized banks are privately owned. So the question which this series never asks is who owns these banks?

If you buy this DVD series, which you should if you are interested in understanding more about the economy and the issue of economic globalization, be very critical of the bankers in it who profess to believe in a free market economy-- or more to the point suggest that we are actually living in one. Of course we don't because our economy is run behind closed doors by the privately owned Federal Reserve banking system who prints our fiat currency. Which pretty much tells us, right there, to what extent our economy is managed, because a fiat currency, by definition, requires heavy centralized regulation.

As Thomas Jefferson warned at the founding of our country, if you give the banks the authority to print and regulate money they will end up stealing all of the country's wealth. While this DVD series is informative it also frames the debate in such a way that excludes one from asking themselves questions about the increasing inequality of wealth and its relationship to the increasing control central banks are exhibiting on the world's currencies, while simultaneously erroneously suggesting that we are actually moving, through globalization, to a more free and open economy.

In short what this documentary will not inform you about is that everyday more and more of the world's debt is owned by fewer and fewer people, and that means that wealth is being consolidated through centralized banks into fewer and fewer hands. Consequently, I feel, that the real issues concerning globalization are actually different than these authors purport them to be.

Commanding Heights.......2007-05-07

Excellent and informative. If you wish an understanding of where we are in the world economically, how we got there, and where we are headed this is a great view.

Excellent.......2007-03-01

Anyone interested in the various schools of thought from Friedman and the Chicago monetarist to the Austrians and the pure free markets to the Keynesians of Cambridge and Boston should see this set. It gives you the evils of government intervention and socialism in the market place up close. Argue as much as you want put every thought under the microscope of academic scrutiny and eventually you realize most economic books, works and college classes are taught by someone on the dole getting paid to keep the bureaucracy in business. Less government to the point of no government is the remedy. Maybe the state pays your bills unless you're at Hillsdale or Grove City but truth can not be argued with. This is a must see set for first or second year college econ students.

Well Done.......2007-01-10

A professional presentation of 20th century macroeconomics that is historically accurate, unbiased, educational and easy to follow.

Important to know who author is affiliated with!.......2007-01-02

Just to let everyone know - Yergin is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Average customer rating:

Delightful
"I'm Number 34 ~ When Vengence is Allied With Justice"
Love this show
Best film adaptation yet, but still not perfect
The Count

The Count of Monte Cristo
Starring: Gérard Depardieu , Ornella Muti , Jean Rochefort , Pierre Arditi , and Florence Darel
Director: Josée Dayan
Manufacturer: Koch Lorber Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Cyrano de Bergerac
All the Mornings of the World (Tous les matins du monde) Two-Disc Edition
The Count of Monte Cristo
Queen Margot (La Reine Margot)
The Horseman on the Roof

ASIN: B000BFJM26
Release Date: 2005-12-06

Product Description

Alexandre Dumas' THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO follows the adventures of Edmond Dant s (G rard Depardieu), a 19th-century French version of James Bond or Batman, a rich, ruthless, and suave purveyor of homemade justice. This French production goes all out, having the destinction of being the first filmed version of the newly restored unabridged version of Dumas' classic, which runs about 800 pages. The movie was filmed all over Europe, has a cast of thousands where even the extras are big names, and, with an original running time of more than six hours, doesn't leave out any detail from the celebrated novel.

System Requirements:

Running Time 360 Mins.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Delightful.......2007-06-27

This DVD deserves more than 5 stars. Is very fine making and pleasant. More indepth of the story. As European I was delighted to spend hours of
viewing this French version....WELL DONE .....

"I'm Number 34 ~ When Vengence is Allied With Justice".......2007-06-02

Note: French with English subtitles.

The French adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo' released in '99 as a television mini-series is a daunting 6 six hour and 54 minute production that is at times a little challenging to stay with, but overall will prove to be a satisfying and enjoyable watch. Gerard Depardieu is superb as the brooding and calculating Edmund Dantes proving once and for all that he is truly one of the best actors in the world today. The locations and sets are magnificent, the acting excellent and the women beautiful (Julie Depardieu as Valentine, Florence Darel as Camille, Ines Sastre as Princess Haydee and Ornella Muti as the beloved Mercedes).

Word of advice, take your time to watch this feature over a period of several sittings. If you tire at any given point turn it off and come back again later, you'll enjoy the subtle nuances that permeate this extaordinary film much more if you're rested and focused.

My rating: 4 1/2 Stars.

Love this show.......2007-05-16

I saw this on TV and loved it. I taped it on VHS, with commercials, finally decided to purchase a DVD. Gerard Depardieu is wonderful in the part, I like that it's in French with subtitles, and it's of course a great story with all the elements.

Best film adaptation yet, but still not perfect.......2007-02-19

I'm a big fan of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, and read an unabridged version (the penguin classics edition) about 2 years ago. As you can imagine, faithfully converting a 1200+ page novel to film, even a 6 1/2+ hour film, is extremely difficult.

Judging the film on its own merits, it probably would have earned 5 stars. Despite it's length, it really doesn't have very many "slow" parts and I enjoyed it quite a bit, watching it over a period of two evenings. There are a few cheesy parts (it seems somewhat low budget and/or cheesy at times compared to the hollywood films we're used to), but the overall piece is excellent. The acting was good and the subtitles didn't bother me a bit, although I've never been bothered by subtitles.

I am a little bit surprised, however, at some of the reviews stating how true this film is to the novel - there really are a number of completely unneccessary differences versus the novel.

For example, it completely glosses over the entire first 1/4 or so of the book, without developing the relationship between Dantes and his accusors, and between Dantes and Faria. They also unneccessarily changed the dialogue of several key scenes, such as with Dantes' controntation with Morcerf, which detracted somewhat from the story if only for those of us who have read the book (come on though, how could the director think he knows better than Dumas?). The worst offense, however, was the ending - they completely changed it! Now, I understand some of the differences versus the novel were necessary given the task of converting 1200+ pages to 6.5 hours, but many of the differences were quite simply unnecessary and detracted from the story - hence the reason for 4 stars instead of 5.

On the plus side, I think Depardieu's interpretation of Monte Cristo was quite good, if a little unbelievable (come on, in order to pull off masquerading as 3-4 different characters without anyone catching on would require somewhat nondescript features, i.e. near average height and build ... Depardieu sticks out like a sore thumb regardless of which disguise he's wearing). But his Monte Cristo isn't the all-knowing, invincible Monte Cristo from the novel, and I think that does make the viewer better able to relate to the character.

Overall - a good interpretation of a great story. It's not perfect, but it's probably the best film adaptation out there.

The Count.......2007-01-26

I am a Monte Cristo fan and I have all versions but one - the Richard Chamberlain version (anyone wanting to sell?) - and I rate this as good, although highlighting different parts of the original story. A fantastic and entertaining film.

Average customer rating:

DVD REVIEW
Heartwarming Story
Once upon a time under Connecticut sky, there was a slice of heaven named Mystic Pizza!
A Movie Worth Watching With a Comfortable Feel to It
Mystic Pizza and Small town Romance

Mystic Pizza
Starring: Annabeth Gish , Julia Roberts , Lili Taylor , Vincent D'Onofrio , and William R. Moses
Director: Donald Petrie
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

Dying Young
Stepmom
Satisfaction
Something to Talk About
Runaway Bride

ASIN: B000053VB4
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Product Description

"Filled with heart and humor" (The New York Times), Mystic Pizza charts the lives and loves of three unforgettable waitresses in a little town called Mystic. Starring Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich), Annabeth Gish (Beautiful Girls) and Lili Taylor (The Haunting), Mystic Pizza "has all the right ingredients of a main-course favorite" (Video Movie Guide). For sexy Daisy Araujo (Roberts), her sensible sister Kat (Gish) and their wisecracking friend Jojo (Taylor), the summer after high school is a summer they'll never forget. Slinging pizza at a local restaurant, the three girls share their hopes, dreams and plans for escaping their small town. And when Daisy is swept off her feet by a wealthy young man named Charles, they all think she's found her ticket out. But when the girls learn that Charles isn't the man they think he is, they discover that with friendship and self-respect, not only will they find real happiness (and a way out of Mystic)...they just might find themselves!

Amazon.com

A sweet and sassy comedy about the bonds of sisterhood, Mystic Pizza offers the opportunity to see some solid young actors early in their careers. Three sisters of blue-collar Portuguese descent work in a pizzeria in the coastal town of Mystic, Connecticut. Each has her own unique romantic entanglements. One is the fast girl in town (Julia Roberts), who falls for a rich kid but wonders if she'll ever be accepted; one is the lifelong local girl (Lili Taylor) in love with her fisherman boyfriend (Vincent D'Onofrio) but scared of what marriage will do to their sex lives; and the youngest sister (Annabeth Gish) dreams of going to Yale but during a summer of baby-sitting has an affair with a married man. Through it all each sister depends on the others regardless of the complications. It's the alluring charm of the three disparate leads that makes Mystic Pizza the delightful experience it is. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

DVD REVIEW.......2007-05-13

Excellent choice, one of Julia's earlest...this made her. Speaks volumes for early career. Great movie...witty...

Heartwarming Story.......2006-11-18

There is something magical about this film in its simplicity in examining the needs of the human heart. It is a comedy light in nature but handles its subject very well. It never fails to entertain and continues to draw you in with repeated viewings. Romance can be beautiful and charming and dear to the human spirit.

Once upon a time under Connecticut sky, there was a slice of heaven named Mystic Pizza!.......2006-08-06

This is one of these movies that exudes a distinguished freshness, that touch our hearts and spirits, making us to think about the singleness and kindness of the human nature.

Two sisters: Daisy (Julie Roberts) and Kate ( Annabeth Gish); a beloved friend Jojo (Lili Taylor) work at Mystic pizzeria. And this delightful picture elapses between the lives and times of these three adorable women; each one of them with her dreams and love affairs; someone of them fortunate; others simply a beauty illusion.

As you may guess this summer breeze picture has all what you wish to seduce you. Enrapturing landscapes, spontaneous performances, splendid script and a delirious scent to pizza hard to forget.

This is an invitation for you to make reservation around this magical and adorable tour. A superb artistic feat of Donald Petrie.

A Movie Worth Watching With a Comfortable Feel to It.......2006-07-02

Watched the 1988 movie "Mystic Pizza" today. It was one of the first movies for the female leads Julia Roberts , Annabeth Gish (native of Cedar Falls, Iowa), and Lili Taylor. Interestingly, Gish's name appears before Roberts in the credits at the end. Gish has gone on to a productive career, mostly in television, Taylor has moved into a career in more independent, quirky movies while Roberts has gone on to...well, you know.

I read Roger Ebert's review and he gave the movie 3 1/2 starts (out of 4) when it came out. I wouldn't rate it that high (maybe 2 1/2 or 3 out of 4), but the movie has kind of a comfortable feeling to it and gets better as it goes along. You don't see many movies about work & work environments these days and I think the scenes in the Mystic Pizza Parlor are pretty good. The romantic storylines are pretty standard and as Ebert says, "The movie isn't really about three girls in love; it's about three girls discovering what their standards for love are going to be." All-in-all I liked the movie. Oh, and watch carefully for Matt Damon in his big-screen debut!

Mystic Pizza and Small town Romance.......2006-04-14

Julia Roberts pre-Pretty Woman. In Mystic, Conneticut, four Portugese-American friends (including 2 sisters) have one last summer together before heading off to begin their adult lives. One bound for Yale, another headed for a walk down the aisle, and two more working as waitresses trying to find themselves. Each find romance and the challenges of it. It's a great take on how the one summer before we must grow up, is one to savor.

Average customer rating:

An absolutely brilliant film, deeply disturbing
Repulsion
Someone other than Deneuve, perhaps?
Deneuve Tour de Force
Keep the mind games coming!

Repulsion
Starring: Catherine Deneuve , Helen Fraser , John Fraser , Yvonne Furneaux , and Hugh Futcher
Director: Roman Polanski
Manufacturer: ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS INC.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Tenant (1976) (Ws Sub)
Belle de Jour
Don't Look Now
The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me but Your Teeth Are in My Neck
Knife in the Water - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B0007GAG42
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Amazon.com essential video

Roman Polanski was still a newcomer to the world of cinema when he unleashed this unforgettable exercise in skin-crawling terror. Repulsion was the Polish director's first film in English, but that hardly mattered: much of the movie is as wordless (and as weird) as the silent Nosferatu. The young Catherine Deneuve plays a Belgian girl stranded in '60s London, a shy beauty with no social skills. When her sister leaves their shared flat, Deneuve goes gradually, quietly, completely mad. Her world becomes Polanski's paintbox, as the devilish director distorts reality via a series of surrealistic touches (grasping hands that protrude from elastic walls) and out-and-out murderous horror. Very few films cast the kind of eerie spell that this 1965 classic achieves, and it clearly points the way toward Polanski's Rosemary's Baby. As with most of the director's work, what is unsettling is not the overt violence, but the terrifying sense of emptiness and isolation, and the boiling unease inside one's own mind. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

An absolutely brilliant film, deeply disturbing.......2007-07-04

It would not be a good idea to try to psychoanalyze Catherine Deneuve's character in this film. What director Roman Polanski has done is make a composite of a number of disorders and give them to Carole. She is a bit autistic in that she stares at cracks in the ground or at the shape of objects and is basically unsocial. She has a bit of a tic as might be found in say Tourette's syndrome as she rubs the right side of her nose sharply several times when perhaps she is nervous or unsure. She is catatonic at times and violently psychopathic. The repulsion she feels most strongly is toward men. They make her physically ill. She has nightmares and/or delusions or fantasies about being raped. She is reticent to an extreme. I doubt whether such a combination of behaviors actually exists in the DSM-IV, which of course was not yet in print when Polanski made this film.

I was tempted to title this review, "Catherine Deneuve as a slasher: a lesbian thriller," which is accurate to some extent, but it would be unfair to the movie to narrow it so. Carole (Deneuve at 21 or 22) is strikingly appealing despite the weirdly overdone blonde hair, and she is in nightgown for most of the last part of the film. But don't look for any nudity. Polanski concentrates on the horror angle throughout.

But this is a horror movie with artistic power. Instead of the woman alone in her apartment with tinkling music in the background as we wait for the monster who is to rape and murder her, we have Carole alone in her apartment with the madness in her mind and people wanting to get in to show her their love or to collect the overdue rent. Instead of us fearing for her safety, we fear for those who come into contact with her.

Polanski's direction is taunt, focused and filled with tension because we have no idea what is going to happen until the film is over. I liked the touch of having us hear the water drip. Somehow that sound, which we would only hear when everything is quiet and we (or she) are listening intently, heightened the tension and the sense of madness. I also liked the ending with all the neighbors nosily pouring into the apartment.

Deneuve's performance in this English language film set in London is one of her best without any doubt, and she has a very long line of credits. Everything is about her face and her body language. She even walks a bit awkwardly, and her continence is anything but becoming and she seldom smiles. She does laugh once when a coworker tells her about a Charlie Chaplin movie--in fact she laughs uproariously--but Polanski does not give us a frontal shot of her face at that time. Mostly hers is a face filled with fear and apprehension. Her eyes dart about and her lips remain shut. She looks longingly out the window at the nuns and children in the church's playground next door. Perhaps she should have entered a convent. Perhaps, barring what really happens, she might have.

Of course the setup is not perfect. The very fact that Carole could be in her twenties and have gone so long without her symptoms leading to her incarceration is surprising. That she could have kept a job is also surprising. And how such a beautiful girl could have kept the boys and lechers at bay for so long is also a mystery. On the other hand it can be argued that the fact that she is left alone by her sister for a few days combined with the overly earnest advances of an insensitive man brought her to a crisis.

This is a deeply disturbing film done in a sparse and focused manner that will put you and keep you on the edge of your seat until "The End" appears on the screen, which it does.

Repulsion.......2007-06-28

Roman Polanski's first English-language film makes for a potent shocker, as we watch a human psyche unravel, with violent implications. The young Deneuve, only a year after premiering as the picture of innocence in "The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg", is mesmerizing as the demented Carole, a tragic but terrifying creature well past the point of no return. Unsettling, first-rate psychological horror.

Someone other than Deneuve, perhaps?.......2007-06-26

Repulsion (Roman Polanski,1965)

Polanski's first English-language film follows Carole Ledoux (Catherine Deneuve), a shy, sexually-repressed twentysomething in sixties Britain who's as horrified at the sexual revolution as she is terrified of men. Her personality is held in check by her sister (Helene Ledoux), who's also her roommate in the city; when she and her boyfriend go on holiday to Italy, Carole's neuroses are allowed to run rampant, leading to all manner of ugly incidents.

Perhaps I'm being nitpicky about this. After all, the movie's depiction of the steep descent into madness is accurate enough that it managed to get the film past the British censorial board with nary a cut, and Deneuve's portrayal of that descent is a fine one. My problem with it is that Carole, as a character, just doesn't seem to match that portrayal. How many neurotic man-haters do you know who traipse around the apartment in see-through lingerie? Not many, I'd expect. But Deneuve's natural, almost aggressive, sexuality stands in stark contrast to the character she's portraying, and it jars throughout the film. I understand why Polanski cast Deneuve here; I'm just not sure either she or Polanski knew exactly what to do with the role. (I grant you, in the sixties, a few years before the big upsurge in popularized therapy and big research grants, it may not have been as big a dichotomy as it seems today.)

Still, if you suspend disbelief far enough, or are simply willing to jettison it altogether for long, sumptuous looks at Catherine Deneuve wearing very little (even if juxtaposed by a skinned, never-cooked rabbit whose decay is a somewhat over-obvious parallel to Carole's mental decline), Repulsion is a gripping film, and well worth your time. *** ½

Deneuve Tour de Force.......2007-06-17

When this preeminent Polanski movie came out in its DVD edition, the cover blurb labeled it as being about a woman who is sexually repressed, who is disgusted by sex. I avoided it because of that description. I thought it would turn out to be just another cautionary tale for women who aren't sufficiently responsive - ready, willing, and available at all times. But that characterization of the movie is totally misleading. Promoters probably just wanted to work the word "sex" into a prominent place on the DVD cover. The movie is actually about a woman who has a more general social phobia, and who becomes increasingly imprisoned by her reluctance to engage with the world on any level. Polanski was ahead of his time in tackling such a theme, in the days before OCD was a commonly diagnosed syndrome.

So although a lot about the movie is very modern, in another sense, Catherine Deneuve's descent into madness reminds me of Charlotte Gilman's classic Victorian-era short story, "The Yellow Wall Paper." This famous short story puts us inside the head of a woman going slowly insane as she's mesmerized by the swirls of pattern in the wallpaper of the bedroom where she's confined. Deneuve almost single-handedly carries this movie tale of a woman similarly transfixed. There isn't exactly Hitchcock suspense here, but most viewers will probably experience a cringing anxiety about how much Deneuve's neurosis will bleed into raw psychosis as the film progresses.

Before I saw the movie, something about its title always struck me as being likely off-key and ungrammatical. Shouldn't it be "Revulsion?" Like the passive/active difference between infer and imply - it seemed as if "Revulsion" would capture a person's recoil from intrusions by the outside world, while "Repulsion" would connote an active, even violent, riddance of something that encroaches. After having actually seen this movie though, I realize that "Repulsion" is the right word after all.

Keep the mind games coming!.......2007-06-16

I heard much about Roman's first English-language film for the majority of my life, but I never got around to viewing it until yesterday. I'm sorry it took me so long because what a classic, what a treasure, and what mind games it plays on the audience!

Some folks here just don't "get it" about this movie, and, since they don't, they certainly will never understand Polanski's handling of his craft.

He doesn't explain everything in his movies, thereby giving the viewer freedom to come to their own conclusions. It also opens the way for people to view his films a second and third time, and beyond, to just try to *begin* to understand what it is Polanski is conveying. I like a bit of mystery whenever I'm in movie-watching mode.

In "Repulsion," we're made to go mad with Carole, whether we want to or not. We live in her world, and it's a unique experience to figure out that world sans a voice-over telling us everything we're eventually going to find out during the course of the film. You wonder why she acts the way she does and why she does what she does. (The movie is *way* more complicated than her going mad from not having sex!)

There's nothing like a good ol' horror flick that gets into psychological mind games. It's something present day horror directors don't practice and/or believe can work anymore: Horror can be effective without copious amounts of blood being spilt, heads being chopped off, or corpses sewn up and put on display.

The psychology of horror is what keeps me coming back for more. "Repulsion" has got my attention! - Donna Di Giacomo

Average customer rating:

Required for the true horror collection...
Pretties For You
.
John Carpenter is the True "Prince of Darkness"
So close...

Prince Of Darkness
Starring: Donald Pleasence , Jameson Parker , Victor Wong (III) , Lisa Blount , and Dennis Dun
Director: John Carpenter
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

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

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

In the Mouth of Madness
They Live
The Thing (Collector's Edition)
Village of the Damned
Vampires

ASIN: B0000AOX0A
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Amazon.com

The B picture lives on in the films of John Carpenter. Prince of Darkness weds supernatural horror with quantum weirdness, when a group of theoretical-physics students, led by their professor, Birack (Victor Wong), joins forces with a priest (Donald Pleasence) to forestall the coming of the Dark Lord. His Darkness has been imprisoned in a cylindrical container as a swirling green plasma since time immemorial, and is now beginning to find his way out. All of this is bolstered by a lot of fancy science talk (all of which is real, I can assure you--someone did his homework), which allows us to settle down, say okey dokey, and enjoy the thrills that this presages. As the title character spreads his contagion through the group of students, holed up in a church to study the sequestered Satan, the film shapes up as an homage to George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, much like Carpenter's earlier film, Assault on Precinct 13. But this adds the twist of quantum physics dovetailing with religious orthodoxy, and in the bargain spawning numerous zombie minions. There are plenty of squishy splatter opportunities, the kind that make some affected people say, "This is a bad movie!" while they grin from ear to ear. Look for Alice Cooper as a street schizo. I think you'll recognize him. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

Required for the true horror collection..........2007-03-14

This is a great movie. There's a blend of sci-fi and horror - old fashioned horror from the 80s. This is a smart movie, a creepy movie, and a horror movie all rolled into one. You will apreciate the brilliance of John Carpenter after this. It has a slow steady pace that digs deep into your fears and eventually you will be dreaming about the movie and waking up scared to go back to sleep. Classic....must have for the collection. Watch it every 2 or 3 months or so...

Pretties For You.......2007-02-17

Figures. Just when I thought this movie was about the emergence of the AntiChrist, Alice Cooper himself shows up and all hell breaks loose.

........2007-02-06

This is a frustrating film. Slow burn pacing worked with "Halloween" because it mirrored its methodical killer. Here, the climax cries out for the action to speed up. Some would argue this off-beat aesthetic is what makes John John, but I feel the culprit here is having material enough for only fifty minutes. The levity was also a misjudgement. He should have played this one deadly straight. On the plus side, the photography, psychedelic score and chilling ending. Let's face it, John is macabre.

John Carpenter is the True "Prince of Darkness".......2006-12-04

This is another masterpiece from Carpenter. The other reviewers here and the synopsis of the film really say it all as far as plot goes, but what empressed me the most with this story is how Carpenter spends some real quality time helping us get to know the characters and getting attached to them. This is one of his more thoughtful suspenseful films even though it also does the requisite gory stuff. The script is extremely literate, even the scientific info is very acurate in the film.

The acting is well-above average for a chiller which is a nice change of pace from the typical acting in this genre. The special effects and make-up are a little dated, but still acceptable by today's standards. The music isn't as memorable as Halloween, The Fog, and The Thing, but it's still eerie and effective. The setting is appropriately claustrophobic. There are a few awkward moments in the film, but nothing significant to detract from the overall effect of the film.

This is an intelligent B-horror film that Carpenter gives the "A" treatment. This DVD belongs in your horror collection for sure.

So close..........2006-10-29

This is a very strange movie to review. Most people, upon seeing it for the first time, will dismiss it as a laughable b-movie. The thing about it, is that Carpenter comes THIS close to creating a masterpiece that would rival "The Exorcist".

"Prince of Darkness", if you give it another viewing or two, you will realize how close he came to greatness. Maybe if the budget had been higher, or if the cast had been a little more 'A list'. If you have seen many Carpenter movies, you will recognize many of the faces from his other movies, including a few from "Big Trouble In Little China", which itself is not just a good bad movie; it is a GREAT bad movie. But then, it's the cheesiness and low budget feel that makes it a Carpenter project.

This is a truly scary movie because the fear comes from the ideas presented, not bogeymen jumping out of closets. It invokes the concept of Quantum Physics, that things can be 'dreamed into existence', making almost anything, including true evil, possible.

To quote an actual scientist that I heard speak a while back: "If quantum physics doesn't scare the holy crap out of you...you don't understand quantum physics."

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

Daughter of Horror (1955)

Daughters Of Satan

Bonanza: Badge Without Honor

DVD: VeggieTales Classics - Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed

Classic - Industrial Engines