Brazil

Starring:Jim Broadbent, Ray Cooper (II), Robert De Niro, John Flanagan, Kim Greist, Katherine Helmond, Barbara Hicks, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Charles McKeown, Brian Miller, Derrick O'Connor, Michael Palin, Kathryn Pogson, Bryan Pringle, Jonathan Pryce, Sheila Reid, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
If Franz Kafka had been an animator and film director--oh, and a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus--this is the sort of outrageously dystopian satire one could easily imagine him making. However, Brazil was made by Terry Gilliam, who is all of the above except, of course, Franz Kafka. Be that as it may, Gilliam sure captures the paranoid-subversive spirit of Kafka's The Trial (along with his own Python animation) in this bureaucratic nightmare-comedy about a meek governmental clerk named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) whose life is destroyed by a simple bug. Not a software bug, a real bug (no doubt related to Kafka's famous Metamorphosis insect) that gets smooshed in a printer and causes a typographical error unjustly branding poor Sam as a miscreant.

Amazon.com

Like cinematic dynamite, City of God lights a fuse under its squalid Brazilian ghetto, and we're a captive audience to its violent explosion. The titular favela is home to a seething army of impoverished children who grow, over the film's ambitious 20-year timeframe, into cutthroat killers, drug lords, and feral survivors. In the vortex of this maelstrom is L'il Z (Leandro Firmino da Hora--like most of the cast, a nonprofessional actor), self-appointed king of the dealers, determined to eliminate all competition at the expense of his corrupted soul. With enough visual vitality and provocative substance to spark heated debate (and box-office gold) in Brazil, codirectors Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund tackle their subject head on, creating a portrait of youthful anarchy so appalling--and so authentically immediate--that City of God prompted reforms in socioeconomic policy. It's a bracing feat of stylistic audacity, borrowing from a dozen other films to form its own unique identity. You'll flinch, but you can't look away. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Celebrated with worldwide acclaim, this powerful true story of crime and redemption has won numerous prestigious awards around the globe! The streets of the world's most notorious slum, Rio de Janeiro's "City of God," are a place where combat photographers fear to tread, police rarely go, and residents are lucky if they live to the age of 20. In the midst of the oppressive crime and violence, a frail and scared young boy will grow up to discover that he can view the harsh realities of his surroundings with a different eye: the eye of an artist. In the face of impossible odds, his brave ambition to become a professional photographer becomes a window into his world ... and ultimately his way out!

Customer Reviews:

Una de las mejores peliculas de nuestra generación.......2007-07-05

This review is for Spanish speakers/ para hispanohablantes

"Ciudad de Dios" es una fuerte historia que refleja la vida de los habitantes de un barrio de Rio de Janeiro. Los habitantes de la Ciudad de Dios son humildes; son trabajadores que sueñan con una vida mejor. Pero, como en cada ciudad del mundo, cuando hay pobreza, hay problemas. Los "hoods" son rebeldes, con ganas de robar y conseguir las cosas de lujo que otros tienen pero le faltan al barrio.

Poco a poco la historia se desarrolla; los personajes principales crecen y llegan a ser criminales. La ciudad vacila entre guerra y paz, soledad y alegria, y se ve que todo lo que pasa en el barrio es resultado de los negocios de los hoods; ellos tienen el control, y lo van a utilizar para que todos sepan lo fuerte que son los hoods.

Todos deben ver esta película; después de haber visto esta película, aprendí mucho de mí mismo, de cómo son las relaciones que tengo con la gente que me importa más, y creo que lo mismo les va a pasar a ustedes.

Certainly NOT a date movie .......2007-06-12

City of God is one of those films that will worm it's way into your mind and stay there FOREVER. No, I don't mean till the day after tomorrow when you will have trouble remembering what you had for dinner .. this is one of the forever movies...

The mindless violence is incredible and the thing that shocks me the most is the matter in which this band of thugs is able to live in the Brazil slum with gun in hand able to kill people that annoy without ANY thought whatsoever. It would be like living in a suburb full of cold blooded psychopaths!

The movie runs 130 minutes which will seem like 3 hours towards the end. It is well written and realistically shot as the narrator, one of the few characters that makes it through to the age of 20, takes us on a roller coaster ride through violence and corruption..

An instant classic.......2007-06-08

There is something fascinating and surreal about seeing children running around with guns. Brutal violence, beautiful cinematography and excellent acting all help City of God do an amazing job of bringing to life the harsh realities of drugs and poverty. The plotline and the character development are both excellent. In fact, most of the actors in this movie (leads aside) were extras who actually live in Rio. This adds to the realism. Furthermore, the cinematography in this movie really stands out above the rest. The shots are all very colorful and vibrant and bring the city to life. At times, the film moves at breakneck speed and the cameras do a great job of bringing you into action. I have seen this movie twice now, and it is definitely one of the best films I have ever seen. I give it an extremely strong recommendation to you.

A great movie!.......2007-05-30

This movie shows an inside view to the world of drugs, crime, and racism. Taking place in city 15 miles from Rio in Brazil, the movies follows a true story of a boy caught between two sides of life. The criminal way, which is the more popular, or the right way.

Want to know what happens? Which way he chooses?

Buy it!

No Redemption In The City Of God.......2007-05-28

The film explores the violent lives of young people living on the fringe of Rio in a delapidated housing project called the City Of God. Gang life, robbery, coldbloodedness marks a world devoid of much that is positive. The film is brutally honest about a side of life often ignored in developing countries. The characters are a mix of kids with nothing better to do and kids who have been turned into hardened killers.

Years ago another film Pixote explored the similar circumstances of Brazilian street kids and the characters were more sympathetic and fully realized than the characters in City Of God. Ultimately City Of God is worth viewing to peer into a subculture of violence and criminality fostered in an environment of dire poverty but it will leave you depressed since it offers no sense of hope or solution.

The Motorcycle Diaries (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

beautiful movie
A love letter to a pre-Che
Great Movie
Why do so many people get this film wrong...
Let the world change you and this film also.

The Motorcycle Diaries (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Gael García Bernal , Rodrigo De la Serna , Mercedes Morán , Jean Pierre Noher , and Lucas Oro
Director: Walter Salles
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JNCZ
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Amazon.com

The beauty of the South American landscape and of Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Bad Education) gives The Motorcycle Diaries a charisma that is decidedly apolitical. But this portrait of the young Che Guevara (later to become a militant revolutionary) is half buddy-movie, half social commentary--and while that may seem an unholy hybrid, under the guidance of Brazillian director Walter Salles (Central Station) the movie is quietly passionate. Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna, a lusty and engaging actor) set off from Buenos Aires, hoping to circumnavigate the continent on a leaky motorcycle. They end up travelling more by foot, hitchhiking, and raft, but their experience of the land and the people affects them profoundly. No movie could affect an audience the same way, but The Motorcycle Diaries gives a soulful glimpse of an awakening social conscience, and that's worth experiencing. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

beautiful movie.......2007-06-22

I thought this was an extrordinarily beautiful movie. The cinematography, music, acting, and pace are all superb. I'll leave out the Guevara/Castro rant, since this is not the appropriate forum, and it's not relevant to a review of this movie. Recommended.

A love letter to a pre-Che.......2007-06-16

I've read both books that this DVD is based on, and the way they are put together makes an interesting film. If you haven't yet discovered the talents of Garcia Gael Bernal, you certainly will want to see more of his films after this. Beautifully photographed, will make you want to take a tour of Latin America yourself. Perfect casting all around. Truly gives you a better understanding of Ernesto "Che" Guevaro's motivation for who he was to become. The Widescreen edition is a must to appreciate the magnificent magical feeling that makes you want to get on the back of the motocycle with them.

Great Movie.......2007-05-30

This movie is one of the best foreign flix i have ever seen. the way that they portrey Che is so interesting. finding out about one of the most memerable rebels in all of history. seeing his beginings in communism and the point of view of the native people in chile peru and all of south america. This movie is a great historical film as long as a great Drama

Why do so many people get this film wrong..........2007-04-29

First of all, this is NOT a documentary, this is a film portraying the life of a 23 year old Ernesto Guevara de La Serna looking for adventures and inspiration. There was no need to give more details or be more specific about this character. He was a young man at this point, far from becoming the infamous warrior the world came to know as Che Guevara. I love this film, in fact it one of my favorites. I am appalled to learn about his actions in Cuba and his decision to stop practising medicine. I cannot deny that I both, admire and despise what he became, but the point of this movie is to depict his journey through South America, not how he became Che Guevara and end up with Fidel Castro in Cuba.

Let the world change you and this film also........2007-04-11

One of Gael's insperational & professional roles as "che" hands down. A really really great movie of how the world chages a person and makes them wanna change the world he lives in.

Average customer rating:

worth seeing again
Don't understand any of the hype
future dystopia
Brazil is NOW!
The War on Terror

Brazil
Starring: Jim Broadbent , Ray Cooper (II) , Robert De Niro , John Flanagan , and Kim Greist
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0783225903
Release Date: 1998-03-31

Amazon.com

If Franz Kafka had been an animator and film director--oh, and a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus--this is the sort of outrageously dystopian satire one could easily imagine him making. However, Brazil was made by Terry Gilliam, who is all of the above except, of course, Franz Kafka. Be that as it may, Gilliam sure captures the paranoid-subversive spirit of Kafka's The Trial (along with his own Python animation) in this bureaucratic nightmare-comedy about a meek governmental clerk named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) whose life is destroyed by a simple bug. Not a software bug, a real bug (no doubt related to Kafka's famous Metamorphosis insect) that gets smooshed in a printer and causes a typographical error unjustly branding poor Sam as a miscreant.

Customer Reviews:

worth seeing again.......2007-04-05

Brazil isn't eveyone's cup of tea To me it is sort of a cross between the Beatles song "A Day in The Life" and a less serious version of "1984". When looking at the negetive reviews (one star?) try and keep in mind that the words "less serious" can be a fun thing if you have a little less stick up the.....well... Anyway if you like satire and the surreal you will probably find this enjoyable.

Don't understand any of the hype.......2007-03-30

I just made it through 45 minutes of this "classic" and had to stop. This is a frenetic, loud, short-attention-span mess. True science fiction ("Day the Earth Stood Still", "Silent Running," "The Fly") appeals to the inellect. I'm at 45 minutes and it has failed to engage my thinking on any level. It's just entertainment, pure and simple, and pretty unpleasant entertainment at that, aimed at a pretty simple-minded audience, I have to say. The set-ups, like the oh-so-sweet Christmas scene at the beginning are just out of place in this film. The arrest of Buttle was so ridiculously overdone that I thought I was watching a cartoon version of "The Terminator." The set-ups seem extremely heavy handed, as is the constant reminders of hte "Tuttle-Buttle" mixup. The use of the classic songs in this film "As Time Goes By" and "Brazil," is just a travesty. The goal seems to be to ruin the value of these songs rather than add anything meaningful to the film. Besides, there are more guns in the first 45 minutes of this film than in most Westerns. What's that all about? Was the NRA a major funder for this studio? You know when a film starts with an explosion that it's going to be pretty bad, unless it's James Bond, which this isn't!

future dystopia.......2007-03-25

Excellent film. It explores the inefficiencies of bureaucracy and paints a bleak picture of a police state, which seems ever more realistic. The acting is fantastic and the ideas presented in this movie are second to none. If you like this movie, also check out A Scanner Darkly and Logan's Run.

Brazil is NOW!.......2007-03-21

One of my all time favorite movies, chaos in it's finest hour of pure insanity. Has a mind of its own but can never be controlled just like the breathing air ducts. Throw in the kitchen sink and a man named Tuttle.

The War on Terror.......2006-12-17

Brazil presaged the War on Terror 20 years before it happened. Watching it now brings on a terrible feeling that the future will always look like this with an omnipresent government controlling its people. In the restuarant scene (where the people keep on eating even though the place has been subjected to a terrorist attack) is Baghdad today and perhaps your town tommorrow.
It's the real 1984 - watch it and learn.

Average customer rating:

My Number One TV Series
A Great Show That Has Held Up
Hill Street Blues Season 1
A Blast from the Past
as good as I remembered

Hill Street Blues - Season 1
Starring: Barbara Babcock , Robert Prosky , Megan Gallagher , Lindsay Crouse , and Robert Clohessy
Director: Lawrence Levy (II) , Jack Starrett , Mark Frost , John D. Hancock , and Scott Brazil
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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Hill Street Blues - Season 2
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ASIN: B000BOH8YG
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Amazon.com essential video

Created by Steven Bochco and one of television's most influential series, Hill Street Blues was not your father's cop show. The Emmy-winning pilot episode, "Hill Street Station," immediately established the series as less a police procedural than an up-close and personal "interface with the police experience." To establish gritty, documentary-like realism, the show featured sequences, such as the pre-credit roll call, that were filmed with a hand-held camera. There was chaotic, overlapping dialogue. There were sudden, shocking bursts of violence that claimed popular characters. Story lines were not wrapped up at the end of the hour, but instead, unfolded serially throughout the season. It's no wonder that Hill Street, while championed by most critics, was initially not embraced by viewers. It was, in the beginning, one of television's lowest rated shows, its case not helped by NBC's criminal practice of juggling it in its primetime schedule). But there is justice in Hollywood. Hill Street Blues won the Emmy for best drama in its first season. Also honored were several members of the ensemble, including Daniel J. Travanti as the compassionate and incorruptible Precinct Capt. Frank Furillo, Michael Conrad as the avuncular Sgt. Phil Esterhaus (whose cautionary, "Let's be careful out there," became the show's pop culture signature), and Barbara Babcock as the wildly sexual Grace Gardner, who rocks Esterhaus's world (particularly in the episode that earned her her statuette, "Fecund Hand Rose").

There were no big stars on Hill Street Blues (or, for that matter, no little stars, as one of the cast members jokes during a near-hour-long reunion featurette included as a bonus feature on this three double-sided disc set). Each was an indelible character, among them Charles Haid as cowboy cop Andy Renko, Veronica Hammel as sexy public defender Joyce Davenport, Bruce Weitz as the untamed, animalistic Belker, Keil Martin as LaRue, whose descent into alcoholism is one of the season's most compelling dramatic arcs, and James Sikking as the gung-ho Howard Hunter. Once daring, Hill Street Blues seems almost quaint today, with none of the graphic sex or language that scandalized NYPD Blue (in one episode, a captured cat burglar, portrayed by a pre-L.A. Law Michael Tucker, makes a reference to "wolf pee-pee"). The ethnic portrayals, too, are not exactly nuanced. But the human dramas at the heart of Hill Street still make for arresting television. --Donald Liebenson

Description

"LET'S BE CAREFUL OUT THERE." So ends each roll call session at the Hill Street station house. As the cops and detectives head out to the streets, Captain Frank Furillo begins the delicate balancing act of providing enough protection for the law-abiding citizens without inciting the neighborhood gangs and local criminal elements who are openly hostile towards any police presence. Yet as dangerous as his inner city precinct can be, Furillo's biggest battles often involve protecting his own cops from the Public Defender's office, self-serving bureaucrats, and even each other.

Customer Reviews:

My Number One TV Series.......2007-05-07

May I say that I wish that those who list the actors at Amazon, stop listing cast names alphabetically, but list them in starring roles. For example the name Daniel J Traventi should appear FIRST in any listing related to the great Hill Street Blues. Frank Furillo was the captain of the the Hill Street Station, and any company wanting to train staff in leadership skills etc should include episodes of Hill Strrett Blues as compulsory viewing. Furillo was a wonderful leader and human being.
Next was Michael Conrad who played Sgt Phil Esterhaus who left the series in Series three (I think) when the actor was too ill (cancer) to work any longer. His parting warning to his team "Now let's be careful out there," was always the last thing he said to those heading out on patrol at the beginning of every episode.
Was there anyone in Television more stunning than Veronica Hamel ? Does anyone remember she was living with another Hill Street actor Taurean Blaque (Det Neil Washington) at that time ?
Another item of note about Hill Street - how much class the African American officers displayed, and what wonderful roles were written for them. Officer Bobby Hill (Michael Warren) who had to deal with his partner, the complaining Renko (Charles Haid) and teach him to grow up, whilst Det Washington (Taurean Blaque) had the lyin' La Rue alias John JD LaRue (Kiel Martin) to constantly cover for, as his partner womanized and drank to excess, and went awol from jobs.
Other characters/actors of note in this series were James B Sikking as Lt Howard Hunter, the military misfit, and Joe Spano as the gentle Henry Goldblume the real right hand man to Furillo.
I love this series as much today as I did back then and agree with those many on here who say the quality of the transfer to DVD and general packaging could have been a lot better.
However, after waiting so long for the series to appear on DVD we will just have to put up with what we're given.
Question : How long before Series Three ? It's been a couple of years already.

A Great Show That Has Held Up.......2007-04-02

I was not born in 1981 when this show originally aired. My parents talked about it and I heard it referred to in relation to other shows I like so I decided to see what the hype was about. For once the hype was right, this is a really good show. It can even pull in a first time watcher when it is about 26 years out of date. The reason this show holds up so well is that the characters are so interesting. I am currently watching season 2 and hope the rest of the series will be released on DVD so I can get caught up. I'd think it make for a good family tv night (with teenage or up children) during the summer hiatus. A great show for people who love tv and great characters. Good even if its the first time around.

Hill Street Blues Season 1.......2007-03-08

I received Season 2 for Christmas and just had to secure Season 1. I am very pleased with the production. It includes some of the true classics and you see the character development take place in a well organized manner. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys police drama. My only regret is that the follow-on seaons are not available. Great series.

A Blast from the Past.......2007-02-01

I remember watching this show when I was a kid -- I didn't remember that the characters argued so much and shout at one another at every opportunity; fortunately this seems to happen only in the pilot. The show takes on a nice pace by the time you get to the third or fourth episode. Good show if you like the superior NYPD Blue series (same producer).

as good as I remembered.......2007-01-25

Normally, nostaligia interferes, clouding memory, so returning to an old favorite leaves me with little more than a bad taste in my mouth. 'How could I have liked this?' I often ask myself.

Fortunately, this show is a powerful counter example. It's well-acted by a superb cast. The emphasis is on character actors exploring roles with real dimension to them. The plots are driven primarily by the reasonable frustration of policing the roughest part of a city.

As a side note, this show reminds me of life in the 1980's - not the "Miami Vice" version, but the downtrodden Reagan years of high inflation and low wages. It's not a pretty picture, but it's an honest picture. The change in affluence over the past 20 years is really stunning - I'm not talking about the poor, but rather the very middle-class police officers, struggling to make ends meet.

Later police dramas (NYPD Blue in particular, given the connection between the show) followed the same formula, with slightly different twists, more raw language, and partial nudity. Still, Hill Street Blues stands out as an excellent example of what a police drama can be.

However, I fear that this review has so far missed the mark. It's a TV show, and the primary question is, "Is it entertaining?". For me, that's a definite "YES". I can watch one or two episodes in a sitting, absorbing both the atmosphere and the action, and enjoy myself, looking forward to more. I tend not to buy TV shows, as I can't see watching them, and there are always others to rent, but I'm glad I own this one, and look forward to getting the rest of the seasons.

(As an aside, people often ask where this takes place - it's never spelled out, although there are hints that it's Chicago. However, it could take place reasonably in any large midwestern city.)

Average customer rating:

Decent movie
Ending lacked
Are frightened tourists giving this movie bad reviews!???
not too bad......
Surprisingly good.

Turistas (Unrated Edition)
Starring: Miguel Lunardi , Melissa George , Desmond Askew , Josh Duhamel , and Olivia Wilde
Director: John Stockwell
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B000N3AW6G
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Amazon.com

If not for Hostel, we'd never have been treated to the gory, horrific delights so lovingly captured with sadistic detail in Turistas. Together, these movies could be spawning a radical new Hollywood-pedigreed sub-genre of extreme horror. Like Hostel, Turistas concerns a group of American hardbodied kids on an exotic foreign vacation--this time in Brazil. After a suspense-filled opening sequence of a speeding bus careening off a dangerous mountain (it's also tinged with just the right kind of humor), the kids wander into the seeming paradise of a secluded beachfront resort where they think nothing of locals who lure them one by one to their gruesome and shocking deaths. Hey, they're here to party! These excruciatingly graphic scenes unfold in the lair of a madman doctor named Zamora, who harvests organs of the still-living as a way of exacting revenge on American turistas to "give back" to the locals they exploit with their capitalist dollars. One such scene has the donor undergoing surgery without the help of anesthesia wherein the lovely young "patient" has the chance to see her still thriving innards pulsing warmly on her well-formed chest to the tune of her own screams. This stuff is not for the faint of heart (or liver, or kidney, or lungs, for that matter). But there is a fair amount of nicely staged tension, especially a "foot" chase scene in a water-filled cave that will give claustrophobics a whole new way to experience nightmares. The two most familiar faces are Melissa George and Josh Duhamel, from TV's Alias and Vegas respectively. Fans of this new world of extreme gross-out horror should be thankful that TV has plenty of cute young bodies waiting for their big screen break, no matter how many organs they have to donate to get there. --Ted Fry

Description

Rising star Josh Duhamel (TV's Las Vegas) leads a group of young backpackers who find themselves stranded on a remote Brazilian beach; an exotic paradise, with warm sunshine, cool ocean breezes, and plenty of hot bodies. But, after a night of partying, the wayward turistas are drugged and robbed, and their dream vacation becomes a gruesome nightmare. Trapped and desperate, the vulnerable travelers are lured deep into the menacing jungle and beyond, where a dark and twisted fate too terrifying to imagine awaits.

Customer Reviews:

Decent movie .......2007-07-03

Thought this movie was a decent little watch, its not as horrific as you may think, you only see one person get multilated and it looks as though they are under anasthetic so it kind of takes the horrific factor away, the idea of it is scary but it somehow misses the actual scares.
The kids do some idiotic things (as usual) in this movie, like following a stranger through underwater caves (the stranger being the only one with a torch) so it would be pitch black for everyone else (in reality), he probably would not be able to see even with a torch, without goggles how they managed to do it is beyond me and thats coming from a former pro swimmer, the ending is as bad with a 10 minute chase through these underwater caverns, no goggles, holding their breath for minutes at a time while trying to avoid a guy with an arrow, only coming up to breath pockets of air that are trapped at the top of the cave (could be CO2 for all they know).
Worth a watch, though slightly ruined also by the bad english actors (one who used to be in a daytime british soap called "Hollyoaks"), how can I take him seriously !!

Ending lacked.......2007-06-12

The movie was decent, good plot, good characters. The action lacked it was short. The ending also sucked.

Are frightened tourists giving this movie bad reviews!???.......2007-06-10

This is a good well acted fun suspense movie with a scarily real message, "be careful who you trust" I dont just mean on foreign soil but ANYWHERE your not familiar with, as people can have ulterior motive anytime, anywhere. Thats the message of this movie I believe and its presented in a chilling and at times ( although NOTING like Hostel etc) brutal way. What we have here is a group of likeable fun characters who just want to have fun, fighting to survive against a macabre set up by some locals in the area they have happened upon. This movie in no way dserves so many one star reviews, I mean a movies sole purpose is to entertain..this movie entertained... so much so you want your group of characters to survive and get home safely, rather than create people so unlikeable you're praying for that machete to fall asap! Im glad I decided to ignore the trashing of this movie and go with my gut feeling which was : with a beautiful scenary, great actors and actresses ( melissa George, always a pleasure) and a chillingly plausible plot, that a good movie was sure to come out of it. And...it did. i'd give it a go...although gore hounds expecting a HOSTEL rerun, please think again, its not the director, actor or writers fault that this movie was presented to theatres and marketed in such a way!!!!!!!!!!

not too bad.............2007-06-04

Ive seen lots worse than this. The story is good enough to make a movie
about it. Its only a movie, so i did not try to tie in too much logic to it and i ended up liking it. Creepy doctor with a chip on his shoulder dont like tourists and has personal plans for some of them.
I enjoyed the scenery, the waterfalls, the forest...much better than a
movie shot inside a studio.
Bottom line, good for a viewing or two.

Surprisingly good........2007-05-27

Turistas (John Stockwell, 2007)

I think Turistas may hold the record for speed of a theatrical release making it to DVD; I was watching it at home less than three months after it came out in the theaters. And while I have to say I understand why it redefined the term "box-office disaster," it's not nearly as bad a film as I was expecting it to be. Much of the problem, both with my expectations and (I suspect) the turnout at the cinema, had to do with the press' endless comparisons between this film and Hostel, comparisons which are about as warranted as those between, say, My Fair Lady and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Yes, there's the same mix of sex and violence, but in nowhere near the same ratio (nor amount) to be found in the wonderful world of Eli Roth. I'd have a hard time believing that Stockwell had to do anywhere near as much cutting to get his R as Roth did.

Stockwell (Nixon) opens his film with three characters on a Brazilian vacation--Alex (Las Vegas' Josh Duhamel), his sister Bea (Alpha Dog's Olivia Wilde), and her friend Amy (Guess model Beau Garrett). A combination of inattention and aggression in the bus driver causes an accident, and the three of them, along with some newfound friends--Pru (Melissa George, recently of The Amityville Horror), an Australian, and London brothers Finn (The Hills Have Eyes' Desmond Askew) and Liam (TV actor Max Brown)--find what seems to be paradise just down the hill, a white sandy beach with a bar run by beautiful, mysterious Camila (Brazilian actress Andrea Leal, in her first major American appearance). The six of them hook up with Svend (Gustav Roth) and his girlfriend Annika (Olga Diegues), who have been staying there for the past three days, and the group is set. Oh, except for the token native, Kiko (Agles Steib), a Brazilian who's been studying English, but hasn't had any native speakers on which to test his skills. As with all paradises, you know things are about to go bad quickly. They do.

Where Hostel seemed to me to be far less about plot and more about how much Roth could get away with within the Hollywood machine (rather like Wes Craven's Last House on the Left thirty-plus years previous), Turistas imposes a plot, interesting characters, etc. on the formula (continuing the parallel, think, say, Men Behind the Sun). For the most part, I think, Stockwell quite succeeds, but the trade-off is that the gorehound crowd get not nearly as much of what they're looking for, while the plot-and-character crowd will find their stomachs turned by what little gore there is (there's really not enough nudity to cause anyone to squirm, and what there is is, with the exception of one comedic scene, presented in the least sexy way possible; Stockwell was not out to titillate here). Thus, like so many neglected movies, the main problem with Turistas is not really a problem at all: it's just a movie that no one knows how to categorize, and thus how to market, and the audience who would've found it enjoyable were too busy dismissing it as either too gory or not gory enough.

If you didn't catch it the first time round, and you almost certainly didn't, it's worth a rental, if you're into that sort of thing. *** ½

Average customer rating:

People actually like this dud of a movie. Give it a try.
A Cure for Cancer from the Amazon Jungle?
Medicine man
Interesting role for Sean Connery
Terrific!

Medicine Man
Starring: Sean Connery , Lorraine Bracco , José Wilker , Rodolfo De Alexandre , and Francisco Tsiren Tsere Rereme
Director: John McTiernan
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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ASIN: 6305428506
Release Date: 1999-08-17

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Director John McTiernan (Die Hard) does an underwhelming job with this potentially interesting story of a research scientist (Sean Connery) who discovers a cure for cancer in the Brazilian rain forest, but then can't retrace his steps in creating the potion. Added pressure on his work is coming from developers burning down the forest, while an American bureaucrat (Lorraine Bracco), who holds the purse strings on the grant, has arrived to give him a bad time. The crucial chemistry between the stars just isn't there (Bracco can be hard to take at times), and, despite the added exotica of local witch doctors and seeing Connery swing through the trees, the elements just don't come together in this well-meaning but disappointing movie. --Tom Keogh

Description

Academy Award(R)-winning star Sean Connery (Best Supporting Actor, 1987 -- THE UNTOUCHABLES), reunites with action director John McTiernan (THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, DIE HARD) for another powerful collaboration in the heroic box office smash MEDICINE MAN! Screen favorite Connery plays Dr. Robert Campbell, a brilliant but unorthodox scientist racing against time in his bold research for a cure against cancer. Set deep in the forbidding Amazon rain forest, this action-packed hit follows Campbell hot on the trail of an amazing discovery -- but the eccentric recluse soon finds himself caught in the midst of an explosive adventure! Also starring Oscar(R)-nominee Lorraine Bracco (Best Supporting Actress, 1990 -- GOODFELLAS), MEDICINE MAN delivers unmatched entertainment with its spectacular mix of breathtaking scenery, captivating performances, and thrilling, nonstop excitement!

Customer Reviews:

People actually like this dud of a movie. Give it a try........2007-06-06

A king sized helping of irritating with a dollop of boring. I can't believe this movie is liked by so many people. It was mildly interesting as far as "old jaded scientist hates greenhorn until he starts liking her" formula movies go. But the chemistry between them bit! Which made the musical score really funny when you hear the first "triumphant" symphonic piece. You frown and say, "I don't get it, I thought they still hated each other...is this 'Gone with the Wind' drama because she likes the view from the ropes?" And Lorraine Bracco's character is soooo annoying. The fact that he wants her to return with him isn't even believable. Connery's okay, but a bad match for his style. I watched the whole thing though, and other people liked it. But, like one of the other reviewers wrote, I figured out the cure for cancer before the characters did. And so will you!

A Cure for Cancer from the Amazon Jungle?.......2007-05-17

An introspective scientist, Dr. Robert Campbell, lives in the Brazilian jungle. He is attempting to isolate a potion that will cure cancer. He thinks that he has it, but then he loses it. Chromatography keeps showing Peak 37 missing and, without this peak, the potions are useless. Will he ever re-discover the missing ingredient? There is also a race against time. Developers who are cutting down the jungle are getting closer and closer.

He lives among native Amazonians. At one time, there were 9 million of them. But now the Europeans' diseases have reduced the native population to only 200,000. At one time, he has a joust with the native medicine man. The encounter is hilarious.

Dr. Campbell is joined by Dr. Bronx, a scientist who had studied in such prestigious places as Cambridge. But she thinks that he is discriminating against her because of her gender. She also complains that he treats her as a 19 year-old graduate student seeking to develop a resume. At one point, she accuses him of scientific fraud. But in time their professional (and personal) relationships take a completely new turn.

Medicine man.......2007-03-19

I watched this movie at least 10 times, and thoroghly enjoy it every time. These 2 actors are fantastic together!

Interesting role for Sean Connery.......2007-03-14

This movie definitely put Sean Connery in a different light. He, at first, is not believable but as the movie gains speed, he is perfect for the role.

Terrific!.......2007-02-07

Sean Connery shines as does the cinematography. A terrifying story of what's happening to our enviornment. To think such a discovery could be made only to be destroyed by man isn't too far a stretch. The music is perfect and memorable. I've viewed it so many times I know the dialog...and I have the music memorized.

Brazil - The Criterion Collection - (Single Disc Editon)

Average customer rating:

Another prediction of the future proven wrong
Rating for the DVD, not the movie.
The Horrors and Humor of Modern Bureaucracy.
Futuristic film
I love this movie

Brazil - The Criterion Collection - (Single Disc Editon)
Starring: Roger Ashton-Griffiths , Jim Broadbent , Anthony G. Brown , Virginia Bruce , and Patrick Connor
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B000G8NXZA
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Customer Reviews:

Another prediction of the future proven wrong.......2007-06-22

Every century has spawned its own genre of art and literature. The 20th century saw the rise of many genres; the most notable being works about the future. Many of these have become respectable mainstays of popular culture and include the likes of The Time Machine, 1984, Blade Runner, I Robot, and this cult classic by Terry Gilliam; Brazil. Based in the early 21st century, it is a paean to the common man's fight against bureaucracy, red tape, and an intrusive government whose powers have no limits. Overall, this movie is a more tragic and more comedic version of 1984.

This movie can be viewed in two ways. If one approaches it as pure entertainment, it is a very good movie. The acting is good and the plot line is interesting and very original. The comedy is funny and unique; not quite British in style, but more of a synthesis of many forms. The action scenes and special effects look real enough, and the ending is unexpected.

If one views the movie as social commentary, as a prediction of what the future might be, then this movie fails on many accounts. First of, the primal point of this movie; the rise of an overarching and all-powerful government, is totally misplaced. If anything, government agencies in modern industrial societies are often weak and serve the whims of the private market. The US provides many great examples. The US Department of Agriculture is nothing more than a communal office for multinational food product corporations. Likewise, most national legislatures are run by corporate lobbyists.

Second, the movie portrays government as highly responsive to any threat real or imagined; one phone call and government agents are at your door in 5 minutes. Ask anyone who has filed a complaint to their city about a water main leak, or an open manhole, or a downed electricity line; and chances are they waited for hours or days, not minutes. Even the 9/11 attackers left tons of clues that were reported to authorities, but nothing ever happened. So the image portrayed by this movie of a lightning fast government that can disappear its citizens at will is utterly false. Third, the character played by Robert DeNiro is totally unreal. His character is a plumber - janitor, and leads an underground resistance to the government. Political revolutionaries have historically been either close to the power base or are academic thinkers; not blue-collar workers. Last, this movie is presumably commenting on the future of Western society. A visit to any Western city will reveal a melting pot of races, ethnicities and languages. If anything, cities are only going to become more heterogenous with time. Yet somehow everyone in this society is white; Western European white most likely.

The point is that the social commentary provided by this movie is all wrong. Overall, an entertaining movie, but not too accurate in its portrayal of the future.

Rating for the DVD, not the movie........2007-05-30

Let's be clear on one thing: The movie Brazil gets SIX stars out of FIVE in my book. This review is not about the movie, but the DVD.

I already owned the standard Brazil DVD but wanted the Criterion Edition because I'd heard good things about their releases. I am very disappointed because there isn't a dime's difference between the Criterion and the regular DVD. All I can see from the box cover is a slightly different widescreen aspect ratio and the time is a bit longer (perhaps some added scenes?). The sound is still in lame 2.1 stereo, not 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS . I see no excuse for this; Even the H.G. Wells' "First Men In The Moon" DVD, a movie filmed in 1964, is in 4.0 discrete surround.

Brazil, excellent movie, but buy the regular release and a couple of other movies instead of the Criterion version.

The Horrors and Humor of Modern Bureaucracy........2007-04-16

After various European and American versions, this is the "fifth and final version of 'Brazil'". Scenes have been restored and the ending is in tact as director Terry Gillam intended. "Somewhere in the 20th century", Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a distinctly unambitious bureaucrat with the Ministry of Information. He works in Records and stubbornly resists advancement in spite of his mother's (Katherine Helmond) prodding. Sam is a romantic at heart, a knight in shining armor in his dreams, where he struggles heroically to reach his damsel in distress. When Sam spots Jill Layton (Kim Griest), the woman from his dreams, in real life, he agrees to a promotion to Information Retrieval so that he might track her down. But Jill's persistent complaints about the wrongful arrest of a neighbor have made her a terrorist suspect, along with freelance heating engineer Harry Tuttle (Robert DeNiro) and everyone else who exposes the system's inefficiency.

The most memorable and amazing aspect of "Brazil" is undoubtedly its overloaded visual style. Gillam puts so much information in every shot that the audience can hardly take it all in. Wide angle lenses are required. I don't think I've ever seen wide angles used this extensively. The actors must have been inches from the lens. The result is that we are placed in the middle of this busy production design, a mass of modern amenities and ubiquitous, intrusive ductwork. "Brazil"'s bureaucracy assails the audience as it satirizes the modern systems that both enable us and bind us. We feel as trapped by it all as Sam does. Gillam drew on real and fictional settings in creating "Brazil"'s intricate, despotic realm: the technophilia and haberdashery of post-WWII America, Fritz Lang's "Metropolis", Margaret Thatcher's Britain, Orwell's 1984, and Nazi Germany.

"Brazil" expresses Gillam's feelings about the film studios that he has fought with for most of his career and a cynicism toward the improved efficiency that technology is supposed to bring us. In its lighter moments, "Brazil" is quite funny. In its creepier moments, it is consciously repulsive. The only fault I find with this version of "Brazil" is its length. The longer dream sequences slip into tedium and could have been shortened. Apart from that, I think that Gillam made the right decisions in this edit. The intent, the humor, and the visual banquet are preserved. The characters are fleshed out as much as possible. And we get the point. This extraordinary achievement in visual impact and sly humor is a must-see for all film lovers.

The DVD (Criterion Collection Single Disc 2006): The single disc edition contains the final version of "Brazil" and an audio commentary by director Terry Gillam that was recorded in 1996. Gillam's discussion is thoughtful and constant. He compares different versions of the film, tells us why the film is called "Brazil", talks about his inspirations, the film's' themes, sets , actors, and how the shots were accomplished. English subtitles are available for the film by pressing the "subtitle" button on your remote.

Futuristic film.......2007-03-15

This very surreal social commentary on a society more concerned with proper paperwork than their citizens has a certain 'timeliness' to it that prompted me to watch it twice. Underneath the fantasy elements is a very realistic statement on corrupt and inefficient governments who hide mistakes, even at the cost of innocent human life. When an average civil servant finds a mistake in the arrest of a Mr. Buttle (was supposed to be Tuttle), he notices the girl of his dreams. The couple's happiness is trampled under the control freaks who run the society they live in. Even if you don't like the movie, it'll definitely infiltrate your thoughts.

Chrissy K. McVay - Author

I love this movie.......2007-03-14

This edition was a nice surprise for me as i grew up watching the VHS version. There are significant clips included on this DVD that must have been edited out from the old video cassette tape. The new footage is excellent and I was very happy they decided against excluding it from the new format.

Average customer rating:

Hi BOB , JEANIE from the CANERY in NEWPORT BEACH
the best
Surprisingly sexy!
Wild Orchaid
Theatrical Soft Core Porn

Wild Orchid
Starring: Rhonda Aldrich , Jacqueline Bisset , Daniel Anibal Blasco , Antonio Mario Da Silva , and Antonio Agusto do Carmo
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B00005JKI5
Release Date: 2002-04-16

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Back when he wasn't relegated to the lesser cable channels, soft-porn meister Zalman King uncorked this howler of a drama on moviegoers, who were initially titillated by the ratings battle, but then shrugged and went off in search of the next cheap sensation. Model and subsequent Mickey Rourke squeeze Carré Otis plays a brilliant young attorney--well, we're told she's brilliant, although watching her in action, straining to wrap those puffy lips around her legalese dialogue, definitely conjures up other adjectives. She's dispatched to Rio de Janeiro under the guise of real-estate law and ends up seduced both by the exotic culture and by a brooding, highly misunderstood and frighteningly orange-skinned multimillionaire (Rourke). Kinky (for the time) sex games and deliriously mannered dialogue make this a rather pretentious exercise, unleavened by any truly erotic sensuality. Fun for taunting purposes, though. --David Kronke

Description

Set in the sultry splendor of Rio de Janeiro, Wild Orchid stars Mickey Rourke (9 1/2 Weeks), Jacqueline Bisset ("Joan of Arc") and supermodel CarrÃ(c) Otis in a "torrid" (Variety) adventure of the senses. Filled with "exotic settings" (The Hollywood Reporter), it is a hypnotic odyssey that will leave you breathless and spellbound. Beautiful young attorney Emily Reed (Otis) travels to Rio to work with international negotiator Claudia Lirones (Bisset) on a multimillion-dollar deal. But once exposed to the raw sensuality of her surroundings, Emily is increasingly drawn into a world of erotic fantasy. Eager to guide Emily through this underworld is Claudia's old flame Wheeler (Rourke). Mysterious and seductive, Wheeler unleashes Emily's most primitive desiresÂ...even as she threatens to unlock his world-weary heart.

Customer Reviews:

Hi BOB , JEANIE from the CANERY in NEWPORT BEACH.......2007-05-12

OK....I had a 2 night stand with Bob who at the time lived on Balboa Blvd around 32nd Sreet. It was "Wild Orchid" walk after the "Canery". Without seeing the movie it blew my mind. Bob was the best and I hate myself for not responding to the guy. He called and I hung up on him several times:)

Perfect Match...Just didn't know it at the time.

the best.......2007-02-07

I am very glad with my purchase. Fast delivery and very security package.
Nancy

Surprisingly sexy!.......2007-01-12

So, it's a little dated but this movie is still HOT! It's twisted tale of lust as a kinky rich guy (Rourke) gets a shy, sexually inhibited young lawyer (Carrie Otis) to drop her inhibitions and do things 'good' girls don't do. Otis's character is HOT and one wonders how Wheeler (Rourke) can resist her charms as he plays an emotionally unavailable guy with some serious intamacy issues. He watches in the background as he persuades her to do nasty things with another guy and lives 'through' her as she enjoys herself. Emily seems frightened of her own desires at first as she sees the sexy people of Rio being free and letting loose and having a good time and she ultimately is unable to resist her urges. Meanwhile, Jaquiline Bisset's character is and older lady obsessed with Wheeler, who is trying to throw the young and gorgeous Carrie Otis at him to see if he can resist. I didn't find this movie insulting to women or perverted, it's just a sexy film about people who enjoy sex and there is nothing wrong with this. Anyone who is seriously offended by this is probably not very comfortable with sexuality on screen in general. It's really a pretty tame movie by today's standards, though I DO beleive the Rourke/Otis love scene was not faked. Overall, I found this a sexy movie I would watch it again. The plot is not great but the visuals are awesome, the bodies are HOT and all natural (before this dreadful 'breast implant' craze took over and made all women in nude scenes look like they have grapefruits in them!) and the chemestry between the characters is awesome! This might be a good date movie but be sure of the other person's taste before watching it, some people might consider it smutty or too nasty!

Wild Orchaid.......2006-11-05

This movie was NOT good at all. Other than it has beautiful people with real nice bodies,everything else is a waste of money and time!

Theatrical Soft Core Porn.......2006-06-20

In the late 80's to early 90's, Mickey Rourke may as well have been a porn star. Hell, every movie Rourke was in he was playing the same character who got a different hot chick...They were big-screen soft core porn films. Problem is, Mickey Rourke is so good at playing these characters that the movies he's done aren't that bad. Here, Rourke plays Wheeler...Who won't really enter into the synopsis for a moment. Rourke's ex-wife Carre Otis plays Emily, a young International lawyer who recieves a job with a big firm in New York and is hastily sent to Rio De Janeiro. In Rio, with her boss Claudia (Jaqueline Bisset) away; Emily begins to come into contact with sex almost everywhere she goes. Then, she meets Wheeler. Wheeler is that odd, soft-spoken, rich, womanizer guy every guy wishes they could be. Wheeler is the guy who says stuff to women in movies that we would never be able to get away with, but onscreen it just looks so damned easy. Anyway, unlike "9 1/2 Weeks", Wheeler and Emily don't just begin having sex. In fact, the big sex payoff isn't until the final minutes of the movie. And let's face it, if you rent this movie...You're not renting it for the story. Truth is, the story's not even that intriguing or event good for that matter. The whole movie has a plot like a soft-core porn movie. Thing is, Otis and Rourke have enough charisma on screen to pull of a movie like this. So, even if you ignore the sex, the movie isn't that bad. I, personally, think it's better than 9 1/2 Weeks. Fact is, even if you don't give a damn about the story. Carre Otis is f**king hot, so check it out.

GRADE: B+

The Motorcycle Diaries (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

beautiful movie
A love letter to a pre-Che
Great Movie
Why do so many people get this film wrong...
Let the world change you and this film also.

The Motorcycle Diaries (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Gael García Bernal , Rodrigo De la Serna , Mercedes Morán , Jean Pierre Noher , and Lucas Oro
Director: Walter Salles
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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ASIN: B0006Z2LOM
Release Date: 2005-02-15

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Customer Reviews:

beautiful movie.......2007-06-22

A love letter to a pre-Che.......2007-06-16

Great Movie.......2007-05-30

Why do so many people get this film wrong..........2007-04-29

Let the world change you and this film also........2007-04-11

One of Gael's insperational & professional roles as "che" hands down. A really really great movie of how the world chages a person and makes them wanna change the world he lives in.

Samba Party Workout 1: Brazilian Rhythm Celebration

Average customer rating:

Fun, but....
Samba Party Workout vol. 1
Great workout
product in great condition
dance and sweat

Samba Party Workout 1: Brazilian Rhythm Celebration
Starring: Samba Dance Workout
Manufacturer: Hip Brazil
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ASIN: B000BBOU68
Release Date: 2005-12-13

Description

Let Samba, Brazil's timeless dance, move you. Join Brazilian dancer and instructor VANESSA ISAAC for a hip and fun introduction to this amazing dance while burning major calories. Set to the contagious rhythms of live drums, this high-energy workout is sure to inspire all levels! Lifting your spirits and slimming your body, this is a workout like no other. Sway and shimmy your way through this Samba fitness routine that feels more like a party than a workout. It's all about letting the rhythm move you and celebrating life - Brazilian style!

VANESSA ISAAC is a renowned Brazilian performer and instructor who lives in Santa Barbara, California and is the co-founder of Ginga Multicultural Arts Center, where she teaches successful dance and fitness classes. She has been nominated for a Brazilian International Press Award in the dance category, been a guest on CNN Headline News and appeared in many dance and fitness magazines. Vanessa is also codirector of Hip Brazil, a music and dance company dedicated to sharing the joy and energy of Brazilian culture with the world.

BONUS FEATURES

•"About Samba": Learn more about this amazing art form by watching this educational segment (mini-documentary).

•Learning the Moves - simplified instructions to master the workout.

This is the First of the Samba Workout Series. Samba Workout Two: Brazilian "Carnaval" Grooves will be released in February and wil also be available at Amazon. Also from Vanessa Isaac and Hip Brazil check out the Brazilian Dance Workout With Vanessa Isaac available here.

Customer Reviews:

Fun, but...........2007-06-21

Ok, so I almost feel bad giving this three stars, because I DO enjoy it-it's a fun little dance routine that does combine some traditional samba moves, and it will get your heart rate up...but I do have some issues.

Vanessa is VERY thorough in going over each move. In fact, too thorough, in my opinion. You will go over one move several times, then go to the next one several times, then back to the first one several times, and so on. It keeps progressing like this, which is great the first few times you do it, but after awhile it can be boring because you've learned the steps already, and there is no option to skip the "instruction" part and just go to the dance. This is actually my problem with a lot of dance dvd's-it's nice to have thorough cues the first few times you do it, but after awhile it just gets annoying and boring. And-there aren't that many "moves" on here to begin with, so you almost feel as if she is just trying to fill in time by repeating everything a thousand times.

So, it is fun to do, and will get your heart rate up a bit. But after about 4-5 times, you may get sick of it. I do love samba though, so I hope she will release another video sometime soon!

Samba Party Workout vol. 1.......2007-05-22

I had been looking for a way to exersize with a small toddler underfoot, something that would be fun, not too time-consuming and could be done indoors. This was a perfect solution! I love Vanessa Isaac's style and personality. She's really easy to follow and learn from. I started by going through the "learn the moves" section of the DVD and then did the workout and I caught on really fast, but I also improved over the weeks too. This will get you sweating, give you a good 30-40 min workout and it's fun to do! If you get tired of just listening to drums, it's all done in a simple rhythm that you can dance to with your own music. I would recommend doing your own stretches for a few minutes before starting up (or start the complete workout and stretch while Vanessa is doing the introduction). I noticed a difference in my body within a couple of days! My stomach started firming up, my legs got in great shape, and I started getting compliments within a month that I was looking thin! You can't beat that. This is definitely the way to go if you're starting out learning Samba style fitness too, it's a good workout but not as taxing as her second album. I would recommend buying this, do it for at least a month, and then add vol. 2 a couple of days a week after that for some variety and to improve your stamina even more. I love this workout and you will too! My daughter loves watching the workout too... she even waves her arms around and "talks" at the TV while I'm working out, so it's fun for both of us.

Great workout.......2007-04-28

I LOVE this DVD. I purchased this DVD to add more variety in my workout routie. I am not a good dancer, but this DVD was very easy to follow. Steps presented here were simple, and the instructor goes over and over. I am hooked, because I feel like I am dancing at a club or something rather than working out at a gym-- yet I sweat and got a great workout.

The only complain I have is that the DVD is rather short (something like 30 minutes, including both the warm-up and the cool-down.) Plus as I wrote above, she goes over and over the same steps, so you don't get to learn many different steps. (You only learn six movements.) But I complain ONLY BECAUSE I totally got hooked, and I want more.

product in great condition.......2007-04-03

I received this product in a timely manner,product in good condition.