Final Cut

Starring:Brooks, Flanagan, Clement, Perkins
Studio: Legacy Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

House of Cards trilogy
A great trilogy! You MUST have it!
A 10+
House of Cards Trilogy
A spellbinding tale of despondancy

House of Cards Trilogy (House of Cards / To Play the King / The Final Cut)
Starring: Ian Richardson , Susannah Harker , Miles Anderson , David Lyon , and Malcolm Tierney
Director: Paul Seed , and Mike Vardy
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009MGGI
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Amazon.com

Connoisseurs of political chicanery will relish House of Cards, the mordantly funny story of Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson), a British politician with his eye on the top job. Urquhart is the chief whip of the Conservative Party and his job is to maintain party discipline, or, as he likes to say, "put a bit of stick about." This means that he has intimate knowledge of his colleagues' foibles, knowledge that he uses to further his own political ambitions. Aided by his equally ruthless wife and drawing on a network of accomplices, Urquhart forces the prime minister to resign then sets out to discredit each of his rivals for the party leadership. Although it is strongly cast throughout, House of Cards belongs to Ian Richardson. Without his perfectly balanced performance, Urquhart might have become no more than a two-dimensional villain, but Richardson finds exactly the right tone to make his character as attractive as he is wicked. Thanks to Richardson, and a superb script by Andrew Davies, this brilliant political satire is sure to delight anyone who has wondered what might be going on in the darker corners of our democratic institutions.

In To Play the King, Urquhart appears to have everything he wants. He is the prime minister, he has no immediate rivals, and everyone who knows of his crimes is either on his side or dead. But a new challenge arises when the queen dies and the new king (Michael Kitchen doing a perfect Prince Charles) proves to be a thorn in Urquhart's side. Urquhart may be a staunch defender of the monarchy as a concept, but an individual sovereign is fair game if he proves to be a threat. With a Davies script that pokes fun at British politics and the antics of the royal family as well as a terrific cast led again by Ian Richardson, To Play the King maintains the high standard set by House of Cards.

The Final Cut, the last installment of the trilogy, strikes a more somber note than its predecessors. Urquhart has almost overtaken Margaret Thatcher to become Britain's longest serving postwar leader, but the public is tiring of him and there are rumblings of dissent in the Conservative Party. Urquhart and his wife plot to secure both their place in history and their financial future. Once again, writer Andrew Davies has created a satire to relish, one that confirms all of our doubts about the motives of politicians. Ian Richardson's wonderful performance--filled with sly asides and winks to the camera--makes Francis Urquhart as fascinating as he is wicked, and we find ourselves rooting for this terrible man. The world would certainly be a duller place without him. --Simon Leake

Description

Ian Richardson (From Hell, M. Butterfly) leads an all star cast in this malevolent satire of greed, corruption and ambition in the highest realms of government. As Machiavellian monster Francis Urquhart, he schemes and backstabs his way to the top until he is standing on a pile of broken promises, betrayals and the bodies of those who oppose him. Every step of the way, Urquhart lays out his plans with horrifying wit and venomous charm. But the ranks of his enemies are growing, and they intend to bring him down, whatever the price. Brilliantly adapted by Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones's Diary), from Michael Dobbs's best-selling novel, this satirical trilogy took home a primetime Emmy, a Peabody, two BAFTAs and a Broadcasting Press Guild Award.

Customer Reviews:

House of Cards trilogy.......2007-06-28

The late Ian Richardson plays a charming,suave,gentlemanly snake-in-the-grass....in fact he elevates it to high art.
It is like a modern "Richard III" with all the murder and intrigue that goes with it.Nice to know the USofA hasn't cornered the market on scoundrels in politics.

A great trilogy! You MUST have it!.......2007-06-13

If you like quality stories (like you would see on the BBC) and you like to think and you enjoy a evil villan, this one is for you! The main character is so refined and innocent looking but also so evil - LOVE IT! GET THIS!

A 10+.......2007-05-15

Saw this production when first shown and was so thrilled that it was available on DVD. Still the VERY BEST PRODUCTION EVER MADE. I had forgotten the ending and some of the intrigues so it was like seeing it anew and as thrilling as the first. If you don't like this one, can't imagine anything you might like.

House of Cards Trilogy.......2007-05-14

Excellent. Acting superb. Story line superb. I highly recommend. Very much in tune with what is going on in the real world.

A spellbinding tale of despondancy.......2007-04-27

This whole trilogy reads to me as a tale of despondency among the political classes in Britain. In the first act, "House of Cards", the Conservative, but still somewhat moderate, Prime Minister, get railroaded by his total over trusting of FU, or as Ronald Reagan would call it, trusting without verifying. In the second act, "To Play the King", as FU crushes the British welfare state, the King and the opposition leaders enter the political arena with high hopes, only to be dashed by the simple fact that the game is fixed in favor of Urquhart from the very beginning. In these two acts, no one in a position of real power is ever killed -- just whichever members of the lower classes who happens to come in FU's way. In the last act, "The Final Cut", it would appear that Urquhart's various crimes may have finally caught up with him-- his crimes as a solider in Cyprus, his crimes during the previous two acts, and his reckless war, again in Cyprus, as PM -- but the game is still rigged, as FU's wife and chief assistant plan a merciless assassination of Urquhart, preventing him from facing courtroom justice. The only possible hope left for the country is Corder's apparent decision to let the appropriately named Tom Makepeace be Prime Minister. This series is so wonderfully depressing and it rings unbearably true.

A minor note: For those of you with region-free and PAL compatible DVD players, the Region 2 edition of this set, available at Amazon.co.uk, is preferred, as it apparently has cast & crew commentary on some of the episodes.

Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Alexander is a Great Epic!
Comments on the Soundtrack only
Better But Not Perfect
Alexander The Great or The Gay
Finally - the WHOLE story

Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , David Bedella , Jessie Kamm , Angelina Jolie , and Val Kilmer
Director: Oliver Stone
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000MGB6NM
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Amazon.com

For better or worse (and in this case, it's mostly for better), Oliver Stone's Alexander Revisited should stand as the definitive version of Stone's much-maligned epic about the great Asian conqueror. Following the DVD release of his previous Director's Cut, Stone offers a video introduction here, explaining why he felt a third and final attempt at refining his film was necessary. Essentially, he's using this opportunity to re-create the "road show" format of the Biblical epics of the 1950s and '60s, with a three-and-a-half-hour running time (with an intermission at the two-hour mark) including 45 minutes of previously unseen footage. Stone has also significantly restructured the film, resulting in substantial (if not exactly redemptive) improvements in its narrative flow. Alexander (played in a torrent of emotions by Colin Farrell) is dying as the film opens, his final moments serving to bookend the film's epic story, which incorporates flashback sequences to flesh out the Macedonian king's back-story involving the turbulent battle of fate between his father, King Philip (Val Kilmer) and his scheming sorceress mother Olympia (Angelina Jolie, ridiculous accent and all), who insists that Alexander is literally a child of the gods.

In Stone's final cut, epic battles remain chaotic (although Alexander's strategy is somewhat easier to follow, with on-screen titles indicating left, right, and center during his army's greatest maneuvers) and the ultra-violent battles are more graphically gory than ever (hence their "unrated" status). The animalistic lovemaking of Alexander and his barbarian bride Roxana (Rosario Dawson) is slightly extended (with Dawson as ravishing as ever), and Stone's additional footage also improves the overall arc of Alexander's relationship with his closest generals and male companions, although his most intimate homosexual encounters remain mostly discreet. As Alexander Revisited makes clear, the film's weaknesses remain unavoidable, but Stone deserves credit for recognizing how a longer running time, and more disciplined narrative structure, would bring Alexander closer to the respect it never earned from critics and filmgoers alike. This is unquestionably a better film than it used to be, leaving us to wonder why it took three separate efforts to shape Alexander into its best possible presentation. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Now available is an all new and completely unrated version of Oliver Stone's incredible epic film, loaded with nearly 40 minutes of additional never-before-seen footage, that takes the film to a new level of realism and intensity. Restructured and expanded into two acts with one intermission, Oliver Stone's vision is delivered the way he originally conceived and intended. With the new, unrated and graphic battle scenes and unadulterated sensuality, it's the movie you couldn't see in theatres, now available on DVD for the very first time!

DVD Features:
Introduction
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Alexander is a Great Epic!.......2007-06-23

A great Epic, I dont see why this movie got so much bad publicity. Okay, there were a few badly filmed obscure scenes which shouldnt have even been put in this movie, but overall the movie was great. The acting by Farell and Kilmer is amazing.

I laugh at the critics who just love to use words such as BI and GAY at any chance they get, whether it's for their own namesake or out of spite. They love to focus on that sole aspect as if it were the only thing he stood for! Ha!

You actually think hundreds of thousands upon thousands of armies comprised of legions would have followed him to the edge of the world if they thought of him as just a Bi? Alexander was a Soldier's Soldier just as he was a King.

You want to know the truth about Alexander, read the books, read the Greek manuscripts, go visit or learn about the lands where Alexander and the legions travelled and changed life over there forever even to this day. Take a trip to an ancient museam in the Greek State of Makedonia/Macedonia/Macedon in Northern Greece. A GREAT Documentary/TV-Series comes to mind, History Channel's In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great which depicts almost every battle, region, etc.

Learn how some of the Ancient Wonders of the World were constructed in this time period.

I'm pretty sure Alexander was WAY more into Women than he was, if at all, into anything else. All that massive wine they drank, especially in the places over where the Ancient Greek God Dinonysys travelled as well as Herakles during his time with the Twelve Labors (or Hercules as he is most referred to), must have added to the Drama and possibly even affected campaigns.

At the Height of it's extent, The Greek Empire spanned a total of almost 25 modern day countries.

The regions and peoples are beautifully depicted in the Tv-Series: Footsteps of Alexander the Great.

I havent seen the director's cut yet, the 2 disc special edition is my favorite but the Revisited edition is a must see for It's extra footage which is pretty good for the most part.

The music score by Composer Vangelis (Blade Runner, 1492 Conquest..) is just fantastic to say the least!

9/10 and 10/10 for the music score.

A King isnt born Alexander, he's forged by the Sword and Suffering!

Philip To Alexander/

Comments on the Soundtrack only.......2007-06-21

I'm a huge fan of Oliver Stone and I've seen the both the original and final cut version of his epic Alexander. I am only here to comment on the music. I have a prejudice against electronic or synthesized soundtracks for movies set in antiquity, and this is what spoiled Alexander for me - I couldn't get passed the music. I feel that the movie would have been far more successful with a soundtrack using natural instruments and the themes of Vangelis. I know that Stone loves Vangelis and so do others; but for me, I was pulled out of this ancient time in history by the artificial electronic sounds. They weren't powerful enough or heroic enough for my taste, and I tend to like Vangelis in other films. I would have much prefered a John Williams soundtrack if he'd been available, and I think the movie would have been far more successful. The soundtrack sets the tone for the entire movie, oftentimes in subtle or subconscious ways, and for me the music was unable to sufficiently support the largeness of Alexander's life events or the totality of his life as a whole. I expect no one to agree with me here, but I love the largeness of scope in what Stone attempts and I'd like to see him succeed according to the incredible efforts he makes in his films. And believe me, this was a monumental film, and I love that he gave it his all. Despite the score, there were numerous battle scenes involving elephants in warfare that were unforgettable, and the soundtrack was effective at times. Overall, I think this film was even larger in scope than JFK, and that's why I was sorry it wasn't more well received.

Better But Not Perfect.......2007-05-21

In my reviewing this third version of "Alexander," it is difficult for me not to contrast the results of Stone's efforts with what might have been had HBO carried through with their proposal to create a ten-part series about Alexander based upon Mary Renault's trilogy "Fire From Heaven," "The Persian Boy," and "Funeral Games," assuming that the producers would have chosen excellent script writers, directors, and actors. Such a docudrama, run chronologically, would have had a far better chance of covering the almost 33 years of Alexander's life in a more complete and presentable manner. Stone obviously struggeled in his attempt to produce a hybred docudrama / entertainment film that could fit into a single sitting at a movie theater. In all three versions of his film, he met with varying degrees of success or failure.

Still, Stone's production is better (the good parts are far better than many people were capable of recognizing) than many critics and too many audience members thought. There are reasons for this.

Over the years, I have conducted extensive research on Alexander. Also, my having worked as a mental-health therapist for nearly 30 years, I once engaged it what might be called a "forensic psychological analysis" of Alexander and came to some interesting conclusions. So I have been able to compare and contrast the film with the film industry's "preferred approach" to script writing, directing, and production as described to me by my friend who is a university instructor in film.

The second version "Director's Cut" was an improvement over the initial theater version. This final version has some further improvements yet suffers from the same, inevitable difficulties of the first two.

In an effort to integrate the divers elements of the film into an organic whole, Stone made the choice to move frequently forward or backward in time. A multi-part docudrama, run chronologically, would have been far easier for most of the public to follow. Some critics complained about the addition of narration throughout the film, a possibly cumbersome element for an entertainment film. The additional information was a necessary addition, however, considering the limited length of the film and also the limited historical knowledge of most movie goers.

The docudrama elements of Stone's film are historically accurate. Yet in his attempt to make an entertainment film, Stone engaged in compression of, and skewing of, events, especially in the later battle parts of the film. Those in the audience who prefer dramatic action to fact may have been more pleased; however, those members who were capable of appreciating the historically accurate parts of the film may have been a little uncomfortable with this conflict between the two approaches.

In "Alexander - Revisited," Stone finally was free to include additional dialogue and scene extensions that never should have been omitted in the first two versions, undoubtedly against Stone's wishes. The pressure on Stone to omit these segments apparently was worry about the film being "too talky" and also, frankly, from ignorance and prejudice. A therapist must attempt to promote acceptance of fact and reality over beliefs that not only defy fact and reality but also have the potential to be harmful. One of my patients was very upset and angry (along with many viewers and even some Greeks, who should know better) that Stone "forced upon the viewing public a false, made-up version of Alexander's sexual orientation." Stone's portrayal of Alexander and Hepheastion's life-long relationship is accurate, and their expressions of love for each other are done with taste and sensitivity. I have not read from those persons who were offended by the gentle kiss between Bagoas and Alexander in this third version any comments about the overtly sexual scene with Alexander and Roxanne in all three versions. Stone, therefore, should be commended for including the scenes with Alexander and Hepheastion and also the additional footage of Bagoas.

I own and have watched all three DVD versions of Stone's film. The second defintely is better than the first. Although I need to view the second and third versions more in order to come to a more detailed comparison, the additional film footage in "Alexander - Revisited" may tip the evaluation scales in its favor, despite the somewhat disjointed feeling resulting from its editing.

Alexander The Great or The Gay.......2007-05-17

Its one of the worst historical based movie I have ever seen. The implication that Alexander was a homosexual or bisexual does not cut it in terms of Macedonian society of the time period. There were strong friendships between men, which persist today, that have no sexual connotations. As a matter of fact men who dressed, painted themselves and acted as women were shunned by society and made fun of from Assirya in the east to Carthage in the west.The actress chosen for the part of Roxanne has no physical characteristics similar to her historical predecesor, except maybe her great body. But maybe casting a more ravishing woman in that part would have downgraded the supposedly homosexual relationship that Alexander is shown to have. The only good casting made was that of Alexander`s mother. I do not want to rehash other areas of criticism except to say that this is not a movie about Alexander The Great but rather of Alexander The Gay.
Maybe the director`s next movie will be making Richard The Lionhearted into Richard The Gayhearted, in which case he would again be sadly mistaken.

Finally - the WHOLE story.......2007-05-13

I've been a Greek history fan for years, especially Alexander - and this final verison of the movie filled in - what to me - were gaping holes.

Mind you, I'm well aware it's not all historically accurate - but it definitely had a lot more of Bagoas. I was upset the original release did not show his importance in Alexander's life - and that the 'Director's Cut' cut him even further. No doubt, in a vain attempt to satisfy the homophobes...

I was very amused at the chief eunuch's attempts to show Alexander how well he was cut. And the ending when Alexander told him how valuable he'd been. And Ptolemy's comment that he disappeared after Alexander's death.

Freeing the entire harem was not something Alexander would do, but expressing his love definitely was.

Still disappointed there was no love scene - either with Hephaistion or Bagoas - that might equal a scene from 'Queer as Folk' - but thought this final version captured the essence of the love they shared.

Oliver Stone - Thank You!

Highlander - The Final Dimension (Special Director's Cut)

Average customer rating:

LOVE IT!
BETTER WITH EACH VIEWING
Highlander3
A bit of a rehash, but an enjoyable sequel to 1986's "Highlander"
A true sequal to the original, although the first stood alone.

Highlander - The Final Dimension (Special Director's Cut)
Starring: Christopher Lambert , Mario Van Peebles , Deborah Kara Unger , Mako , and Raoul Trujillo
Director: Andrew Morahan
Manufacturer: Dimension
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008QOE5
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Description

The last incredible chapter of the thrilling action-adventure series, HIGHLANDER: THE FINAL DIMENSION finds the immortal Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert -- HIGHLANDER 1&2, FORTRESS) destined for a decisive battle with his ruthless eternal enemy, Kane (Mario Van Peebles -- GUNMEN, POSSE, NEW JACK CITY). Pursued across time by his arch rival, MacLeod must make a heroic last stand if he is to rid the earth of the seemingly unstoppable Kane! Packed with intense action and astonishing special effects -- the Highlander's greatest challenge will become your ultimate adventure!

Customer Reviews:

LOVE IT!.......2007-06-28

I've always enjoyed the "Highlander" movies, specifically the swords. I've been fascinated with swords since I was about 5 yrs old. Anyway, it's not a GREAT great film, but it does have a lot of good action in it. I'd recommend it to anyone who isn't scared of a little bit of head rolling, swords swinging, and general fantasy flicks.

BETTER WITH EACH VIEWING.......2007-06-07

When I first watched "Highlander: The Final Dimension" a few years ago, I was disappointed. But after watching the film a couple of more times, I started to warm up to it more. True, its still the worst film in the series, but it is still a pretty good movie. The story is a bit weak due to the fact that the writers pretty much rehashed the plot for the first film. Still, the acting is great, and the battle scenes are pretty dang good. While non-fans will find little to enjoy in the film, established fans will be pleased for the most part.
Movie/DVD Grade: B

Highlander3.......2007-02-20

An interesting and exciting movie. Brings another eposode to the story. Enjoyed it for the action and the detail. Worth watching and owning.

A bit of a rehash, but an enjoyable sequel to 1986's "Highlander".......2007-01-05

Ignoring the events of "Highlander 2," this film picks up 9 yrs after the first. We find MacLeod living with his adoptive son in Morocco and satisfied that he is the last immortal and has the coveted "Prize." Soon he recieves a cognition that more immortals are alive (revived from "death" by an archeological dig) and packs for NYC for a duel with the evil sorcerer immortal Kane.

Made while the tv show was at its peak, this film benefits from the influence of its narrative and production style that had been refined over the years. Most of the characters and their relationships (especially the love interests) are thin and underdeveloped. The movie relies heavily on nostalgia for the 1st film for the impact of its emotional scenes. It also mirrors it's story to the point of being a near remake. The police hunt subplot simply drops out of the picture near the end and the villians were too silly. The special f/x are enjoyable but underused (Kane barely uses his illusions during fights.)

Still, the deja vu and pretention and trickery themes are well handled (though not explored as much as they could have been). Lambert is as appropiately meloncally and good humored as in previous entries, van Peeples is clearly having fun with his deliciously devilish over the top performance, Unger is quite attractive (even more so in the obligatory sex scene, of course), and Mako's dignified presence is, of course, a welcome addtion to the "Highlander" saga. The special f/x were good for there time and still fairly impressive today. The DVD is barebones though, and the picture has not been cleaned up.

The concept of immortals and their eternal battle are not explained in this movie and may leave the unintiated confused. Seeing "Highlander" first or doing a little net research may be required for understanding. Overall, a competent production and a worthy if underdeveloped and rushed sequel to the 1986 film.

A true sequal to the original, although the first stood alone........2006-07-04

This is the Third installment of the Highlander movie series, and it is truly the sequel to the first. Againg, the first movie was never intended to have a sequel, but this one did a better job at addapting the first movies story line. Remember, the second movie (the Quickening) was never really intended to be a sequel and to be a different piece of the puzzle, although it was a calculation that misfired with fans and the box office because it did use sean connery and christopher lambert again. The action is good, and it stays true to the highlander themes. But, this movie essentially is the first one retold again, with the explanation that "oops, I guess there was one more alive", a lame cop out to get a sequel. But, again for the collector, you will need this movie in the collection. It is good as a primer to watch the first one again.

Average customer rating:

Wild concept, Unforgettable, DIFFERENT!
A Dark Underdog Movie Thriller
Unsung
almost a fantastic movie...
Underappreciated Film

The Final Cut
Starring: Robin Williams , Mira Sorvino , James Caviezel , Mimi Kuzyk , and Stephanie Romanov
Director: Omar Naim
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00079HZOS
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Product Description

Omar Naim s The final Cut is startlingly different that a conventional science fiction film. It s a compelling fable that offers a vision of a world where memory implants record all moments of person s life. Post mortem, these memories are removed and edited by a Cutter into a reel depicting the life of the departed for a commemorative ceremony called a Rememory. Robin Willioms power portrayal of Alan Hacman, a troubled Currer propels this character driven story that forces us to question the power of our memories and the sanctity of our privacy.

System Requirements:

Running Time 105 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

While it works better as a somber mood piece than a futuristic thriller, The Final Cut posits a unique what-if scenario that some viewers will find fascinating. In a role that calls for his low-key One Hour Photo persona, Robin Williams plays an expert "cutter" who's in demand for his ability to distill anyone's lifetime into a feature-length "rememory" film that highlights the better side of anyone's nature. His profession is made possible by the "Zoe" chip, a prenatal brain implant capable of recording a person's entire lifetime--a technology opposed by a former cutter (Jim Caviezel) and puzzled over by Williams' on-and-off girlfriend (Mira Sorvino). First-time writer-director Omar Naim divided critics with his impressive visual style and lackluster screenplay, which fails to account for the larger implications of the Zoe chip's exploitation. Still, the film contains several intriguing ideas that place it among other sci-fi films like Gattaca, suggesting one of the many potential controversies that await us in a future where ethics and technology are not always compatible. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Wild concept, Unforgettable, DIFFERENT!.......2007-05-12

WOW, the first time we watched this, it was UNFORGETTABLE! FINALLY something DIFFERENT in a movie! Robin Williams was excellent and fully believable in such a serious and dramatic role, too. GREAT, suspenseful movie! (NOT for the kids though. It has some really serious and depressing situations and scenes in it).

A Dark Underdog Movie Thriller.......2007-05-02

"The Final Cut", is a great movie. A type of underdog movies that goes unnoticed by the general public, but is greatly appreciated once one discovers it. I believe Robin Williams is a talented serious actor, and does very well in dramatic thrillers.

The movie is a little somber and may move slow to some, but it is an intelligently written piece that will hold your attention. This futuristic piece tells the story of Robin Williams character (Alan Hacman), who is a professional "cutter" (cutter - someone who creates a eulogy-type film highlighting the better side of the deceased lives, cutting out the bad parts in that person's life). Robin's character, Alan is very good as a "cutter" and is very much in demand by many. Many that are powerful and who would not want their secrets to be exposed to the public after their death. Alan (Robin Williams) is hired to create a eulogy-film for a very powerful man, who had secrets to hide.

Alan (Robin Williams) character is a loner, and reminds one of a funeral director. I was captivated by this intense dark thriller that explored the dark side of human nature and how far one will go to obtain information and power.

I agree, with Amazon's description. If you liked movies such as, Gattica, you will enjoy this movie.

Unsung.......2007-04-19

I was wonderfully surprised by this movie. I remember seeing the previews for it 3 years ago but due to a hectic schedule did not see it in the theaters. I wish I had.

The idea behind and the feel of the story reminds me of some of the works of Philip K. Dick. (In the works I've read the ideas of time and reality as well as the use of paranoia have been prominent.) The writer/director is successful in creating not on a very interesting primary character (stunningly played by Robin Williams) but a rich culture surrounding that character. That culture has issues that affect that world as issues such as stem cell research affect ours today.

In the extras the movie makers spoke of the production design as something they wanted to be warm, not cold and futuristic. However, I felt a coldness ... centered around Williams's character. His outward sterility was captivating.

Had I been able to I would have given this movie 9.5 stars for there were 2 elements that detracted from my enjoyment of the movie.

1. The music was, in my opinion, overbearing. I thought it could have been more subtle and given itself plenty of room to grow.
2. James Caviezel's beard was awful. I just wanted to rip it off his face. Even some cheesy '80's Miami Vice stubble would have been better.

Still, a wonderful movie that kept my attention and my interest throughout.

almost a fantastic movie..........2007-03-20

I thought that *The Final Cut* was a great movie...except that the ending wasn't not well executed. It was almost like the writer or the director ran out of creativity or ideas of how to end the movie. It was just really a disappointment.

*The Final Cut* is a futuristic movie about how some humans are born with a zoe implant. The zoe implant is an organic "recorder" that is implanted before birth. When a person dies, a cutter retrives "memories" from the implant and edits them for the Rememory. The Rememory is just another form of a memorial service except that everyone is viewing the visual (& audio) recordings of the deceased.

Alan Hackman (Williams) is a reputable cutter. He is recommended by a fellow cutter to take over a particular case. This particular case, as Hackman discovers, is a wealthy man who has a scandalous past. However, in the midst of editing for the Rememory, Hackman recognizes a man in the recordings. This particular man was a childhood friend of Alan's who died from a freak accident. Hackman is obsessed and starts his own investigation to find this man.

Meanwhile, a former cutter and colleague of Hackman's wants this particular wealthy case as well. It is not explicitly clear why he wants this case, even though he is against this whole cutting/Rememory thing. Thus, a cat and mouse chase begins.

The whole movie is a great concept. The build-up/suspense was just fabulous. However, when I got to the end, I was like...that was it?!?! The ending was actually lame. It sucked to have wasted time for a movie that was promising throughout and only to find that the ending killed the whole thing.

If only...

Underappreciated Film.......2007-03-04

This is not a movie for the passive fan. This is not a movie for someone looking for a no-brain 90 minute vegetative state on the couch. This is movie full of what ifs and one great performance by Robin Williams.

The premise is simple, Zoe implants record all of the things a person sees and hears in his life. After death, the family hires a Cutter to create a short film of memories summarizing that person's life. The film is about the best Cutter, Alan Hakman, played by Robin Williams. What makes him special is his ability to take some of the nastiest people, with some of the nastiest experiences and criminal acts and sanitize their lives so that their Rememory Ceremony is beautiful and expected. As he says, he's working for the living, not for the dead.

The Sci-Fi premise brings so many possibilities and issues that the film, while comprehensive, picks only a couple to concentrate on. It's a human story, so what we find is that Alan has his own horrible secret, his own terrible memory, and sanitizing other people's is a sort of therapy for him. But he must come to terms with this memory when he finds clues in record he's currently editing.

While reminiscent of themes in Strange Days, Final Cut has the feel of a Philip Dick story. Memory is a fluid thing, and what we remember isn't what might have really happened. So, these implants are a hot commodity for many reasons.

I can understand why the ending confuses some people and disappoints others, but for me it's a perfect conclusion for this story and an opening for these Zoe implants to grow well beyond their original purpose.

Robin Williams performance certainly didn't disappoint me - he's a great actor and this was a role where emotions rather than exciting action moved the plot and he went through a whole gammit of emotional change.

I didn't give it five stars because I thought some of the plot was cliche and that there was more opportunities to use the technology as a plot device and that opportunity was missed. I still highly recommend it.

- CV Rick

Average customer rating:

Really scary.
dont waste your money
Urban Legends, The worst movie...
Entertaining, but not in a scary way
Final Cut??

Urban Legends - Final Cut
Starring: Jennifer Morrison (II) , Matthew Davis , Hart Bochner , Loretta Devine , and Joseph Lawrence (II)
Director: John Ottman
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Urban Legend
Urban Legends - Bloody Mary
Valentine
Scream Trilogy - Boxed Set
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer [Region 2]

ASIN: B0000541TL
Release Date: 2001-02-06

Amazon.com

While Urban Legends: Final Cut is not nearly as terrifying or inventive as some of its predecessors, the film does offer up a fairly suspenseful whodunit that fans of the teen horror genre will likely appreciate. Amy Mayfield, the film's heroine (played by fresh-faced Jennifer Morrison), is the daughter of an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker trying to make a name for herself at Alpine University, "the greatest film school that ever existed." Along with several other students she is competing for the coveted Hitchcock award, which virtually guarantees the winner a successful career in Hollywood. When the film school's resident genius and likely winner of the award is found dead, suspicions arise. As other film students are killed off one by one, everyone becomes a suspect. Would someone kill to win the prestigious award?

While striving to be Hitchcockian in theme (as evidenced by its multiple references to the director himself), the film never quite moves beyond cliché. Many scenes are a little too reminiscent of other popular teen horror flicks like Scream (the anonymous masked killer, though not nearly as frightening), The Blair Witch Project (Amy is chased through desolate woods by her stalker), and Friday the 13th (Amy hides from the killer in a lake setting eerily similar to the one where Jason died so many years ago). These elements seem just a little worn out. Morrison gives a serviceable performance, and Loretta Devine, from the original Urban Legend, adds humor as a Foxy Brown-worshiping security guard. The film manages to keep you guessing until its conclusion, and a sequence set in an abandoned amusement park is truly creepy. But ultimately Urban Legends: Final Cut lacks the originality to make a name for itself among the many films of its genre. --Mindy Ruehmann

Description

At the renowned film school Alpine University, one senior student is awarded the esteemed Hitchcock Award for the best thesis film each year. A down-to-earth documentary film student Amy Mayfield wants to take a crack at the Hitchcock. During a chance meeting with the new campus security guard Reese, Amy is inspired by the story of an urban legend at Reese's former place of employment, Pendleton University. Deciding to break away from documentaries, Amy's thesis film will be a work of fiction about urban legends. After writing the script, story boarding the shots and casting her actors, Amy and her crew prepare to roll camera. When Amy's film crew starts falling prey to fatal "accidents," she questions where fiction ends and truth begins. When all the dots start to connect back to her, she realizes she must unmask the killer before she becomes an urban legend.

Customer Reviews:

Really scary........2007-05-23

I wet myself the first time i saw it, it was so horribly bad. You will see some of the most retarded kills in film history as a man kidnaps a girls kidneys and feeds them to his dogs, a coathanger killer, and a professor stalking people around with a fencing mask on. He beats a guy to death with a CAMERA LENS. I MEAN COME ON PEOPLE, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS MOVIE. And the ending puts movies like eight legged freaks to shame.

dont waste your money.......2007-04-19

OK THE FIRST ONE WAS AWESOME.....BUT THIS ONE WELL IT JUST SUCKED. THERE WAS NO PLOT TO THIS MOVIE. AND AT TIMES IT WAS CONFUSING. SOMETIMES MOVIES ARENT MEANT TO HAVE A SEQUEL. WELL THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE MOVIES. ITS NOT WORTH YOUR 2 HOURS.

Urban Legends, The worst movie..........2006-12-21

I really enjoyed the first urban legends movie, but this one I was not impress by at all. I wish I would have taken these reviews more seriously that I read before buying this dvd. This was an awful cheapo urban legends movie. Theres nothing here to come close of where the first urban legends was. I see now theres a third urban legends movie out, im not sure if that ones good or bad, like this one. If you have a couple of bucks to blow, go ahead and get this one. If you seriously want a good atleast kinda scary movie, look else where.

P.S. No wonder this dvd is only $9.00 bucks

Entertaining, but not in a scary way.......2006-09-10

This movie was awful. One of my friends called me up and asked me to pick up a movie. I thought she said pick up a funny or scary movie. So I picked Urban Legends thinking that this would be a good horror flick. She actually said pick a funny movie like "scary movie," the hilarious spinoff of scary movies. Well turns out she got what we wanted because Urban legends-Final Cut was a pretty funny movie to watch. We spent most of the time laughing at the stupid characters and weak plot then hiding our faces behind pillows. Probably not worth watching if you want to see a good horror flick.

Final Cut??.......2006-03-05

Being the sequel to Urban Legends, we expect alot from this movie. I actually give it 2 1/2 stars for I have seen sequels that were much worse than this one. This version takes place at a film school university. With the best film award at stake, and a murder taking place ( the person who was most likely to win ), everyone becomes a suspect. But now no one is safe. There is some gore which adds to the movie and some suspense. Overall, not a boring movie like many other movies I've seen. It's worth watching if you are a fan of the original Urban Legends.

Average customer rating:

I have wanted to see this movie since it came out earlier
boring
welcome back from oblivion
At last a unique film is restored
An Ignored Modern Classic

Dust Devil - The Final Cut

Manufacturer: Subversive Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
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Dark Waters
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Feast (Unrated) [HD DVD]
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ASIN: B000HEWGTW
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Amazon.com

As noted by Richard Stanley fans, Dust Devil, the feature following his box-office hit Hardware, failed to find release, and when it did, a terrible edit drastically altered the story. Subversive Sinema has now released the director-approved final cut of Dust Devil, in a box set that also contains Dust Devil's working edit, the film's Sergio Leone-like soundtrack, and three riveting Stanley documentaries: The Secret Glory, Voice of the Moon, and The White Darkness. Dust Devil, a horror story based on the myth of a Namibian serial killer, looks more like a Western. Filmed on location in Africa where the murders allegedly took place, Chelsea Field plays Wendy Robinson, a woman, who under duress of leaving her husband, heads out to the desert to accidentally encounter the Dust Devil (Robert John Burke), a mercy killer who slays depressed women to save them from the dark side. According to locals, the Dust Devil is a demon, enabling Stanley's abiding interest in world folk religions to weigh heavily in on the plot, especially when the town's witch doctor visits the beyond to unlock mysteries, or when the Dust Devil displays a box containing his victims' fingers. The documentaries, however, are most exciting. The White Darkness unravels political and social aspects of Haitian Voudon, including the history of American Imperialism in Haiti, as told by skilled priest and priestess, Altes Paul and Edelle. Voice of the Moon shows footage of Afghani rebels in the late '80s, sans narrator, instead beautifully accompanied by native music and poetry, adding Herzogian emotional effect. The Secret Glory pieces together the story of Otto Rahn, an SS officer who thought he'd located the Holy Grail. In all three films, the authenticity of the subjects reign, making it more difficult to buy the magic's fictionalized version in Dust Devil. Dust Devil, though, with its cheesier horror moments, provides a dose of humor to a fairly serious package. --Trinie Dalton

Customer Reviews:

I have wanted to see this movie since it came out earlier.......2007-05-23

I wanted to see this movie but never got the chance to see it in the theaters. I was very glad to see it released out on DVD that I had to purchase it for myself. All I heard when it was released was you have to see this movie to believe it. I was very happy that I did purchase it. I have no "experience" with the director or his other movies. I am the type of person that doesn't really care who directs it or wrote the movie's story. If it a good story, I like it. What I will say about the movie is that it does start out very strange and the story unfolds very odd, but I did like it and it made sense when the movie was finished. It was a very good story I thought and being an "odd movie", made it all the more interesting. I am very glad that I did add it to my DVD horror collection. I do highly recommend this movie all to horror fans.

boring .......2007-03-12

what flick did these folks watch? I read so many good things about this,but what i saw was an overlong snooze fest.i feel ripped off by the 25 bucks I tossed away,so be damn sure you really want it. the extras are way better than the main feature,i gotta stop now,im getting sleepy just thinking about this thing again.

welcome back from oblivion.......2007-01-29

This release says a lot about the amazing times we live in with regard to the huge variety of re-releases of movies, music, what have you, that have been unfairly buried and never got a chance back in the day to reach the audiences they deserved. It's heartening that this film is getting a second chance and has received this level of care and treatment. I enjoyed Stanley's earlier Hardware but didn't think it particularly great and so I never really sought out the earlier versions of Dust Devil; not having seen the truncated previously released edit, I can't directly compare with this new version but I have absolutely no trouble imagining that it was badly butchered. (By the way, this is a much much better movie than Hardware.)

Dust Devil is not in any way a perfectly realized film and Stanley describes himself in a DVD interview various ways where censorship, the budget, shooting schedule problems, and other factors, kept this from being quite what he originally intended, even now with this newly reconstructed 2006 version. But I give this 5 stars anyway because, for all its shortcomings, this film looks and feels like very few others and such a strong personality goes a long way for me in a time where most films feel completely test marketed to death and bled of all difference and idiosyncracies. Stanley mentions that he was trying to recreate in the dust devil figure imagery from a dream he had, and I admit to being a sucker personally for any movie that tries obsessively to replicate dream or nightmare logic or feel. The film studio types who looked at this material and saw a movie that was just not going to connect with the audience they were after and who wound up hacking it to pieces were probably right (unfortunately) about the limited number of people who will appreciate this. This is not going to appeal broadly to the masses of mainstream horror fans: it is too leisurely paced, too lyrical in tone, too interested in the cultural background of the Namibian/South African location, too interested in exploring the emotional quandry of loneliness and despair that the devil finds in his victims. And, bluntly put, there's just not enough violent death here to keep the average bloodthirsty genre fan happy I expect, and some of the horror make up/effects are also a bit substandard. But for any horror devotees who gravitate to more personal and unusual films without needing a high body count (and who understand how a slower pace can work in your favor), you should absolutely watch this (especially if you are also an italian western fan, the aesthetic of which informs this film). Stanley has a fantastic eye and the film is a real visual stunner with many shots that stay in your head long after: genre fans who truly appreciate attention to framing, lighting, and camera moves should respond to Stanley's great work here.

Hopefully, the rediscovery of this film will help to give Stanley a shot at another big narrative film soon and hopefully, he gets the chance to do it as he wants this time.

At last a unique film is restored.......2007-01-19

The film making career of director Richard Stanley has to be one of the Film Industry's most wasted opportunities. Why hasn't this talented director made more films? His two complete films Dust Devil and Hardware are both visions of uniqueness and originality. It is both the Industry and the Film Goer who have lost out big time to the fact that Stanley has only made these two films and was ignominiously fired from a third - the most recent remake of The Island Of Dr Moreau.

Dust Devil was originally released in a severely edited version by its producers and distributors and with no marketing to speak of, quickly left cinemas and went straight onto video. Stanley has restored an approximately 20 mins of footage and the running time of the film is now 108 mins. The restoration is crucial because the initial release saw all the supernatural elements of the film removed, so as to make it a pure serial killer type film. Fully restored to a version as close to Stanley's original vision as is possible, given the passage of time, Dust Devil can finally take its long overdue accolade as a great film in its own right, within the genre of Horror film making.

Set in Namibia, at the time of that country's independence from South Africa, Dust Devil follows the exploits of a murderous, hitchhiking nomad (played by Robert John Burke) who after butchering and dismembering his victims, retains their fingers. This nomad subsequently is revealed to be more than human, and in fact is a 'Dust Devil' from African folklore - a shape shifting demon who preys on the lonely, despondent and vulnerable, and collects their souls to buy his way into an afterlife.
A depressed housewife (well played by Chelsea Field) flees her husband in South Africa and drives into Namibia's desolate badlands, hoping to lose herself in this bleak but beautiful wilderness. However, she is drawn to the Dust Devil and soon finds that there are far worse things than depression and failed marriage to have to cope with.
Hunting this killer, is an ageing South African policeman, superbly played by Zakes Mokae (The Serpent And The Rainbow, A Dry White Season). Before long this policeman learns the nature of his quarry and living somewhat on the edge himself, following the death of his wife and child, realises that he too is a potential victim.
The films narrator is John Matshikiza who plays a Namibian shaman. He it is who advised Mokae's policeman as to the nature of the quarry that he is attempting to hunt down...
Boasting a stupendous score by Simon Boswell, the film is also visually stunning with its Namibian desert locations and real life ghost towns.
All the cast acquit themselves well as the story with its theme of desolation plays out to its grim conclusion. The walls separating reality and otherworldliness are blurred in this film, and the visions experienced by the film's principals seem to meld into real life. Destitute individuals, dying towns, and a barren and stunningly beautiful landscape combine to give a visual feast of a film which lingers long in the memory after having been viewed.

This is a five disc DVD and apart from the main version of the film, there is 115 min rough cut that features sequences that Stanley considered too far gone to actually include in this final cut of the film. Well worth a look though.
Additionally there are two documentaries on another two of these DVDs. one is The Voice Of The Moon which is Stanley's documentary that he filmed while in Afghanistan with the Mujahadin rebels during the 1980s.
The other documentary is The Secret Glory which again made by Stanley, features the story of the quest of Otto Rahn (an SS officer) to locate the Holy Grail.
The last disc though is Simon Boswell's full and magnificent score for Dust Devil.
The main disc of the film though is in 5.1 sound which coupled with these extra DVDs and CD, makes this Region 1 release by far the superior version to go for as compared to the Region 2 DVD which is a single disc and in surround sound only (why?).

For Stanley fans this is an incredible opportunity to see Dust Devil almost fully restored and at last in a format that it deserves. Newcomers to Richard Stanley's work are also strongly recommended to use this set as a starting point in viewing this outrageously underrated director's work. Thankfully though, Stanley is starting to get the recognition that is so long overdue for him, and we may see him make another film in the near future at long last too.

An Ignored Modern Classic.......2007-01-19

Imagine Sergio Leone, Dario Argento and Michaelangeo Antonioni working on a feature film together, and you'd end up with "Dust Devil." This movie is part western, part horror film, part existential exploration.

The remarkable thing is, the director, Richard Stanley, pulls this unique mix off! Despite many hardships in the making of the film! His loss of money, and production problems, meant less gory effects, less splashy action sequences--accidents which enormously benefitted the "final" version.

Stumbling across this thick box in a bookstore (of all places), I was intrigued by the five disk set. It including three documentaries, the "final" version of a feature, and the "workprint." I had seen "Hardware", the first feature by Richard Stanley, and thought it was okay--not great, but entertaining.

I just finished watching the feature. It utilizes brilliantly the haunting, desolate landscape of Namibia. The storyline has been summarized in other reviews. It is a fascinating mix of horror film, suspense film, but mostly it feels like an art film about desolation and loneliness, an existential exploration of our relationships. There is the broken relationship between the lead female across, who at the beginning of the film leaves her husband (who abuses her). There is the relationship between the Black detective and his white counterparts, containing nicely understated racial tension. There is the relationship, also, between white and Blacks. Topping it off is the relationship between magic and reality. For that matter, there is the relationship between the "dust devil" himself, who is not what he first seems, and his victims.

I've watched the extended documentary about Otto Rahn, who was recruited into the SS because Himmler thought Rahn had a bead on the Holy Grail--fascinating! I have not yet seen the other documentaries. However, I watched the interviews conducted with Richard Stanley about both the Holy Grail documentary and on making "Dust Devil"--both were fascinating interviews in their own right.

This DVD set is an excellent deal!

By the way, the video and audio quality are Criterion level.

Rainbow: Live Between the Eyes - The Final Cut [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

Rainbow double DVD package
To the reviewer discussing region formats
"FOREIGN DVDS"
Great Rainbow concert

Rainbow: Live Between the Eyes - The Final Cut [Region 2]
Starring: Rainbow
Manufacturer: UM3
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Live in Munich 1977
Live... In the Shadow of the Blues
Far Beyond the Sun
Deep Purple: They All Came Down to Montreux
Dio - Holy Diver Live

ASIN: B000I5Y98Q
Release Date: 2006-10-16

Customer Reviews:

Rainbow double DVD package.......2007-07-03

This package comes with 2 DVDs. One has the Polygram Final Cut video, and the other one has this Straight Between the Eyes concert, from 1982. This one was totaly new for me. Ritchie is really excited on stage, as I have never seen before. Although his playing is not that fantastic, when compared to other concerts such as the Live In Germany from 1977, his intensity on stage calls atention. They play several songs from the Straight Between album, and some pieces from some Purple songs (Lazy, Woman From Tokyo). Smoke on the Water ends the set.
Ritchie uses his tradicional white stratocaster the hole set, and switch to one half-Fender when the time of guitar crash comes.
Comments from the others: Roger Glover plays his usual, Joe delivers some great vocals, David and Bob play really great.
I totally recommend it for all Purple and Blackmore fans.

To the reviewer discussing region formats.......2007-05-15

The Region Format (2) and picture format (PAL) are both listed in the item format comments. Given that they are, I think format complaints are baseless. This is an import set, and the band is on fire for the concert DVD. The clips are somewhat dated as far as videos go, but they make for a nice bonus.

"FOREIGN DVDS".......2007-04-06

MY HUSBAND WAS EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WHEN RECEIVING HIS DVD AND FINDING OUT THAT IT IS ONLY PLAYABLE IN EUROPE AND JAPAN. WHY WASN'T THAT MENTIONED WHEN PURCHASING IT?

Great Rainbow concert.......2006-12-26

I have the PAL version of this DVD. I just saw the first (Live Between the Eyes) of the 2 DVDs this set has and felt strongly compelled to share my opinion with other Rainbow fans. (I will post a review of the second DVD later).

The first DVD covers a concert held in San Antonio, TX. to support the release of Rainbow's "Straight Between The Eyes" album. Here's what they played:

Overture: Over the Rainbow
Spotlight Kid
Miss Mistreated
It Cant' Happen Here
Tearin' Out My Heart
All Night Long
Stone Cold
Power
Blues Interlude
Beethoven's Ninth:Ode to Joy
Long Live Rock'n'Roll
Smore On The Water

IMHO, great concert. Ritchie Blackmore gets plenty of close-ups (to the detriment of the rest of the band). He is definitively energized for this concert (as opposed to others in which he seems to be far away and detached from everyone!). Joe Lynn Turner delivers a great vocal performance on all tracks except on Smoke On The Water and Long Live Rock and Roll (well, he does not measure up against Dio or Gillan). He does a good job at covering "All Night Long". As usual, Ritchie destroys a guitar towards the end of the show. Roger Glover delivers as usual.

You can see on this DVD how much control Blackmore exerts over the band: there is a constant stream of verbal, eye, and body contact/cues with the rest of the band (drums and keyboard, especifically). All so that they could keep up with what he (Blackmore) had in mind. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I did not see a single time when Blackmore cued Glover (I guess they have known each other for so long that there is no need for that). Having been a semi-professional musician, covering these very songs, I did notice a couple of instances in which the band indeed failed to follow him. Most will not be noticed, but perhaps you could discern the mistake they had while playing Smoke On The Water.

Strange fact: the DTS mix is louder and clearer than the Dolby 5.1 mix. I double checked my home theater settings just in case, but I guess it just came out like this.

Second DVD:
This has a compilation of video clips and it was released when Blackmore called Rainbow quits and he and Glover reformed Deep Purple with Gillan, Lord, and Paice. [There are pictures of Rainbow's "Finyl Vynil" album]. Clips are as follows:

Spotlight Kid (This one is a repeat from the 1st DVD)
Death Alley Drive (Blackmore dressed as an evil man following Turner)
I Surrender
All Night Long (with G. Bonnet! great voice this guy had!)
Can't Happen Here
Difficult to Cure
Can't Let You Go (Blackmore again playing as an evil man)
Power
Since You've Been Gone
Stone Cold
River of Dreams

There are no clips from Dio's stint with Rainbow. I enjoyed this DVD only because I barely remember some of these clips... (nostalgia!).

If you are a Rainbow fan, this one is to own. Seeing this line up in action was a great Christmas gift. This DVD set complements perfectly the Live In Munich concert DVD.

Average customer rating:

I have wanted to see this movie since it came out earlier
boring
welcome back from oblivion
At last a unique film is restored
An Ignored Modern Classic

Dust Devil: The Final Cut
Starring: John Matshikiza , Robert John Burke , Terri Norton , Chelsea Field , and Rufus Swart
Director: Richard Stanley
Manufacturer: Subversive Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

Dark Waters
Street Trash
Masters of Horror - Imprint
Feast (Unrated) [HD DVD]
Let's Scare Jessica to Death

ASIN: B000LXHFLS
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

I have wanted to see this movie since it came out earlier.......2007-05-23

boring .......2007-03-12

welcome back from oblivion.......2007-01-29

At last a unique film is restored.......2007-01-19

An Ignored Modern Classic.......2007-01-19

Urban Legend/Urban Legends: Final Cut/Urban Legends: Bloody Mary

Average customer rating:

happy i baught it
What can be said regarding DVDs?
Fading Fast
Great Horror flicks
An underrated series of slasher films - the original is brilliant

Urban Legend/Urban Legends: Final Cut/Urban Legends: Bloody Mary
Starring: Kate Mara , Robert Vito , Tina Lifford , Ed Marinaro , and Michael Coe
Director: Mary Lambert , Jamie Blanks , and John Ottman
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Horror | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

Scream Trilogy - Boxed Set
I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer
Valentine
Halloween H20 - 20 Years Later (Dimension Collector's Series)
Final Destination 3 (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B0009MWEM6
Release Date: 2005-07-19

Customer Reviews:

happy i baught it.......2007-05-17

I'll be the first to abmit i'm a suspens junkie! This product was perfect. the third movie had a little more gore than i care for but it was worth it. The package arrived in a timely manner and played well.

What can be said regarding DVDs?.......2007-04-10

My spouse likes the Urban Legend series so we ordered them.

Fading Fast.......2006-02-01

I really enjoyed the first film, it had some interesting killings, some humor and a generally original premise. The second one was not as much fun following the same idea. The third seemed like a really bad low budget mess. I would normally say to just pick up the first film, but since it seems to go for over 20 dollars by itself, you might as well pick up a 3 pack for a bit more. You may end up enjoying the 2 sequels more than I did.

Great Horror flicks.......2006-01-14

The 1st one is Excellent, The Second one is BLAHHHH but funny and fun to watch, the third one is better then the second one but not better then the first one lol

An underrated series of slasher films - the original is brilliant.......2005-10-31

I don't think the Urban Legends series gets the attention it deserves. The quality of the films goes down with each sequel (with the third having nothing at all to do with the first two films), but it's still a darn good trio of horror movies. This is a great buy for those who don't already have all three films (especially the first two) in their DVD libraries.

Most of my high regard for the series is due to the original. Far from being a Scream clone, it is one of the most impressive slasher films of recent years, in my opinion. The suspense is sustained throughout, the identification of the killer is handled superbly, and the ending is well-nigh perfect. A serial killer who constructs his/her kills on urban legends - fantastic. Maybe it's not a wholly original idea, but no film had ever taken the premise to the extreme the way Urban Legend did. Among the talented cast, Alicia Witt and Rebecca Gayheart give particularly impressive performances. Gayheart in particular really expanded her acting repertoire with this film. The less talented cast members, as it turns out, were pretty much the first to be dispatched, and this works out well. It's always nice when a particularly annoying character you expect to have to deal with until the end gets offed in the first half hour. All told, I actually consider Urban Legend to be a much more original, shocking, effective film than any of the Scream movies it is invariably compared to. The final revelations of this film, as I have already mentioned, took me completely by surprise, and that really doesn't happen all that often.

Urban Legends Final Cut is a movie about a movie, basically, and this little twist to the classic horror formula plays out rather well. At the country's most distinguished film-making school, the Hitchcock Award for best student movie is the ultimate accomplishment, all but guaranteeing the winner a quick jump to a directing chair in Hollywood. The protagonist, Amy, decides to break away from her documentary roots and produce a horror movie, one in which a serial killer patterns his murders on urban legends. As Amy begins filming, several of her fellow students are murdered, and eventually the killer comes after her. All told, this is a better-than-average slasher film, combining good acting, great special effects, and an actual storyline that doesn't reveal its most important secrets until the very end. The special effects are pretty good, and there is a nice variety to be found in the urban legend-based murders. The movie has its lighter side, as well, obviously not taking itself too seriously. The movie could be considered rather Scream-like, but it has enough character of its own to succeed in its own right - but it's not as good as the original.

Urban Legends - Bloody Mary was a direct-to-video release that really had nothing to do with the first two films. While the film falls far short of its predecessors, Urban Legends - Bloody Mary isn't all that bad, though. It has some definite weaknesses, but it also has a nice sampling of blood and gore. There are many variations on the old Bloody Mary story, but it makes for classic urban legend fare. Look in the mirror, say Bloody Mary's name three times, and she appears - and then the fun begins. Apparently, a mirror isn't actually required after all, as young Samantha Owens conjures the restless spirit without one after hearing the story of a local girl supposedly killed back in 1969 - and disappears until the next day. Those responsible for Samantha's disappearance start dying, in rather gruesome ways, which makes Sam and her brother David (whom some blame for the murders) exceedingly unpopular at school. By about the second murder, the whole urban legend m.o. is applied rather loosely, but there's still the Bloody Mary connection. Samantha comes to believe that the killer is the ghost of Mary and that she is killing the children of those responsible for her death. There's no denying that Urban Legends - Bloody Mary is an exceedingly predictable little film. Mary's killer might as well have walked around with the words "I did it" on his forehead. There are some decent-sized holes in the plot, as well. Still, I enjoyed this movie. The special effects for Bloody Mary herself are pretty good, and the deaths are reasonably gory (although we sometimes only see the aftermath of them). You really have to judge this film on its own merits, though, as it really has next to nothing to do with the first two Urban Legends movies.

Average customer rating:

Saved by Ray Winstone
A little disappointed...
Did that really happen?
amazing acting
Finger Sandwiches...

Final Cut
Starring: John Beckett , Perry Benson , Mark Burdis , Ray Burdis , and Holly Davidson
Director: Ray Burdis
Manufacturer: Mti Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000E32YH
Release Date: 2003-12-30

Customer Reviews:

Saved by Ray Winstone.......2005-10-04

I am moved to write a review out of frustration that a movie with a promising premise and a charismatic lead actor can turn out so...all I can think of is a dead fish....cold, useless and sort of stinky.

Interesting premise, but defies any sort of logic. So Jude begins the film...why? It certainly sounds like he wants it to be seen after he dies. But his death is an accident. His narrative sounds like a man mulling over his mortality. But his death is an accident. So why was he making a movie like this? Coincidence? HUH? No logic. And so his wife, Sadie (5 stars for Bad Acting Hall of Famer Sadie Frost...man, she is just uncomfortably laughably bad) finishes his film? It is implausible in the extreme.

She calls the cops...when...? ...to catch Ray as he makes his exit? Is she clairvoyant? Lame. As if the cops would wait for her to set all this up. No. And they send what amounts to a SWAT team. HUH?

But. A side note. Anything with Ray Winstone is worth watching. Even this. But just for his crackling, pent-up, electric energy. He is scary and beguiling and you don't really take your eyes off him for a moment. He swears creatively, admirably and with great enthusiasm. I was nearly taking notes.

He is worth seeking out in anything. Amazing, under-the-radar actor.

Awful film. Love Ray.

A little disappointed..........2005-06-27

Am I the only one who didn't like this movie? Sure, it was an original idea and the revelation of how Jude died was surprising, to say the least. Still, it was very slow-moving and even though Ray Whinstone was very good and Jude Law looked as hot as ever, there wasn't much else to hold my attention. The female leads all acted as if this were the first time they had read their lines - Sadie Frost, in my opinion, was terrible! Surely they could have found some actresses who would show a little emotion and seem sincere when they did show a little emotion. So, I give this film kudos for such an original idea and the unique way in which it was filmed and presented, but otherwise, I have to give it two thumbs down :-(

Did that really happen?.......2005-06-26

strolling though blockbuster has become an everyday occurance due to the movie pass that has come about in the last few months. when i came across this film