In Hell

Starring:Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lawrence Taylor (II), Lloyd Battista, Carlos GÃ³mez (II), Manol Manolov, Chris Moir, Billy Rieck, Kaloian Vodenicharov, Malakai Davidson, Veselin Kalanovski, Ivo Tonchev, Juan FernÃ¡ndez, Raicho Vasilev, Milos Milicevic, Michael Bailey Smith, Jorge Luis Abreu, Marnie Alton, Michail Elenov, Yuri Safchev, Robert LaSardo
Director: Ringo Lam
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

To call The Judi Dench Collection a treasure trove is indubitably cliché, but that's so much classier than "Dench-a-Palooza." Essential for fans of the great Dame, theatre buffs, and drama students, this eight-disc set is an embarrassment of riches, with nine BBC productions of classic and original plays, plus three radio plays and excerpts from televised interviews, one of which features her moving rendition of "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music, for which she won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical (is there nothing she can't do?). They etch an indelible portrait of an artist with a compelling presence and staggering range. Judi Dench is one of those actors who rarely seem to make a false move, handling wrenching drama, madcap farce, and witty comedy with equal aplomb. John Hopkins' Talking to a Stranger (1966) is a British television benchmark that is mentioned in the same breath as Dennis Potter's masterpieces. Dench won her first BAFTA (the British equivalent of the Oscar) for her role as a damaged sibling in a dysfunctional family. Dench stars as Anya in Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, a 1962 production translated by, and starring, John Gielgud and, as Madame Ranesvky, Peggy Ashcroft. Ashcroft is a hard act to follow, but Dench pulls it off in a 1981 production in which she assumes the role of the irresponsible aristocrat.

Georges Feydeau's Keep an Eye on Amelie (1973) is a carefree hour in which Dench stars as a coquette who agrees to marry a confirmed bachelor (Patrick Cargill) so he can inherit a million francs. This production is paired on disc 4 with writer Michael Frayn's (Noises Off!) award-winning comedy Make and Break, which unfolds at a trade fair in Frankfort and stars Dench as a devoted secretary to a work-consumed boss. Two powerful dramas comprise disc 8, Going Gently, for which Dench earned another BAFTA as a hospice nurse to two adversarial patients, and Can You Hear Me Thinking?(1990), starring Dench and her late husband Michael Williams (A Fine Romance) as parents whose lives are shattered when their teenage son develops schizophrenia. Ibsen's still potent Ghosts (1981) boasts a stellar ensemble, including Kenneth Branagh as doomed son Oswald and Michael Gambon as Pastor Manders, with Dench as Mrs. Alving, whose respected late husband led a dark, secret life. Anything but, Absolute Hell (1991) is a lost-souls black comedy starring Dench as Christine, the proprietor of a bohemian nightclub in post-World War II London. The cast includes her future Notes on a Scandal costar, Bill Nighy, as a washed-up writer. Stardom in the States came late to Dench. This collection allows her audience to catch-up with these mostly towering performances that established her as one of the premier actors of our time. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Dame Judi Dench is one of the most celebrated stars of stage and screen. She is the winner of an Academy Award(R), two Golden Globes, an unprecedented seven Olivier Awards, and numerous BAFTAs. At the BBC, she has appeared in a dazzling range of material from sitcoms to Shakespeare. This collection contains ten star-studded BBC productions spanning four decades and ranging from the Feydeau farce Keep an Eye on Amelie to Ibsen's Ghosts with Kenneth Branagh, Michael Gambon and Natasha Richardson and Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard with John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft and Ian Holm. And tucked away among the bonus features is a 1996 interview in which she sings "Send in the Clowns" from her Olivier-winning performance of A Little Night Music, just one of the many gems in this glorious testament to one of the greatest performers of our time.

DVD Features:
Featurette:Judi Dench: My Favorite Things (1985, RT: 30 min) BBC profile of Judi Dench in which she discusses her passions
Interviews:Judi Dench talks to Richard Eyre (2002, RT 59 min)
Other:Three Radio Plays With Great Pleasure (1991, RT: 44 min) Are You Still Awake?(1994, RT: 15 min) Amy's View (2000, RT: 123 min)

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT COLLECTION OF A GREAT DAME!.......2007-07-03

This is an excellent collection of Judi Dench's fine work for BBC Television. It spans her career from the early sixties to the nineties.
You will also get some very nice extras to enjoy.
This is a "must" for every fan of this great actress!

Not quite what I expected.......2007-06-19

I don't need to express how much I like Judi Dench. It would be excessive, and too sickeningly precious.

Although I thought Judi Dench deserved the Oscar for "Notes on a Scandal," (and other past films) this television and radio retrospective is one I could have lived without. It has nothing that remotely comes close to the quality of Ms. Dench's film work.

As for this interminable boxed set of Ms. Dench's dalliances into television and radio, I was never so disappointed. Indeed, to be subjected to two productions of Chekhov's "Cherry Orchard" is enough to free my point of any ambiguity. Simply put, two "Cherry Orchard's" are two too many. Where's my razor blade?

"Talking to a Stranger" was rather more than I could take. Can you say, manic?

The only reason to buy this collection would be for "Make or Break" with a marvelous supporting cast including the great Robert Hardy, (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Elizabeth R, Edward the King, Middlemarch, Bramwell, and Harry Potter). Then there is, "Absolute Hell" with Bill Nighy, (The Lost Prince, The Pirates of the Caribbean II and III), Francesca Annis, (Cleopatra, Lillie, Edward the King, and Under the Cherry Moon) and another equally well rounded ensemble as "Make or Break." Both TV movies are wonderful.

The poetry readings are a nice touch. They are readings before an audience from several well versed poets. Each poem is read by Mr. Michael Williams and Ms. Judi Dench. Michael Williams (Elizabeth R, and Educating Rita) is Ms. Dench's late husband. He also co-starred with her in "Can You Hear Me Thinking?" in this collection. Despite the fact Williams and Dench are both in it don't expect too much viewing this 'illness-of-the-week-movie.' Its teleplay is short on facts and made with typical stiff British upper-lip for its subject matter. There is one exception. Michael Williams plays his role of father with greater depth of character then Judi Dench does playing mother. It remains to mention, Michael Williams played a minor role in the film "Tea with Mussolini." Sadly, the husband-wife team of the smash-hit sitcom, "A Fine Romance" (1981-1984) had no extensive scenes together in the film. Mr. Williams (a gifted actor by reason of his own ability) died of lung cancer shortly after his final TV film "The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns" on January 11, 2001 at Hampstead, London, England.

Judi Dench's portrayal of an actress in the radio play, "Amy's View," is that of another abhorrent virago to utterly despise. If one likes that sort of thing - or simply worships everything Dench - one can engage in uproarious Bacchanalian festivities. Perhaps that was the point. However, an actress playing an actress behind the scenes is rather a bore these days. Dench plays at being a selfish, temperamental, helpless character always in need. She's never happy with what shes got - no, not even with her own daughter. Yet, she's perfectly content living with a swindler - or so she tries to convince herself. Her character exists in a world of her own making and without any redeeming qualities. Compassion, love, and forgiveness do not exist in her narrow view of life off stage. Hence, the feeling that accompanies an experience of a thespian being indulgent exists in large quantities as one listens.

There is also a ghastly aggrandized installment called, "Ghosts" by Ibsen, starring Natasha Richardson (Patty Hearst, and Widows Peak) and the brilliant Kenneth Branagh (Chariots of Fire [uncredited], Henry V, Dead Again, Peter's Friends, Much Ado about Nothing, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Othello, The Proposition, William Shakespeare's Hamlet, The Theory of Flight, Conspiracy, and Shackleton). Unfortunately, "Ghosts" is a production cooked too long and anything but edible! It is a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image of life, which is, in fact, less than anything based in reality. Allow it to be stated, though, it is understood one person's idea of art (whatever the exact definition of art might be these days) can be another person's Grimm's fairytale!

The early interviews with Ms. Dench are charming. Yet, one might wonder about her later interviews before sinking their hard earned pennies into this collection. After all, not all of us live the life of a 'Superstar.' I shall say but this - they are a bit pretentious. One fellow 'board-walker' (acting as interviewer) is befitting those inclined to social exclusiveness, who rebuffs criticism of those considered inferior. His posturing is similar to W.S. Maugham's character 'Mr. Warburton' in Maugham's short story "The Outstation." That interview alone caused me to reevaluate how I view Ms. Dench (the actor) from such a distance. Often distance opens the mind to clarify the difference between falsity and truthfulness. Although I admit I like Ms. Dench's work I do not think I'd care to know her or meet her on the street. No star can sum up the life of anyone on a chance encounter. I've met, worked with (and been around) enough of them to know - ma'am.

Nonetheless, yes Ms. Dench, we know too well how difficult it is to do the work you do. Believe me 'Joe Public' (as you call us) really does understand. Work is work for all of us!

Ms. Dench singing "Send in the Clowns" was brilliant - the TV host sycophantic. At this price, two TV movies, a poetry reading, a song (and a partridge in a pear tree!) from the entire lot, aren't worth it for this Judi Dench fan falling out with the celebrated Dench charm.

With the lack of more recent readings for the BBC such as "Pangbourne," this box set is more like "mother's little helper," - about 40 milligrams forced for several days!

Who knows, I may watch again one snowy night and change my mind - but I doubt it - it doesn't snow where I live!

I don't expect too many positive ratings for this review either. Don't bother please.

Now I feel as if I got my money back - oh how delicious!

Bravissima Judi!.......2007-05-20

Proof that Ms. Dench is one of our finest actresses today. An important set to own and cherish! And as "icing to the cake" her superb rendition of "Send in the Clowns" is included.

Can't help lovin' that dame.......2007-05-14

Absolutely great! Judi Dench is the best of the best, and it's a real privilege to at last be able to see some of her extraordinary early work, along with some of her more recent, highly acclaimed roles as well. The special features are treasures.

The Best of the Best of Judi Dench.......2007-05-06

Fantastic collection of rare Judi Dench films. Keep THE GHOSTS, THE CHERRY ORCHARD (1981) and KEEP AN EYE ON AMELIE. J. Dench is remarkable, excellent dramatic actress and amazing comedienne, as well. Very interesting also the extras.

Event Horizon (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Could've been great.
some event!!
Very good film
Event Horizon
The average person has no idea what quality is.

Event Horizon (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Laurence Fishburne , Sam Neill , Kathleen Quinlan , Joely Richardson , and Richard T. Jones
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E1NXAY
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Amazon.com

Drawing from Andrei Tarkovsky's heady science fiction meditation Solaris by way of Alien and Hellraiser, this visually splendid but pulpy piece of science fiction schlock concerns a mission in the year 2047 to investigate the experimental American spaceship Event Horizon, which disappeared seven years previously and suddenly, out of nowhere, reappeared in the orbit of Neptune. Laurence Fishburne stars as mission commander Captain Miller and Sam Neill is Dr. Weir, the scientist who designed the mystery ship. Miller's T-shirt- and army-green-clad crew of smart-talking pros finds a ship dead and deserted, but further investigations turn up blood, corpses, dismembered body parts, and a decidedly unearthly presence. It turns out that the ship is really a space-age haunted house where spooky (and obviously impossible) visions lure each of the crew members into situations they should know better than to enter. The ship is gorgeously designed, borrowing from the dark, organic look of Alien and adding the menacing touch of teeth sprouting from bulwark doors and clawlike spikes inexplicably shooting out of the engine room floor. Unfortunately the film is not nearly as inventive as the production design--it turns into a woefully inconsistent psychic monster movie that sacrifices mood for tepid shocks--but the special effects are topnotch, and ultimately the movie has a trashy B movie charm about it. --Sean Axmaker

Description

The year is 2047. Years earlier, the pioneering research vessel Event Horizon vanished without a trace. Now a signal from it has been detected, and the United States Aerospace Command responds. Hurtling toward the signal's source are a fearless captain (Laurence Fishburne), his elite crew and the lost ship's designer (Sam Neill). Their mission: find and salvage the state-of-the-art spacecraft. What they find is state-of-the-art interstellar terror.

Customer Reviews:

Could've been great. .......2007-05-27

This movie had so much going for it, but it never really found its groove. So many elements necessary for a good sci-fi thriller were there but not put to good use.
Having said that, I still recommend checking it out. It's kind of a mess, but I can't deny the creep factor of this movie. It's dark and brooding and has a few good shocks.
As with everything else I've seen by Paul Anderson, something's missing. It's the body of a good movie absent a soul. Maybe one of these days he'll get it all together on one. I'll look forward to it.

some event!!.......2007-05-13

Not worthy of the fifth star, as I found the editing to be confusing, with a 'limited budget' feel about it, with the acting not as expected from the known actors.

Very good film.......2007-05-07

Event Horizon is a very good film spawned from a unique idea. The blend of sci-fi and horror borders on genius. It was equally original and terrifying. I like the idea of having a futuristic film involving space travel that doesnt involve a ridiculous story about aliens. Lawrence Fishburne is outstanding in this movie. I think it's a must have for any intelligent person who appreciates a movie that is outside the realm of typical American cinema. This film can be appreciated even if you dont like sci-fi or horror. It's that good.

Event Horizon.......2007-03-20

This is probably one of the scariest movies of all time. Sam Neil at his best. You've got a great script mixed with awsome special effects. This movie is just all around pleasing, and I recommend it for any library.

The average person has no idea what quality is........2007-03-05

This review will be used interchangeably for a few titles. Event horizon, The darkness (Anna Paquin), And Jeepers Creepers. These are all excellent in one way or another, have good production values and acting. Jeepers has the best movie monster creation of the last 20 years. And the darkness has a great story and a solid non happy ending. Event horizon has excellent acting by Sam neill and Laurence fishburn and a truly creepy story. The bottom line is you see reviews for movies like these and Wes Cravens They for example where many people give them 2 star ratings while going on and on about The grudge or the ring 2 or house of wax, Blair witch 2 and Ring around the rosie (one of the worst and most pointless movies Ive ever watched.) This just goes to prove once again that the average person refuses to think and doesnt want a movie that might require any thought to follow. Originality is punished by the masses because clever things make them feel dumb.

In Search of History - Hell's Angels (History Channel)

Average customer rating:

So-So documentary
Hell's Angels History
Why so homogenous?

In Search of History - Hell's Angels (History Channel)
Starring: In Search of History
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000AABL4O
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Description

Are they romantic figures of rebellion, or traveling, rowdy misfits? Jump on you "hog" and ride along as we reveal the history of this motorcycle club with a punch! From inception by a former pilot from the "Hell's Angels" squadron, to the true incident on which "The Wild One" is based, to today, it's a ride you won't want to miss.

Customer Reviews:

So-So documentary.......2007-03-19

Informative, But overpriced and not in- depth and complete according to other accounts. If you want to know about the HA, I would suggest reading Sonny Barger's book "Hells Angels".

Hell's Angels History.......2007-01-18

Great DVD, factual but would need to be updated a bit.
They really did do a good job in capturing the true American Hell's Angels story.

Why so homogenous?.......2006-12-27

This work was informative. I learned when and how the motorcycle group formed. I learned that their symbol has a patent. The cable channel that produced this work is notorious for cheesy reenactments of historical events. They don't use those here because there is plenty of footage of actual bikers. I sympathize with their leader's, Sonny Barger's, struggle with throat cancer. Still, I think his difficulty speaking may help current smokers consider quitting before it's too late.

The documentary does say the group never lives up to others' expectations, be it hippies, federal prosecutors, or others. Still, I am disappointed how the documentary doesn't explain why the group seems to be composed entirely of white males. They show women as the bikers' girlfriends, but not as members. Why is there no Hell's Angelettes or does the documentary just ignore them? The group started in California, one of the country's most diverse states, yet no member seemed to be Black, Latino, Native, or Asian. When I saw that the group had a Johannesburg chapter, I was especially concerned, because that chapter may have been apartheid era footage. The film "Biker Boyz" is almost all Black. Are bikers segregated by race and do the Hell's Angels promote that division? The work never says. It renders whiteness and maleness as universal in very problematic ways.

The work does say Hollywood is fascinated by the group. However, it doesn't mention that John Goodman played a biker on "The Simpsons" and that some Hell's Angels were in the Eurythmics' video "Thorn in My Side."

Average customer rating:

Hell in The Pacifc
I didnt go through hell
A Different Kind of War Movie
Hell of a good movie!
Hell in the Pacific

Hell in the Pacific
Starring: Lee Marvin , and Toshirô Mifune
Director: John Boorman
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001GF2FQ
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Amazon.com essential video

Lone Japanese soldier Toshiro Mifune diligently scans the ocean from his island lookout as he must have thousands of times before, but this time he spies an abandoned life raft resting on a rocky bluff. Within minutes he's face to face with American sea-wreck survivor Lee Marvin and the two begin an elaborate game of cat and mouse. Director John Boorman presents this two-man war as a deadly game between a pair of overgrown children, who finally tire of it (as kids will) and settle into tolerated co-existence and then even something resembling a friendship. With impressionistic strokes, Boorman paints a lush tropical paradise in colors you can drink from the screen, capturing the texture of their experience as refracted through the cinema: the look of the island as seen through the haze of smoke, the sound of a sudden rainstorm as it hushes the island in a calming roar, the timelessness of life outside of civilization. The story seems almost secondary, an allegorical drama that comes alive in the excellent performances by Marvin and Mifune (who soon enough converse despite their complete inability to understand each other's language) and the visceral immediacy of Boorman's gorgeous widescreen images. Hell in the Pacific is not a tale told as much as a film experienced. --Sean Axmaker

Description

From the director of Excalibur and Deliverance comes this "gripping" (Leonard Maltin)adventure about two wartime enemies trapped alone on a desert island. Academy AwardÂ(r) winner* Lee Marvin (The Dirty Dozen) and Toshiro Mifune (The Seven Samurai) deliver "striking and well-etched performances" (LA Herald-Examiner) in this searing psychological drama that packs "plenty of action and excitement" (Motion Picture Herald)! From the instant they meet, a marooned American soldier (Marvin) and his Japanese counterpart (Mifune) have the same objective: killing each other. But it soon becomes apparent that the only way they will survive isby forging an uneasy truce and cooperating with each other. Can they rise above the hatred that divides them long enough to stay alive?

Customer Reviews:

Hell in The Pacifc.......2007-05-07

I'm one of the big fan of Mifune. He is the first and last big Japanese actor approved in the world, I think. And also, Lee Marvin is one of my favourite US actors. These two big in Japan and US in one film. I think we never miss it...

I didnt go through hell.......2007-03-25

The movie was great, and an absolute classic. The characters wre well established and thought out. I reccomend this film to everyone, with no exceptions......

A Different Kind of War Movie.......2006-07-15

Watch it English,then in Japanese with Subtitles. Well done acting and visuals. There is a lot here. Meaningful to all.

Hell of a good movie!.......2006-06-25

For a 1968 Hollywood-bankrolled war movie, HELL IN THE PACIFIC was almost right up there with the best of "foreign" films of the Sixties. Featuring only two characters throughout---a Japanese officer and an American office marooned together on a otherwise unpopulated Pacific island in 1944---the film puts us immediately into the difficulties facing the two men, who are enemies by their circumstances and literally cannot understand each other. The story of how they deal with their plight unfolds in ways that make perfect sense, and both Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune as the two exiles give performances that are both believable and affecting. In fact, the only thing that keeps this from being a five-star movie for me is the very end, which feels like it was grafted on at the behest of the studio heads; the alternate ending, included on this DVD release, makes much more sense and would have been better. But up until then you're watching one of the best war movies ever made.

Hell in the Pacific.......2006-03-18

This is a quirkey and unique little movie. Definitely not perfect, but different, rewarding, and thought prevoking on several levels. I am not a Lee Marvin fan but I thought he and Toshiro Mifune did an excellent out-of-the-box acting job in this movie. If you liked the "The Gods Must Be Crazy" movies you will probably like "Hell in the Pacific".

Average customer rating:

Could've been great.
some event!!
Very good film
Event Horizon
The average person has no idea what quality is.

Event Horizon
Starring: Laurence Fishburne , Sam Neill , Kathleen Quinlan , Joely Richardson , and Richard T. Jones
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305222916
Release Date: 1998-12-15

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Could've been great. .......2007-05-27

some event!!.......2007-05-13

Not worthy of the fifth star, as I found the editing to be confusing, with a 'limited budget' feel about it, with the acting not as expected from the known actors.

Very good film.......2007-05-07

Event Horizon.......2007-03-20

The average person has no idea what quality is........2007-03-05

The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Region Free Import)

Average customer rating:

Stones shine amid the horror

The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Region Free Import)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Music Video | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video
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Message to Love - The Isle of Wight Festival

ASIN: B000CDWDN2

Product Description

In December of 1969, four months after Woodstock, the Rolling Stones and Jefferson Airplane gave a free concert in Northern California, east of Oakland at Altamont Speedway. About 300,000 people came, and the organizers put Hell's Angels in charge of security around the stage. Armed with pool cues and knifes, Angels spent the concert beating up spectators, killing at least one. The film intercuts performances, violence, Grace Slick and Mick Jagger's attempts to cool things down, close-ups of young listeners (dancing, drugged, or suffering Angel shock), and a look at the Stones later as they watch concert footage and reflect on what happened. ++++ DVD FEATURES: This officially licensed release from South Korea is All-Region NTSC Code 0 (playable worldwide) with Full Screen display and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound in ENGLISH with optional (removeable) English or Korean subtitles. EXTRA FEATURES: Interative Menu; Audio Commentary: Albert Maysles - Director, Charlotte Zwerin - Director, Stanley Goldstein - Collaborator; Additional Footage: Censored Footage; Additional Audio Material: Excerpts from KSAN radio's post-Altamont broadcast with introduction by DJ Stefan Ponek; Outtakes: Backstage Outtakes; Deleted Scenes(Songs): "Little Queenie," "Oh Carol," and "Prodigal Son"; Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer Bonus Original Theatrical Trailer - GREY GARDENS; Bonus Original Theatrical Trailer - SALESMAN; Bonus Original Theatrical Trailer - GIMME SHELTER (re-release); Documentary: Restoration Demonstration; Text/Photo Galleries; Stills/Photos: Altamont Stills (featuring photographs by Bill Owens and Beth Sunflower); Filmographies: Albert Maysles - Director, David Maysles - Director, Charlotte Zwerin - Director

Customer Reviews:

Stones shine amid the horror.......2005-12-01

Watching this after a screening of WOODSTOCK is a real study in contrast. ALTAMOUNT was always on my radar, growing up, and I had seen this in the theater back in the 70s, but revisiting it now ... what a revelation. There was a perception that WOODSTOCK had been an incredibly significant event in the counter-culture galaxy; a peace+love tribal congress. This concert came four months later, and because it was the west coast rebuttal to the upstate NY megafest, would be even better - better bands, better drugs, hipper hippies, freakier clothes, groovier vibes. The crowd shots are both revealing, and inevitably, terrifying as the claustraphobic crush tightens around the stage (crowd control plans, anyone?) and the HELLS ANGELS react like bears in cages being poked with sticks ... they erupt in an orgy of beatdowns and over-the-top violence. After all, that's what they do. Was anyone truly surprised? The various bands (Airplane, Santana, Dead, Stones) are merely ineffectual witnesses (with a good view) to what goes on, tho Marty Balin does get coldcocked during the Airplane set. I'm sure the musicians to this day feel fortunate that they did not get stomped on stage by the ever-growing legion of wild-eyed, wooly strangers standing nearby. (keep an eye out for the 300 lb. naked man careening through the crowd) If Woodstock gave us a pleasant marijuana buzz, Altamount grinds our collective molars with a bad blend of street meth and bootleg LSD. Man, am I glad I wasn't there.
All this being said, a good portion of this excellent documentary features the Stones backstage, in the recording studio, on the road, and performing with aplomb at a Madison Square Garden show. In '69, after all, they were in midseason form.

Average customer rating:

always a fan of 'in hell'
Van Damme is on the way up! 3.5 Stars
one twisted but moving story
Wow!
This is a Van Damme movie???

In Hell
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Lawrence Taylor (II) , Lloyd Battista , Carlos Gómez (II) , and Manol Manolov
Director: Ringo Lam
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Replicant
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Desert Heat

ASIN: B0000DBJ2C
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Description

Inside the most corrupt prison in Europe's Eastern Block, the warden pits prisoners against each other in fights to the death for profit. The brutality transforms the inmates into dreaded monsters. The contender is Kyle LeBlanc (Jean-Claude Van Damme, "Derailed"), who is sentenced to life for killing his wife's murderer. Facing the brutality, Kyle starts to become one of the monsters he dispises, but his savage rage may be what saves his life.

Customer Reviews:

always a fan of 'in hell'.......2006-11-26

I don't know what it is about "In Hell" that I've continued to like all these years. I don't watch alot of fight movies by jean-claude, or by anyone as a matter of fact...but this one sticks with me. it's your typical tough guy fight movie, acting is okay, plot is pretty straightforward, as most action/fighthing movies are.

I gave this movie 4 stars because I believe it was well done, the action scenes made up for the dry plot! Definently a must see. Obviously, it's more of a guys movie. Yeah.

Van Damme is on the way up! 3.5 Stars.......2005-03-20

As others have noted, both this and "Wake of Death" have shown a change in direction for Van Damme, choosing to delve more into complex roles, drama, and believable acting, rather than two dimensional fight movies. Not that I suspect we will be seeing him on the nomination list at the Oscars any time soon, but here again he turns in a credible performance. After being jailed for avenging his wifes murder, he is subjected to a brutal Eastern Block prison regime, where the dollar rules, the guards and warden are corrupt, and you sleep with one eye open. We see the gradual deterioration of an outwardly "normal" man, whose only means of survival is to become one of the cruel and violent inmates he has come to despise. The fight sequences are short, snappy, brutal and bloody (no box splits, or flying spinning back kicks here) and the viewer is immersed into the savage world of gangs, violence, and desperation. "In Hell" is an apt title, but the film has some surprising twists, and different outcome to what one might expect, and is well directed and well scripted throughout. Hardly an original story, but the European makeover adds another dimension to a standard prison flick of say "Lock Up" or many others. On the whole, I recommend this movie, and hope to see Van Damme continue to develop his characters in this way. I've always enjoyed his other, and often more aimless fight movies so felt a teeny bit agrieved at the lack of martial arts, but overall the movie is pretty darn good. Enjoy!

one twisted but moving story.......2005-02-26

I love all of Van Damme's movies
he rocks
great action
great humor in some of his movies
the man can act
and Im' proud of his roots of where he came from
must of taken a while to learn our language
I can hear it in his voice that he might be from Russia or somewhere else outside the US. he's amazing. and should never stop making movies til he's either too old too. or has had enough of showbiz. he'll always go out with a bang in my eyes when it comes to movies. I saw the trailer for this and immediately got it on dvd. the whole story is amazing. get this movie.

Wow!.......2005-02-18

In Hell is one of the best JCVD movies from his recent direct to video offerings. In the film, he plays Kyle LeBlanc, a French-American man living and working in Russia with his American wife, who soon gets brutally murdered. Kyle is then sent to a Russian prison after he murders the man who killed his wife. Of course, this prison is no cakewalk...actually it makes Oswald State Prison from the HBO show "Oz" literally look like Disney World. The warden and guards are all corrupt and the prisoners who have money get all the perks. The warden also sets up a human cockfighting arena on the prison grounds where he has two prisoners fight (most of the time fight to the death) and he and his friends take bets on the winners. Of course, JCVD sets out to make his way through this corrupt system, help his new prison friends, and get revenge for his wife's death.

The film is very dark, brutal, and bloody, but it is beautifully filmed. There is one scene in particular when Kyle is thrown in "the hole" for misbehaving. In that scene, after Kyle loses hope and tries to hang himself, a moth flies down from the window/rafters above him and the camera beautifully follows it down as it flutters toward Kyle, and then it lands on the handle of the spoon that is in his untouched bowl of gruel, as if to say, "Eat. Get stronger, and you will be able to free yourself from this place." I know it sounds really corny, but it is really a lovely scene and not something that you typically see in JCVD films.

The DVD transfer is awesome. Picture and sound quality are good and you get widescreen and fullscreen to choose from.

Definitely a movie to see, whether you like Van Damme or not. It's a movie for anyone who has ever lost anyone they loved or had their life inexplicably turned upside down and had to fight to get things right.

This is a Van Damme movie???.......2005-02-02

Let's face it, Van Damme has dished out some rather campy movies in the past 7 or so years. However, there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel thanks to this movie, along with the recent "Wake of Death."

"In Hell" is a raw and darker film than his normal material. Don't expect his stamped karate moves, because it doesn't take place during this flick. Instead, we are treated with gritty, no-holds barred rumbles.

To top it off, Van Damme begins to show signs of some acting depth. I'm not talking Oscar winner, but for Damme, this is probably the best work he has done that provides a sense of substance to his character.

A moment or two of akward cheesy-ness appears, but doesn't hamper the overall experience of the movie at all. Even if you are not a Van Damme fan, like I "once" was, you should give this flick a shot. Don't expect a masterpiece and I believe you will be surprisingly surprised.

Average customer rating:

Almost impossible-not to see!
Do Not Buy This Movie..!!!
tight assortment of situations
Is life good or is life hell?
Hell's Kitchen N.Y.C.

Hell's Kitchen
Starring: Rosanna Arquette , William Forsythe , Angelina Jolie , Mekhi Phifer , and Johnny Whitworth
Director: Tony Cinciripini
Manufacturer: Allumination
ProductGroup: DVD
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Foxfire
Mojave Moon
Love Is All There Is
Without Evidence
Playing By Heart

ASIN: B0000ZG072
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Customer Reviews:

Almost impossible-not to see!.......2007-04-11

This movie is dark at times-but it lightens up at the end. It has a somewhat street smart, and disturbing messege to it, and it shows how one mistake can effect everyone's life. The characters are all basically confused on what to do next, after what happend-but it shows how their life was crushed, and they try to rebuild their future-in the dark world they live in. Some suceed-others don't. You obviouly know Angelina Jolie is featured in this film, and in my point of view-shines in her roll as the recovering sister to the whole incedent of tragedy. This film is well directed, and the storyline is enriched with color-even though its all dark.

Do Not Buy This Movie..!!!.......2006-04-15

It is one of the worst movies I have seen, I want to quote from a previous reviewer "And not a good kind of bad, but plain old bad. Bad story, bad writing, bad acting, bad lighting, bad looping, bad editing." The only thing the previous reviewer forgot to mention was the "bad sound track and the REALLY bad music". I am a big Angelina Jolie fan, but I would not recommend it to Angela fans at all. There is nothing to redeem this movie. Fortunately this was the 1st bad Angelina Jolie movie I have seen.

tight assortment of situations.......2006-04-14

Wrestling, thongs, drugs, and a lot more. Sounds like ingredients to a good movie. You either really like or hate this movie. There's enough drama and action, and the action is not so overdone that is seems like mainstream hype. Patty is selfish and a love addict. Even through his desperation, you see that he can be so much more that what he makes himself out to be. The surprise of events at the beginning is great. Different enough than other movies to make this one interesting. The only thing I do not like about this scene is that the guys sound like they are mumbling so much that it's hard to hear important details such as that a guy's name is Hayden. Subtitles might have actually been more helpful in this case.

The bathroom and bedroom scenes are pretty intense and done well. The action shots may be more questionable.

Also, I do not like were that Hayden didn't look 15 in the movie.
If they did not say that Jolie was in this movie, I wouldn't have recognized Jolie in her character for this movie. There is enough confusion in the movie for awhile to make for an interesting plot. A movie you can consider watching, but not a must have.

Is life good or is life hell?.......2005-07-23

*Hell's Kitchen NYC* is a 1997 film directed by Tony Cinceripini. It stars Rosanna Arquette as Liz, William Forsyth as Lou, Angelina Jolie as Gloria, Mekhi Phifer as Johnny, and Johnny Whitworth as Patty. Ms Jolie's brother James Haven Voight has a brief appearance as a bartender. The soundtrack features recordings by singer Joseph Arthur and rapper Mekhi Phifer.

Hell's Kitchen is a neighborhood of New York City that has a long history of crime and violence. In recent years the area's name was changed to Clinton, apparently as part of a makeover of its notoriety. I'm told that only newcomers call it that; for those born there it's still "Hell's Kitchen" or "The Kitchen."

The movie *Hell's Kitchen NYC* aspires to be counted in the genre of what I'll term "New York City street movies." The genre can be traced back to the late '40's when *The Naked City* (1948) was made. *The Cool World* (1964) is a legendary example. *Fort Apache: The Bronx* (1981) is a more recent one.

NYC street movies are not filmed on studio sound stages but on the streets of New York. While they are scripted and played like other dramatic films, they make a fetish of realism and so have a raw documentary feel. Professional actors share the screen with everyday city people who more or less just play themselves. The camera takes us into low-income neighborhoods where we're confronted with the struggle of common men and women against economic hardship and the temptation/threat of crime. We share the daily joys and woes of these hardy people. We get to know worried parents and aimless youth, hoodlums and cops, drug dealers and addicts, pimps and prostitutes. We discover that they are human just like the rest of us.

*Hell's Kitchen NYC* embraces all the trappings of the genre but is a dramatic flop. My feeling is that writer, producer and director Tony Cinceripini lost hold of his own material. The film tries hard to bring us close to its five messed-up main protagonists: Liz, a drug-addicted nightclub singer; Patty, the young owner of the nightclub who is tormented by private guilt; Gloria, Liz's daughter and Patty's girlfriend who is consumed by rage over the shooting death of her brother; Johnny, a young boxer just released from five years in prison; and Lou, a somewhat brain-damaged ex-champion boxer who gives Johnny a job.

But the closer we get to these people the more dispiriting the experience becomes. Cinceripini wants us to feel their hurt, and that we do...but we never recover from it. The mood of the film is just too depressing. The long interludes of somber, repetitive music have a lot to do with that. As does the plodding story riddled with predictable cliches. And the lifelessly dark, washed-out, or gray tones of the cinematography. And the camera tricks (odd angles and slomo) that just bump us right out of the movie.

Cinceripini tries to show us a happy end: Lou gets past his hangups to take charge of Johnny's boxing career, and Johnny wins the championship; Gloria lets go of her loss, which permits her and Johnny to revive their love that went to hell five years before; Lia and Gloria reconcile and hug each other; Johnny and Patty reconcile and hug each other... But we don't care. We've been deadened. This movie is a total downer.

As an Angelina Jolie fan I endured *Hell's Kitchen NYC* three times just to study her performance. She has a large part in the film, which is nice simply because I always enjoy her presence on the screen. But Ms Jolie smiles only two or three times in the whole movie, and these are very short and wan smiles. Her regular expression is like that of a woman who's been told by her doctor she has a terminal disease. Sometimes she cries. Sometimes she's angry. But never once does she look happy, even when she's telling Johnny that she's pregnant and thus feels alive again. As a performance of misery it's effective. But after watching it thrice over the past several months I doubt if I'll watch it again.

Oh, I should mention that in this movie Ms Jolie speaks with a creditable New York accent. This is worth noting because in her big hit two years later, *The Bone Collector*, she starts off with the same accent (see her first scene, the before-work conversation with her boyfriend). But as *The Bone COllector* develops she reverts to her laid-back Los Angeles way of speaking. I suppose if you're not very familiar with regional American speech patterns you won't notice it. Anyway, in *Hell's Kitchen NYC* she manages to maintain the "Noo Yawk" idiom throughout. Some of her best lines (not for the easily offended)--

(Gloria to Patty, her boyfriend:) "You (...) my muddah?"

(Gloria to Liz:) "Ma, you're a (...)."

(As Gloria tosses cash to the hoodlum who sells her a revolver, but who prefers her to pay him in sex instead of money, she says:) "Go pay for some p*ssy."

Another thing I should mention is that in this movie Ms Jolie is a blonde. And in that hair color, this represents her best appearance! In *Life or Something Like It* her blonde hairdo was a caricature of Marilyn Monroe's. I couldn't take it seriously. In *Girl Interrupted* she was OK as a blonde, but her hair was hippie-ish and not well cared for. In *Hell's Kitchen NYC* her blonde hairstyle looks attractive and completely natural.

At the end of the final credits of *Hell's Kitchen NYC* a message scrolls up from "M.P." (Mekhi Phifer I guess). "Life is Good." If the good life means the one depicted in *Hell's Kitchen NYC*, then in M.P.'s dictionary "good" must mean "hell."

I'd recomment *Hell's Kitchen NYC* to the anti-terrorist police as a psychological instrument for breaking down suspects. Just lock your alleged terrorists in a room with a big video screen on the wall. Play this movie over and over nonstop. After a couple of days your guys will be pounding the door to confess everything they know.

Hell's Kitchen N.Y.C........2005-07-18

I really did like the movie. It was one of those things, "does anybody get a break story?" I like the conflict between Roseanna Arquette and Jolie.(Like they could be mother and daughter) Well, anyways it's a life tale of hard knocks and what comes around goes around. What I really can appreciate was that Joseph Arthur did the music except for rap. Mekhi Phifer wrote and did the vocals for the rap. I think that's why Mekhi was on 8 Mile. It's a real good cast that had an over written script. Jolie did a great job as usual and Arquette will surpise you because you never seen her like that before in a movie. Mekhi does the same work as usually, I wish he'd do a roll that makes me think this isn't Mekhi.

Average customer rating:

one of the best Hercules movies
Action, terror and fantasy.
Bava is brilliant
Bava's peplum epic
Terrific DVD showcase for eye-popping Bava beefcake epic

Hercules in the Haunted World
Starring: Reg Park , Christopher Lee , Leonora Ruffo , George Ardisson , and Marisa Belli
Director: Franco Prosperi , and Mario Bava
Manufacturer: Fantoma
ProductGroup: DVD
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Hercules Unchained
Hercules The Avenger / Hercules And The Black Pirate
Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World
Hercules
Son of Samson/Son of Cleopatra

ASIN: B0000A2ZSS
Release Date: 2003-07-29

Description

Hercules (Reg Park) must battle a monster made of stone, retrieve a golden apple from the tree of Hesperides, and brave the horrors of Hades to rescue his beloved from the clutches of the evil Lyco (Christopher Lee). Oracles, witches, and vampires abound in this delirious blend of sword and sandal adventure, horror, and psychedelia. Maestro Mario Bava's first color film is awash in a sea of primary hues, creepy atmosphere, and eye-popping imagery. Fantoma is very proud to present the original European cut of this widescreen wonder for the first time in the U.S.

Customer Reviews:

one of the best Hercules movies.......2007-02-06

Reg Park didn't have to lose weight for his role like Reeves did. See a real hercules in his prime.

Action, terror and fantasy........2006-02-28

Here it is a nice and different movie from the 60's, a mixture of Sword&Sandal and terror,with astonishing special effects. Hercules (NATURAL bodybuilder Reg Park) opposes the evil and tyrannical Lyco (Christopher Lee). So Hercules must rescue his beloved princess Deianira (Leonora Rufo) from the curse that Lyco has put on her, and according to the oracle, must go down to Hades. Two friends accompany Hercules, one them is very funny. After many adventures, the hero fights a stone monster, gets a golden apple and a concoction from a flower, they return from Hell. Before the end there are some incredible, delirous and chaotic scenes in a graveyard with some creatures getting out of the tombs that become living deads and zombies and others like flying vampires all attack Hercules. Finally comes the punishment and the evil Lyco turns into dust. Sucessful color special effects by Mario Bava.

Bava is brilliant.......2005-08-10

Somewhere in the recent release of Danger: Diabolick someone points out that although Bava was given 3 million to make that film he only spent $400,000. Bava worked in that giddy realm of making do when making low-budget films. Roger Corman and his people were great at that but Bava was an artistic genius--his movies are frequently stunning, even though you might be looking at $200 in sets and props.

I love this film, almost as much as "Planet of the Vampires"-- my favorite Bava and very nearly my favorite film (Alphaville and 8 1/2 top it for me). Even the soundtrack on this Hercules flick is spectacular.

What's to like? Well, with minimal props Bava comes close to turning a cheap Hercules film into something rivaling the original "Beauty and the Beast" for sublimely weird atmosphere. One scene with Hercules and the Oracle is uncanny: I know I'm seeing two vases, some colored gels, tinsel, a mirror, and about 50 bucks in other stuff but my ever-vigilant analytical mind goes right to sleep during this bit and the magic of it never fails to overtake me. The Oracle is even wearing a mask left over from "La Dolce Vita."

When Hercules and his sidekick enter Hades the real craziness begins (as it should, considering it's Hades). Again, many stunning and surreal scenes. The film has its lumps and bumps but its amazing that it isn't solid lump, as most budget films can be. It also has Christopher Lee doing a swell job as the villain...as usual. All in all, a great and edifying film experience and I'm thrilled it was cleaned up and given to the world in such a wonderful form. I'd use this wonderful movie in any film production class to show students how art and genius can triumph over budget any day (I'd also use Guy Maddin's "Careful"--in his own Canadian way Maddin might rival Bava, in fact since his plots never force him to exceed his limitations his films are seldom lumpy).

Just released--"Danger: Diabolick" another Bava miracle I was glad to put on the shelf beside the previously mentioned films.
The most spectacular set in the film was actually painted on glass by Bava in about a day or so. It makes the sets in Bond films look weak.

Bava's peplum epic.......2004-03-11

Italian director Mario Bava (1914-1980) is one of the giants of the horror film genre. Bava's big break into the field came with his 1960 black and white classic "Black Sunday" starring Barbara Steele. This was only the beginning, as Bava churned out a series of gruesome shockers over the next seventeen years; his films always promised great style mixed with scenes of murder and mayhem. Perhaps Mario's biggest contribution to the horror genre was his 1972 picture "Twitch of the Death Nerve," also known as "Bay of Blood." It doesn't take too long to realize "Friday the 13th" shamelessly cribbed from this slasher bloodbath. At least two of the murders in the film appear almost unchanged in the first installment of the Jason Voorhees franchise. That's right-- Mario Bava gave birth to the modern slasher film. But he also dabbled in non-horror films with projects like "Four Times That Night" and this film, "Hercules in the Haunted World." After watching his contribution to the peplum genre, I have to express further admiration for this amazing filmmaker; he could make an entertaining motion picture no matter what the subject.

Bava's Hercules (played capably by Reg Park) must set out on yet another quest the results of which will have a profound effect on the residents of a Greek city. It seems that the female princess of this town is under some zombie like spell, completely unable to function beyond rambling and stumbling about. In her place, a sinister man named Lyco (Christopher Lee!) "generously" agrees to rule the city until Hercules and his buddy Theseus return from their mission. According to an oracle, Hercules must head into the depths of Hades--ruled over by the evil god Pluto--to secure a special stone that will restore the faculties of the young princess. Of course, our heroes must undertake several other minor tasks before marching into the world of the dead. In order to enter Hell, Hercules must first obtain a magical boat from some large guy who likes to draw and quarter people. Then Theseus and Hercules must sail the boat to the Hesperides, a bleak land beyond the sun where a bevy of beautiful women banished by the gods live. Once they arrive here, one of the men must climb an enormous tree in order to procure a golden apple that will allow them to enter and exit Hades safely. The underworld itself presents a host of problems, including oceans of fire, sexy but fatal mirages, and vines that groan and bleed when cut. Hercules surmounts all of the obstacles through a combination of brute strength and intelligence, arriving back at the city just in time to take on Lyco and some weird flying creatures. The final showdown is fierce, but will our man save the princess and restore the monarchy in time?

Peplum films often rate high on the cheese scale. Bava's film is no exception, but (and this is a big but) "Hercules in the Haunted World" is an enormously entertaining and beautifully made film guaranteed to provide a good time. Sure, some of the miniatures looked schlocky. Sure, the comic relief sidekick Theseus and Hercules take along with them is more of an annoyance than a boon. Sure, Christopher Lee sports a funny Prince Valiant haircut and doesn't really do much. Yes, many scenes and characters in Bava's film possess a decidedly cheesy quality, but the movie succeeds wildly despite these flaws. Just check out the performances. I thought Reg Park made an excellent Hercules; the guy could actually act and really looks the part. Moreover, there are more babes in this film than I remember seeing in 1950s and 1960s cheese flicks. The girl who plays Persephone, the woman Theseus rescues from Hades, looks eerily similar to a young Sophia Loren. In fact, all of the female roles have beautiful women in them, something I greatly appreciated when watching the film.

If you don't want to waste time watching the actors and actresses (dubbed, by the way, since the film was shot in Italian), you can appreciate how Bava overcame a tight budget to create a truly bizarre world. When Theseus, Hercules, and the sidekick sail across the ocean to the Hesperides, the horizon takes on a weird, almost psychedelic tone of red, yellow, and black that is very well done. Just as neat is the desolate landscapes of Hades, a world of smoke, styrofoam rocks, and lava pits that swallow up the unwary. As Hercules and Theseus move through the blasted terrain of Pluto's domain, the camera often draws way back to show the two men from afar jumping off cliffs and climbing hand over hand on a vine rope. Again, it does look a bit cheesy, but it also works in an inexplicable way. The scenes where Hercules talks to the oracle and where he battles Lyco and his undead minions are, without doubt, simply wonderful to look at and stylish as all get out. "Hercules in the Haunted World" is a prime cut of peplum that even a non-fan of the genre can appreciate.

I was surprised to see Franco Prosperi had a hand in making this film; he went on to worldwide fame as one of the co-creators of the notorious "Mondo Cane" series. I suspect, however, that Bava was primarily responsible for the technical brilliance of the movie. Thanks to Fantoma for bringing us the film in a beautifully restored DVD version with a trailer and stills as extras. Bava completists simply must pick up "Hercules in the Haunted World" as quickly as they can. Even non-fans would do well to invest an hour and a half of their time with this one; you're unlikely to see another peplum film as entertaining as this one.

Terrific DVD showcase for eye-popping Bava beefcake epic.......2002-09-10

Fantoma's DVD release of Mario Bava's Hercules in the Center of the Earth ought to elevate his stature in the film world, if not as a "serious" movie director, then certainly as one of the cinema's most talented and artistic lighting cameramen/cinematographers. The story is fairly generic muscleman stuff and the acting is competent if unexceptional (although three-time Mr. Universe Reg Park definitely has a believable physical presence as Hercules); what really sets this movie apart from virtually any other peplum flick are Bava's neon-hued Technicolor visuals, which at times border on the hallucinatory. Throughout most of the movie he tosses off shot after stunning shot, many only a few seconds long, nearly every one impeccably lit, artfully composed, and accented with vibrant color. Bava's interweaving of light, shadow, color, and sometimes literal "smoke and mirrors" to define space, mood, and even character is consistently impressive, even more so after reading the liner notes describing how little he had to work with. Cool sequences and striking set-pieces abound, including Deianira rising from her sarcophagus and floating across the room (like Lon Chaney in Son of Dracula); Hercules's eerie visits with the sibyl; the psychedelic ocean vistas on the voyage to the Hesperides; Lyco (Christopher Lee) reflected in a pool of his victim's blood; the flying ghouls rising from their slimy crypts (which must have given nightmares to the kiddie matinee crowd in 1964); and the climactic showdown between Hercules and Lyco, shot in an atmospheric Roman grotto. There's almost too much to appreciate in a single viewing. While I'm not normally a huge fan of sword-and-sandal flicks (though I did watch lots of them on Saturday afternoons as a kid), and I could've done without the `comedy relief' character, I still have to strongly recommend this movie not only to fans of Bava's other movies (particularly Planet of the Vampires), but also anyone who simply appreciates breathtakingly beautiful color cinematography.
Fantoma's DVD is transferred in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and anamorphically enhanced, from a virtually pristine Technicolor print of the original Italian-language dub. There is only the lightest of speckling evident; otherwise it's crisp and clean, with lush, richly-saturated color, and excellent contrast and detail. Optional English subtitles are included, as well as the (continental) English-dubbed soundtrack. Unless you're extremely subtitle-phobic, I recommend the Italian-language soundtrack with the subtitles. The English dubbing gives the film a campier, less serious tone and often renders the dialogue much more prosaically than the subtitles (example: Hercules's final words to Deianira in the subtitled version, "Man's love is passionate, but often inconsistent. Ours will last forever"; in the English dub, "As long as Theseus steals other men's girls, I have nothing to worry about.") Unfortunately we don't get to hear Christopher Lee's actual voice in either version. The DVD also includes excellent Tim Lucas liner notes; a gallery of approximately 45 color and B&W stills, posters, and ad mats; and a comparatively rough-looking trailer, matted to about 1.66:1 and suffering from medium to heavy scratching and lining, poor color, and merely acceptable sharpness and detail. The film is broken into 16 chapter stops and the Dolby 2.0 mono sound is full and clear. The definitive edition of an unmercifully neglected film.

Average customer rating:

Banned in the U.K.
Difficult to imagine how this could have been any worse.
NAZI ABOMINATION! NAZI RUBBISH!
Awful, awful, awful
It seems we have a civil war here

SS Hell Camp
Starring: Macha Magall , Gino Turini , Edilio Kim , Xiro Papas , and Salvatore Baccaro
Director: Luigi Batzella
Manufacturer: Exploitation Digital
ProductGroup: DVD
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Caligula Reincarnated as Hitler/White Slave Double Feature DVD
S.S. Experiment
S.S. Experiment Love Camp
Women in Fury
SS Girls (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00064AE9C
Release Date: 2004-12-28

Description

Meet the diabolical Dr. Krast, a sadistic female Nazi scientist who makes ILSA THE SHE WOLF look like DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN! She creates a barbaric, sex-crazed Neanderthal beast that feeds upon the beautiful women tossed into its cage! The demented diva doctor will stop at nothing to further her series of shocking and depraved experiments on human guinea pigs. Can the partisan forces fight the Nazis, liberate the prison camp and put an end to the doctor's scientific atrocities in time to save the beast's next human meal?

Customer Reviews:

Banned in the U.K........2006-06-06

And censorship is sometimes the best thing that can happen to a movie. Case in point SS HELL CAMP, a `video nasty' that contained scenes of such perversity it moved a nation to impose sanctions to protect its citizens from its baleful influence. And that's just the stuff that'll get chumps like me to line up around the block to take a gander.

Well, peek away, and try your best to stay awake. The Germans are occupying a town, a band of partisans are blowing up bridges, and the bad guys are rounding up the wimmen folk for interrogation purposes. The chief Nazi doctor on-site is a gorgeous brunette with a dominating air and a caged, half-human, sex maniac in the cellar. To make them talk, the women are either sadistically - and graphically - tortured (a bad thing,) or they're thrown naked in the cage with the neanderthal Casanova (a very bad thing.)

More than half this movie, the half that's spent with the intrepid band of partisans in the field, is impossibly boring and can't be watched without mashing the fast-forward button. The acting is atrocious and the scenes in the field run on forever. Besides, the whole point of the movie is to linger over the shoulder of the beautiful and twisted Nazi doctor.

I'm sorry, this movie is supposed to shock and disgust, but it is done so poorly it's impossible to take it even half-seriously. Its worse scene involves a number of women undergoing a number of tortures. One woman, strapped to a table, is supposed to have been cut open, her entrails exposed and gnawed on by rats. Supposed to have been, but the stage blood was gruel thin, you could see her intact stomach underneath it, and the red sawdust on top failed to convince as innards. Plus, the `rats' on her stomach were a couple of overweight guinea pigs, who scampered away as quick as their pudgy little legs could take them. I gave this movie two stars for the unintentional laughs it provided. SS HELL CAMP is a nasty little exploitation movie, although I'd call it silly rather than shocking, and pretty poorly made.

Difficult to imagine how this could have been any worse........2006-01-17

Let me preface this by saying that I bought this film fully aware of the fact that it would be a horrible exercise in exploitation. I harbored no illusions that led me to believe that I was possibly buying a forgotten Bergman masterpiece or a classic John Ford western. I enjoy a good bad movie every now and then, so I figured that this had to be one of the best of the worst. Well, I was half right.

To refer to "SS Hell Camp" as "a" movie is somewhat misleading. In actuality, "SS Hell Camp" is two different movies that happen to be on the same DVD and through an accident of editing, have become inexplicably intertwined in one package. One movie is about a group of Italian partisan rebels in the German-occupied Republic of Salo in the last days of World War II. They sabotage German railroad shipments and work to actively resist the Waffen SS and Wehrmacht detachments in the area. The other movie is about a sadistic bisexual nymphomaniac named Dr. Ellen Kratsch who runs a sexual torture dungeon under the guise of "science." Experiments include the genetic engineering of a bestial naked Italian man with a unibrow who violently has his way with captured females. With a name like "SS Hell Camp," which of these two movies do you want to see?

Either way, it's more of the former than the latter, and is therefore quite slow-moving and only occasionally funny. (My definition of "funny" being "unintentionally hilarious.") There's nothing particularly 'graphic' here other than female nudity and fake blood (neither of which is done very well). The highlight of this movie is a scene in which the country priest remarks "put your trust in the Lord: he's the best!" For a movie that bills itself as being unspeakably evil and extreme, that's not a very good sign. In a movie as bad as this one, it's difficult to know who to root for. The acting is so bad among the partisans that I frequently found myself hoping that Dr. Kratsch would capture them and kill them and then a stray bomb would destroy the dungeon, killing Dr. Kratsch and her underlings. That way, everyone would be wiped out. Even still, I'm not sure I'd have gotten any satisfaction from this movie beyond the feeling of finality that comes with knowing everyone is dead.

If you're looking for a good non-prescription sleep aid, this movie will do wonders for you. If, on the other hand, you're looking for something that's so-bad-it's-good owing to its tastelessness, violence, and sexual perversion, you're out of luck here.

NAZI ABOMINATION! NAZI RUBBISH!.......2005-12-29

Well, i think some of my fellow reviewers have made the point but being English i'd just like to point out that in the 1980's this film (English title 'Beast in Heat') was placed alongside Evil Dead, last house on the left, Tenebrae and cannibal holocaust as a video nastie. Lets get this straight. It's a pile of doo doo that has no right to be placed aside genuine classic horror movies, even the nazi nasty genre should be ashamed of this drivel. It's basically an italian war movie spiced up with scenes of females being tortured in an ilsa type fashion except the director forgot to tell the maidens to act like there being tortured, i'm guessing having your finger nails pulled off with pliers would warrant a stronger response than 'ow'. Also we get a midget troll thing who's fed on ahprodisiacs who promptly tries to body slam chicks before munching on a wig placed over there special areas. It is Awful and has no redeeming features at all. In england because of our beloved (hopeless) media certain films got a reputation they didn't deserve and an audience that they shouldn't have had, this was one of them, luckily in terms of other films like Evil dead it worked in a positive light. SS Hell camp is for historians only and should be avoided if you want to be entertained, most approach this film in the hope that it will deliver what the cover promises, oh dear.

Awful, awful, awful.......2005-11-18

My god, this film is terrible!! One of the hardest films to track down in the UK "video nasties" scare, there are instances even now of this selling for £200-£300 on eBay in it's original VHS video format ...!! Unfortunately this film being rare had nothing whatsoever to do with it being any good.

"The Beast in Heat" (to use its more famous title) seems to be a low budget clone of "Ilsa She Wolf of the SS", but without a single ounce of the talent or budget present in any aspect of even that film's production. It's basically a very boring war movie in which we watch grumpy (and very obviously un-German looking) Nazi soldiers trade insults with civilians and members of resistance groups in some anonymous European village. Every so often some very obvious stock footage kicks in of planes and tanks attacking, which, apart from being obviously filmed completely seperately, is also in a different aspect ratio to the main feature footage!! Yes it's that bad! This dull state of affairs drags on for 85% of the films running time and is enough to have you reaching for the fast forward after just a few minutes. Everything is awful - the acting, the script, the dubbing, the sets...one hilarious moment occurs early on when a railway bridge is blown up. I guarantee you've never seen anything so lame. I swear they had the camera zoom in wildly on a STILL PICTURE of a very small detonation and even added extra hand drawn flame effects directly onto the celluloid. If it wasn't for the unbearable tedium of the rest of the film, you could at least spend a few happy minutes laughing at this type of stuff.

But of course, somewhere in this mess lurks the reason for the film's true appeal - the scenes of SS officers torturing naked women prisoners. I'll give this film one (just ONE!) compliment - it does star a very foxy leading lady in the shape of Macha Magall, as the sadistic "Doctor Kratsch". Sadly no match for Dyanne "Ilsa" Thorne in the charisma stakes, but it's impossible to tell if she's any good as an actress due to the inept dubbing she is saddled with (along with the rest of tha cast).

That aside, the "cruel" experiments that she is in charge of are real bottom-of-the-barrel trash. Making most shock value in the cheapest way possible is easy - have everyone naked. Right, what next? Well from there the flaws really start to pile up. The central "experiment" of the film is a sex-crazed dwarf that Dr Kratsch keeps in a cage, and whom she occasionally whips up into a frenzy of over-acting by throwing a naked woman in with him. What follows each instance of this is a montage of the worst possible face-pulling and general pantomime style rape attacking from the dwarf, and plenty of screaming from the hapless naked actress while she tries to look as though she is being overpowered by the crazed mini monster (rather difficult, as he is so small!) The camera zooms in wildly on splashes of too-red tomato sauce being liberally spashed about, as the beast carries out his assault. In one sequence, the dwarf even ups the outrage stakes by lifting his cross-eyed face from woman's lap to show a mouthfull of torn-out bloodied hair...ugh! Don't worry, there's not even a hint of realism to any of this. All the while, Dr Kratsch and her attending guards watch silently, occasionally licking their lips in apparent arousal at the gruesome sight (I don't know where all the unusable footage of them laughing their heads off is, but there must be loads of it).

Realism fares no better in other scenes as still more naked prisoners are tortured, eaten alive by rats (yes they are gerbils), or have stuck-on fingernails pulled out, The dubbing in these scenes is the worst synched dialogue you have ever seen. "Stop it...you're hurting me..." the soundtrack burbles while a bored looking actress's lips move in completely unconnected directions. Even throwing a baby in the air for rifle target practise or shooting a naked woman directly between the legs can't raise a gasp with production values as low as these.

Due to the sparse placement of the torture scenes within the rest of the generally boring war and resistance action, it's rare for anyone to manage the feat of sitting through this rubbish to the bitter end, so should you fail, I'm sure you can guess the well deserved fate that awaits our cruel SS lady doctor...have a guess where she ends up. Sadly it's presented very half heartedly...you'll be only too happy to see the end of the film roll up on your TV. To realise that such a waste of space as this has been given a DVD release is more entertaining than actually watching the thing. They could at least have kept the original cover ( a hint of which can be seen in the lower left corner of the sleeve), it was a masterpiece of trash cinema promotion.

The irony is that the British politicians and press who campaigned for films like these to be banned have ultimately succeeded in prolonging their shelf life far beyond that which the films deserve. This should go back to the obscurity in which it belongs.

It seems we have a civil war here.......2005-09-16

One side thinks it's a great nazi-sexploitation flick, while the other thinks it's a tame, over-rated, boring PoS. So which side should you listen to? Being an exploitation movie fan myself(with the likes of Porno Holocaust, Images in a Convent, Entrails of a Beautiful Woman, Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, House on the Edge of the Park, The Beast, etc) I have to say I agree with the 3-stars-and-under reviews(although I agree with everyone, the woman playing the lead nazi interrogator looks seductively alluring). This may be considered the best of the nazi-exploitation films, but that's not saying much(I haven't seen most of the Ilsa films so I can't even vouche for that claim by critics/fans).

Since I own this movie, I can vouche that it is not that exploitive(except for maybe one long multiple-tortures scene), and worse, it's not even that enjoyable or very interesting to watch(the beast guy rapist is just too silly and campy). Rent it to kill your curiosity if you must. But I doubt you would want to own it and rewatch it(if you do, I gotta copy ready to go for ya). It's presented nicely in a widscreen transfer, but with no major extras to its credit, the dvd itself is not even worthy of collecting. Maybe worth a rental, but I'd put this on the backburner and go straight to the 2-disc collector's dvd of D'Amato's Images in a Convent. Now THAT'S worth a purchase!

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

MP All Stars Concert

South Park - Series 2 - Vol. 5 - Chef's Salty Chocolate

Mildred Pierce (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: The Hall Monitor

House 4