I, a Woman

Starring:Essy Persson, Preben Mahrt, JÃ¸rgen Reenberg, Tove MaÃ«s, Erik Hell, Preben KÃ¸rning, Bengt Brunskog, Frankie Steel, Ebba With, Wandy Tworek, Malene Schwartz, Carl Ottosen
Director: Mac Ahlberg
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Jake Busey steps into Rutger Hauer's cowboy boots to remind viewers about the dangers of picking up hitchhikers in this sequel to the 1986 thriller. Though suggested, it's unclear whether Busey's black-clad hitcher is actually supposed to be Hauer, who blackmailed teen driver Jim (C. Thomas Howell) for a series of killing 17 years earlier, but he makes life miserable all the same for the grown Jim (Howell again), now an trauma-plagued cop, and his girlfriend (Kari Wuhrer) as they drive through Texas (played here by Canada, and well photographed by George Mooradian). But where the original Hitcher was a taut exercise in suspense, executive producer Charles Meeker's script is simply a retread of its predecessor's highlights, including the infamous "drawn and quartered" scene, and gives the three leads little to do. Busey tries hard, but lacks Hauer's formidable presence, which may disappoint fans of the original; undemanding frightfest aficionados might enjoy this best. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining!.......2007-03-22

I seen this movie on USA network the other day. I haven't seen the first one but I enjoyed this one. It wasn't right that the guy from the first one died though. Jake Busey has skills like his dad. It shows in this movie. He is a freaky psycho in this movie! It is quite frightening! The movie is very entertaining, but every time the girl finds a way to stop the psycho, he blames everything on the girl or he always finds a way to get out of trouble. That's the only bad thing. Otherwise, buy it! I plan to! I gave it 3 stars because it is not a 4 star movie. It really is a 3 and a half. Don't listen to the bad reviews. You'll love it.

Pretty Good Thriller............2006-03-03

As a fan of The Hitcher, I was curious to see The Hitcher II. I was not disappointed. Although not quite as good as the first Hitcher, I found this movie thrilling and suspenseful for not being a horror movie. C. Thomas Howell returns in this sequel as Jim Halsey who survived the crazed Hitcher of the first movie. His girlfriend in the movie, Maggie ( played by the very pretty Kari Wuhrer ) is a tough cookie and delivers a great performance for she is a survivor!! Jim decides to take Maggie back to Texas where his original nightmare began years ago. They come across a hitchhiker who Maggie wants to pick up. After being a victim of the first hitchhiker, Jim does not want to pick up any more hitchhikers but gets talked into it by his girlfriend. The new crazed hitcher is named Jack ( played by Jake Busey ). Busey also delivers a good performance as a crazed man. Their journey turns into a nightmare when they realize they have picked up a psychopath. From then on, the film has many twists and surprises. I found it was entertaining from beginning to end. There is strong violence in this movie but it's not your basic gore movie. I really liked this movie and don't regret buying it. If you like thrillers, this is a movie for you. I don't quite understand the bad reviews about this movie. I'd suggest renting it and decide for yourself. I think most people will like it.

SEQUEL?.......2005-11-27

Face it people, this is not T2 or The Godfather Part II, and why is there a sequel to the hitcher anyway? The first "The Hitcher" was a classic movie which was a perfect reimagining of Steven Speilberg's classic DUEL. There was no need for a sequel. The story was told, nothing more to tell. A sequel? Dragonheart fell victim for this. A sequel will just tell the story all over again. Not even C. Thomas Howell could save this movie from being a failure. All in all, not entertaining and unnecessary. Not recomended.

Not Quite as Good as the Original.......2005-11-18

C. Thomas Howell reprises his role as Jim Halsey in this sequel to the original "Hitcher". Still haunted by earlier events, Jim and his girlfriend Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) decide to confront his demons once and for all. After being relieved of his duties as a police officer for using excessive force in breaking up a child abduction, Jim calls his friend Captain Ethridge, who helped him out earlier. The Captain convinces Jim and Maggie to come back to Texas so Jim can confront his feelings and erase his anxieties. Jim has never told his secret to Maggie, so she doesn't know why he keeps having flashbacks and is acting so strangely.

However, upon reaching their destination, the same sequence of events starts all over again, as Maggie forcefully convinces Jim to pick up a hitchhiker along the same strech of roadway that Jim had travelled 15 years earlier. The apparent survivor of an accident, Jack (Jake Busey) thumbs a ride from Jim and Maggie. Unknown to them at the time, Jake is the one who caused the accident. Soon, Jim and Maggie are fighting for their lives against another psychotic hitchhiker. Who will survive?

I thought the first movie was better than this one. I do think that C. Thomas Howell, Jake Busey, and Kari Wuhrer do good jobs in their roles, but the story is all too predictable (although there are some unexpected happenings). Even the scene with the victim tied between the truck and trailer is revised from the first movie. There's not much originality in this film, either. It relies too much on the first movie. I did like the flashbacks to the first film, though. The glaring omission from this movie is Rutger Hauer's amazing portrayal as the hitcher. Although Jake Busey does a pretty good job portraying the hitcher, Rutger Hauer's performance in the first movie is much better. If you've seen the original "Hitcher", then this movie is worth watching only to see how the story plays out. If you haven't seen the first movie, then you'll have a hard time following the storyline of this movie.

Not Bad But Not Original!.......2005-05-10

Let me start off by saying that "The Hitcher" is one of my all time favorite movies, been so for almost 20 years now and going into the sequel I really wasn't expecting all that much and, to be honest, it delivered what I expected.

While the first 5 minutes or so of the film where intriguing and had a great twist, the movie fails to deliver any new scares. While C. Thomas Howell was incredible as a teenager driving across country, the older version of his character seems to flounder in an attempt to rekindle the suspense from the original. Of course the biggest missing piece of the movie is that of Rutger Hauer. While Jake Busey makes a nice attempt at a mysterious, road dwelling psychopath, there's just replacing Hauer. Kari Wuhrer does an admirable job of playing the victim turned heroine.

While the movie itself isn't terrible, it's just not original. The plot is pretty much a cheap carbon copy of the original. If your a big fan of the original and are curious as to what the sequel brings I might suggest you rent it. I wouldn't suggest buying it. Buy the original instead!

Average customer rating:

Cute and Funny
Very Enjoyable..
A Fun, Fluffy Indulgence

30 Days Until I'm Famous
Starring: 30 Days Until I'm Famous
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
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ASIN: B0007WFXLW
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Description

A Latina working in Los Angeles as a messenger is randomly discovered and fashioned into a pop music star

Customer Reviews:

Cute and Funny.......2006-08-29

This movie is so much better than you would think you'd get from vh1.It's cute and funny with some pretty good music.Sean Patrick Flanery makes every minute worth watching.Although I have to admit I've had a thing for him for quite some time.I think that anyone who likes light romantic comedies won't be disappointed.

Very Enjoyable.........2006-08-24

I'll have to agree with Sarah. I too have a thing for Sean Patrick Flanery and he is part of the reason I have even watched this more than once. I enjoy Cole and Maggie's onscreen chemistry. I especially love Mindy Sterling's character as the 'cultural identity faciliator'...she's a hoot. It's a nice 'escape' movie and yes, very much like a romance novel on film. I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

A Fun, Fluffy Indulgence.......2005-06-20

I'll admit that I have a thing for Sean Patrick Flannery, but he is only one reason I love this movie. This is like a paperback romance bundled up into a lowbudget TV movie. LOVED IT!

Average customer rating:

Blaxploitation Cheese from Al Adamson!
"KICKIN'!"
So bad it's good!

Black Heat
Starring: Timothy Brown , Regina Carrol , Geoffrey Land , Russ Tamblyn , and Jana Bellan
Director: Al Adamson
Manufacturer: E.I. Independent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00007L4M4
Release Date: 2003-03-04

Customer Reviews:

Blaxploitation Cheese from Al Adamson!.......2004-06-14

Here's a slice of '70s Blaxpoitation cheese that manages to pack a sizeable wallop for its miniscule budget. Tough African-American detective Kicks Carter (Timothy Brown) is out to break up a pair of bottom-feeder crooks and stop a guns-for-drugs trade organized by a black mobster improbably named Guido. Along the way there's plenty of clumsily choreographed (and often poorly-lit) fight scenes and shoot-outs, a smattering of sex and nudity (like when Kicks makes sweet love to his TV reporter girlfriend Tanya Boyd), a fair amount of sleaze (like when a woman with a gambling problem is gang-raped by four sweaty redneck card sharps; the fact that this woman resembles a young version of "That '70s Show"'s Debra Jo Rupp only adds to the scene's nastiness) and stilted dialog so awkwardly peppered with jive talk it's obvious the script was written by white people. Still, schlock director Al Adamson is in peak form with this one, keeping the action moving and making sure to hit all the right buttons to please his audience--even including a little bit of lesbian action, again involving our hapless gambling addict. The cast also includes Adamson regulars Russ Tamblyn (who plays a bug-eyed, low-rent mobster named Ziggy) and aging blond bombshell (and Adamson's wife) Regina Carrol. The movie runs out of steam by the final ten minutes, but all in all, "Black Heat" is pretty hot. Just don't be fooled by the updated cover art on the DVD: "Black Heat" is a '70s movie through and through, from Timothy Brown's huge afro down to his crotch-molding, (...) tight jeans.

"KICKIN'!".......2000-03-26

Black Heat is not as hard to find as one might think. I was in Hollywood video browsing the action section and it jumped off the bottom shelf and kicked me in the shin. It hurt like a muther!

So bad it's good!.......1999-07-28

Yet another pick from classic 1970s blaxploitation. It's definitely not Dolemite, but it had enough action to keep me occupied for all 96 minutes. This one's hard to find in regular video stores. Amazon is about the only place I know that even carries this film. A great addition!

Average customer rating:

A 1970s Softcore Extravaganza!

Abigail Leslie Is Back in Town
Starring: Rebecca Brooke , Jamie Gillis , Sonny Landham , Sarah Nicholson , and Jennifer Welles
Director: Joe Sarno
Manufacturer: E.I. Independent
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BQ7J5M
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Customer Reviews:

A 1970s Softcore Extravaganza!.......2006-05-04

All movies get kitsch after a few decades, but this movie had that quality from the jump. This was made in the 1970s, so it's full of loud clothing and furniture. The actresses have overdone makeup. There are turtlenecks and butterfly collars too.
Still, other flaws are purposeful and specific. Though not related, every actress in this had reddish-brown hair. When the film's title comes on the screen, "Lesley" is spelled differently from the disc cover. Every actor has bad timing and the script is terribly weak.
I wonder if the director Joseph Sarno and hottie Sonny Landham have beef with each other. The disc description calls Sonny a "B [movie] favorite." On Sonny's website, he does not include this work in his filmography. Still, he is on the cover, though he is not the main male actor. Then again, they don't list his name on the front cover of the disc. At one point, he wears an Elvis outfit which must be a reference to his incredibly low voice that sounds like the late singer. Most importantly, you get to see more of Sonny than you do in any other non-adult film, if you know what I mean.
Actually, every man in this film has an adult industry background. I wonder if this is why they were comfortable in exposing themselves as much as the actresses did. Too bad more actors don't take their lead. There is much girl-on-girl action here. This is decades before it become a major trend. Still, it is more about titillating straight men than empowering lesbians.

Average customer rating:

"Satisfaction" is easy with this historic event!
Two Highballs
Get a glimpse into the tumultuous times of the 60s

Rolling Stones - The Stones in the Park

ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BSN9YU

Product Description

DESCRIPTION: The Hyde Park Free Concerts are legendary, and none more so than when the Rolling Stones performed there two days after the death of former bandmate Brian Jones back in 1969. What was always planned as a major show turned into a memorial with 500,000 people in attendance. Mick Jagger opens reading an excerpt from Shelley's poem Adonais as a dedication to Jones and releases thousands of butterflies. The film sees the Stones at their most raw and emotional. TRACKS: 1) Midnight Rambler; 2) Satisfaction; 3) I'm Free; 4) I'm Yours, She's Mine; 5) Jumping Jack Flash; 6) Honky Tonk Woman; 7) Love In Vain; 8) Sympathy For The Devil. ++++ DVD FEATURES: This officially licensed release from South Korea is All-Region NTSC Code 0 (plays worldwide) with Full Screen display (in color) and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound in ENGLISH (includes optional English subtitles).

Customer Reviews:

"Satisfaction" is easy with this historic event!.......2007-06-15

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.

July 5, 1969 is one of the most historic days in rock and roll. The Stones concert in London's Hyde Park would pay homage to the late Brian Jones and usher in the new and extraordinary era of Mick Taylor (1969-74).

For those that have looked to fault every possible second of the event and judge the release on only the musical portion and not include "The Event" it is only right equal time is given to counter the unneccesary critisism the gig received.

The typical complaint about any music DVD not recorded with a 34 billion dollar budget to the sound snob is the fidelity doesn't meet the quality standard. In 1969 you were not dealing with digital technology and preserving the moment is worth more stars than how the mix is.

It has been discussed that newcomer Mick Taylor looks nervous. That is earth shattering news. He had less than 48 hours notice the permits were in place and they could perform. If your first show was in front of over 100,000 people and your bandmates lost somebody that they had often spent more time with than their own families, if there weren't butterflies he wouldn't have a heart or soul.

Keith's guitar is out of tune during "Satisfaction." There is a first. No musician has ever had this before. It is amazing that any of the Stones could get through the day knowing Brian's departure is now in a permanent sense.

The band isn't inspired. Then why did they play the longest version of "Sympathy For The Devil" (19:00) ever performed? If you look at the complete list of songs regardless if they are included or not, they could have easily made the show a hit factory. There are a myriad of tunes that only a hardcore Stones aficionado would be able to name correctly.

The only knock that is justifable (Surprisingly it is the one thing the Skeptic's hadn't been thrilled to inform every Amazon review reader) the playing time of the DVD does not encompass the entire set. I have listed the songs and next to the ones that aren't found on the DVD will be the letters NF (Not Found).

To Brian Jones thank you for your incredible contribution to the Stones and to Mick Taylor there wasn't a better man for the job.

1 EULOGY FOR BRIAN 2:42
2 I'M YOURS SHE'S MINE 2:12
3 JUMPING JACK FLASH 3:10
4 NO EXPECTATIONS 3:42 NF
5 MERCY, MERCY 3:13 NF
6 STRAY CAT BLUES 3:43 NF
7 I'M FREE 2:25 NF
8 DOWN HOME GIRL 5:22 NF
9 LOVE IN VAIN 4:39
10 LOVING CUP 5:38 NF
11 MIDNIGHT RAMBLER 8:09
12 SATISFACTION 4:24
13 HONKY TONK WOMEN 3:40
14 STREET FIGHTING MAN 3:42 NF
15 SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL 19:01

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

Two Highballs.......2006-04-16

I received my copy of the Stones in the Park Friday night and it was great. I played it four times in a row and I was delighted by both the picture quality and the audio. My copy is Korean( I am Told ) and Iv'e been waiting 40 years for this one. The Stones are out of tune on "Satisfaction" and I didn't mind a bit, especially, after two or six Highballs.

Get a glimpse into the tumultuous times of the 60s.......2006-01-14

For historical purposes this film rates as a classic. Typical of a late 60s rock show, though, we have Keith's guitar terribly out of tunes at times; especially on "Satisfaction." These documents stand as more than just a record of a concert, they give us a small glimpse back at the culture of the late 60s. Very nice dress Mick!

Average customer rating:

Love makes us do foolish things, Virginia
A CLASSIC !
blah
"I'll have your heart one way or another!"
Excellent Film

I, Madman
Starring: Jenny Wright , Clayton Rohner , Randall William Cook , Stephanie Hodge , and Michelle Jordan
Director: Tibor Takács
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009PY3P
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Description

Gothic nightmares collide with gritty realism in this "stylish horror thriller [that] pulls you in and makes you pay attention" (Los Angeles Times)! Laced with sly humor, this "imaginative, scary" gem packs "a wow of an ending" (Leonard Maltin)! After a spine-tingling paperback captures the imagination of bookstore clerk Virginia (Jenny Wright), she seeks out the author's second book, I, Madman. But once she opens the cover, its eerie tale of obsessive love comes to life,catapulting a disfigured, scalpel-wielding killer from the world of fiction onto the streets of Hollywood with one demented goal: to win Virginia's love, one murder at a time!

Customer Reviews:

Love makes us do foolish things, Virginia.......2006-09-28

Bookstore clerk and aspiring actress, Virginia (Jenny Wright), has a taste for lurid pulp horror. Her latest bizarre book find, entitled "Much of Madness, More of Sin," spins the tale of an insane doctor and his mutant jackal boy creation. Virginia is so taken with the book that she sets out to find author Dr. Malcolm Brand's only other published work, a book called "I, Madman." Instead, the book finds her.

Waiting for just the right reader to release him from the pages of his 30-year-old book, the deranged Brand escapes into the real world to recreate the gruesome murders of the text. Virginia becomes Brand's primary witness to the murders and the focus of his obsessive love. Reality slips sideways as Virginia finds Brand stalking her at her bus stop and at the book store where she works--even gaining entrance to her apartment.

Malcolm Brand (Randall William Cook) is both a frightening and pitiful villain. In his book, Brand is obsessed with "Anna," a beautiful actress who will have nothing to do with him because she finds him so physically unattractive. Believing Virginia to be "Anna," Brand slices off his facial features so that he can replace them with more classically beautiful ones that he culls from Virginia's friends and acquaintances.

Trying to make sense of the madness she is witnessing, Virginia tracks down the small company that published the deranged doctor's books. Virginia discovers that the books were published as works of "nonfiction" at Brand's insistence. The author believed that the characters in his books were real and were acting independently by refusing to do what he told them to do. Brand wound up having a complete nervous breakdown and was committed to a psychiatric facility--where he later died. Some of the film's darkest humor comes from when Virginia tries to convince her boyfriend, Richard (Clayton Rohner), a reality-grounded police detective, that the recent spate of horrific murders are the work of Malcolm Brand, the long dead author.

The film has a retro/pulp comic book sensibility to it--with deep shadows, exaggerated camera angles and vivid paint box color gels--much like those in the "Tales from the Crypt" series or the "Creepshow" movies. I found the movie to be a lot of fun, with odd and imaginative twists throughout. The special effects may not be state of the art (the clay animation scenes looked downright funky), but the makeup prosthetics on the demented Malcolm Brand's butchered face will make your hair stand on end.

Special features on the DVD are minimal, consisting of the original theatrical trailer, scene selection and subtitles in French, Spanish and English.

A CLASSIC !.......2005-08-07

This is a very good & very underrated horror film! The madman in this movie is very creepy! Some of the efx are very out dated but nowhere near bad enough to ruin this awesome classic.

blah.......2005-03-28

This film had a good premise,but the bad acting and poor direction made this laughable and a bit boring for it to bring any chills or scares at all. If you want a better movie,get IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS. Avoid this one.

"I'll have your heart one way or another!".......2005-02-11

Growing up in the 70's and 80's I was constantly bombarded with television commercials that proclaimed `Reading is Fundamental', or RIF, for short...I suppose it was a concerted effort by some group of well meaning individuals to get us cartoon addicted youngins away from the magic box and into the library...but what they failed to mention is that, besides being fundamental, reading can also have serious detrimental effects to your health, possibly resulting in a slight case of death. Don't believe me? Then I would recommend watching I, Madman aka Hardcover (1989) for conclusive proof...you may be shocked at what you learn...directed by Tibor Takács (The Gate), the film stars Jenny Wright (The Wild Life, Near Dark), Clayton Rohner (Just One of the Guys, April Fool's Day), and Randall William Cook, who worked on all three of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films (not in the capacity of an actor, but as effects artist). Also appearing is Stephanie Hodge, whose face I recognized but couldn't place until I looked up her credits and learned she's not only a comedian, but also appeared on the Fox television show "Unhappily Ever After", along with the amply bosomed Nikki Cox, who does not appear in this film.

Wright plays Virginia, a literate, attractive woman and aspiring actress who makes ends meet by working in a used bookstore, and has an affinity for seedy pulp fiction novels from the 50's, particularly ones penned by an author named Malcolm Brand. The trouble begins as Virginia notices that the horrific events in the novel start to translate into real life, as fiction becomes fact, and she's somehow centered in the middle of it...soon she starts seeing the villain from the story, a skulking, darkly garbed killer (Cook) who wears a mask over the lower part of his face (looking much like The Shadow), is a whiz with the straight edge razor, and seems to have the ability to appear from nowhere. The police are baffled by a recent spate of strange and unexplained murders, but Virginia notices the similarities between the events in the book and those in real life, and believes she can predict the killer's next move. She offers this information to her boyfriend Richard (Rohner), who's a police detective, but Richard and his colleagues are a little skeptical (okay, a lot skeptical) and think her like a Snickers bar, you know, a bit nutty. As the police investigation eventually goes nowhere, they become more inclined to listen to Virginia, but it may be already too late, as the killer's motives and intentions are revealed, along with a few interesting facts about the now deceased author Malcolm Brand.

At a time when slasher films were run of the mill, I, Madman presented a clever and interesting story tinged with a bit of the gothic, but I think it ended up getting lost in the shuffle as the genre grew stale, as studios had bled it to the point of anemia (the lame trailer didn't help any). The movie has the slight feel of a Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street) film (the mixing of realities), but director Takács avoids Craven's style as a blueprint. He knows how to set up a scene and creates a level of tension and suspense that kept me drawn into the story throughout. I really liked how he handles the violence in the film, as it wasn't shown very often, but you always knew what was occurring. There is a good deal of violence in the film, but it is rarely shown on screen. An example of this is when Virginia is watching from her apartment window the killer stalking a victim in a building across the way. The killer draws the shades, but the silhouettes of him and his victim are clear, as is the subsequent actions, and the audience is left to fill in the rest in their imagination. There's another scene where a woman is getting attacked in her bathroom, and while we know what is going on, the violence is obscured as the scene is shot from behind the killer, but it's clear what's happening due to the killer's almost exaggerated movements. I really liked the use of color and atmospheric elements throughout the film, as they helped create a feel, a mood that other films in the genre lacked, or tried to develop but failed miserably. Also, his transitioning between time periods (the main character would often imagine herself as part of the stories she read) was flawless. I thought the actors all did very well, most all playing their roles within character, never really hamming it up or going overboard. The makeup on the killer (done by the person who played the role) was exceptional and quite gruesome, giving the character a realistic quality. Were the flaws in the film? There may have been, but I really didn't notice...I feel if the effort is there, and there's enough solid material and decent performances, I find myself willing to overlook certain superficial elements that may work against the movie. I suppose if I were to pick on something it might be the stop motion work. Most parts looked good, but there were one or two moments where it didn't feel entirely lifelike (given the probable limited budget of the film, picking on this would be an easy target). Takács usage of stop motion in his previous film, The Gate (1987), looked much the same as here, but since I liked that story as much as I did this one, it was easy to dismiss any perceived faults.

My only disappointment of this film was in its' lackluster DVD release. Presented is only the fullscreen format. Why MGM couldn't have dug up the original wide screen format and included it also is beyond me. The picture quality is decent, and the vibrant colors come through most of the time. The only extra is the lame theatrical trailer.

Cookieman108

Excellent Film .......2005-01-26

If only Tibor Takacs had done more like this film.
I saw this film in the VHS release as HARDCOVER. It retains the same superb tone as THE GATE, in which it seems that the same stop motion animator has been used.
Takacs seems to know how to go one step beyond, and the leading Lady is great; comments to the contrary are just sour grapes. Also, to have Nicole Kidman in this film would just destroy it, since Kidman is so horrible at acting.
The word was that the inventor of the Makeup for this film was so good, that Takacs decided to cast him as Malcolm Brand... could be film legend, but I don't think so.
I have lost count of how many times I have watched this film, and it is great each time. Very escapist, not much gore , despite the messy cuts in the actors, it is not a splatter fest. More of a superb fright fest.
I can't recommend this enough... its a real fun ride at every stage of the twisted, and wonderfully done , plot.

Average customer rating:

STOP! Do not buy! The worst ever! 0 stars!!
Original only please.

Pleasures of a Woman
Starring: Lynn Harris (III) , and Uschi Digard
Director: Nick Millard
Manufacturer: E.I. Independent
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ASIN: B000083C4W
Release Date: 2002-12-31

Customer Reviews:

STOP! Do not buy! The worst ever! 0 stars!!.......2007-02-15

How many ways can there be to describe how awful this "film" is? This is absolutely soft porn for ignorant males. There is barely any skin contact, every gesture is absolutely fake and cheap and ridiculous! RULE: if there is no passionate kissing, is is NOT lesbian!!! There is NO resemblance to acting, practically no diologue...oh G0D help us and the shoe scene?? I have never seen anything so completely fake trying to pass itself off as some kind of erotic lesbian anything, and to say there was no "chemistry" is like saying there are no tropical beaches on the moon. UGH, ugh, ugh. I wasted money I could have spent on buying a meal for some poor soul on the streets.

Original only please........2004-05-17

The original 1972 version is excellent . Uschi Digard is astounding in her role. The remake isn't worth watching. Somethings don't need remaking.

Average customer rating:

A very overrated film
Truly a one-of-a-kind film
A Real Film About Real Women
A Universal Work
A Beautiful Film with Immediate Messages on Women

The Day I Became a Woman
Starring: Fatemeh Cherag Akhar , Hassan Nebhan , Shahr Banou Sisizadeh , Ameneh Passand , and Shabnam Toloui
Director: Marzieh Meshkini
Manufacturer: WFV
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Water
Cache (Hidden)
Turtles Can Fly
Tsotsi
The Children of Heaven

ASIN: B000A59QOQ
Release Date: 2006-02-07

Description

"One is not born, but rather becomes a woman."

Simone De Beauvoir's exquisite pronouncement on the social construction of gender in her Second Sex (1949) spoke to generations of women, and of a universal truth beyond countries and cultures. As an example of astonishing visual poignancy, "The Day I became a Woman" is the globally celebrated debut of Marziyeh Meshkini, a young Iranian filmmaker bringing her rich and diversified national cinema to bear on an enduring global concern, in a new crescendo of memorable subtlety and grace. "The Day" is repeated in three consecutive episodes-the memorial registers of childhood, adolescence, and old age-when three stages of "becoming" a woman is culturally manufactured and socially registered. Between Simone De Beauvoir and Marziyeh Meshkini, generations of women (and men), from all cultures around the world, will have much to learn and even more to achieve.

Customer Reviews:

A very overrated film.......2007-03-27

Much has been made of Iranian cinema over the last few years not least because Samira Makhmalbaf became the darling of the Guardian newspapers arts pages though just because it's given good press does not mean that it is any good.

Take this film for example, 3 short stories one good, the other average the third not just poor but asking more questions from the director than it seems the director cares to answer.

In the first a young girl reaches 'adulthood' (in the eyes of the rural area of Iran that she comes from) and is required to wear the full veil as her adult female relatives are required to to (it would seem) more by tradition than anything else. The young girl however, manages to wrangle a few more hours of childhood and goes to play with her friend, a young boy who (for some reason thats not quite clear from the film) is locked away in school (looks more like a prison) They share sweets together and generally act like children until the time arrives and she is taken off to don the veil.

The second story is of a cycle race where (it seems) only women participate (again it's never made clear why this race is taking place) One young woman it seems is married and her husband and family are not too keen on the idea of her participating in a cycle race. They endlessly turn un on the journey (on horseback) to demand she returns to her husband. During the race the entire family seem to have a go at bringing her back including the village Imam (an elderly chap who seems to like riding a horse bare chested!) They all fail to convince her and finally the scene ends with her bundled off the race in the distance by it would seem her family.

Now I understand that the race may be symbolic but come on, is that not a little patronising to both Iran and Iranian women? Cycling along to freedom only to be bundled off the road by bare chested, horse riding Mullahs!

The third story is even more bizzare. It begins with an elderly woman arriving at a costal town by plane to be met by numerous street children asking her if they want her to carry her luggage (interesting in that most of the street children in Iran seem to be black, a point that the director fails to either challenge or even recognise) She has never had various material posessions and now, having come into money decides to buy them and set them up on a beach.

So what does she do? She dispatches these little black children off to bring fridges, sofas and God knows what else for her to sit about and make up for lost time. Again I am sure many of us in the west will be too buisy wringing our hands about the plight of this poor woman who has been denied so much in life will totally ignore these virtual child slaves who are running around to her beck and call. No callenge is made to this, no comment, no mention of the fact that most of them are black (apart from a few dubious comments from the old lady herself) No, all that is ignored.

If you wish to watch an interesting observation of women in Iran then watch the Circle, a film that both asks questions and challenges. If you want a film for a spot of hand wringing about those terrible people over there then this is the film for you.

Truly a one-of-a-kind film.......2005-07-19

I hope that the viewers of "The Day I Became a Woman" enjoy as much as I did its captivating subtleties and the remarkably intelligent way in which it poses necessary and important questions that concern all human beings; questions of self-actualization, the overcoming of fear, and the experience of drastic change in a given moment. This film asks us to look deeper than popular, taken-for-granted understandings of concepts like dominance and submission, self and other, man and woman. It effectively forces us to question myth and memory and to challenge what we have been led to interpret as the condition of women in Islamic societies.

Director Marziyeh Meshkini has done a superb job of neutralizing myths and stereotypes, introducing her audience to three different women of three different generations, each experiencing the same "problem": each of their lives changed forever on the days they became women. Meshkini's story is told in three parts: in the first, we meet a young girl on her ninth birthday who is told by her mother and grandmother that she can, after a certain point in that day, no longer play with her male friend because she has become a woman, subject to the same restrictions as her mother, grandmother, and all other females she will encounter in her lifetime. In the second vignette, we are introduced to a young woman riding her bicycle with all her strength, away from her husband. The force she expends riding from something she knows she can never fully escape is amazing, and to watch it breathtaking. While attempting to run from her designated "place" pre-determined for her by society, she experiences an act of pure will that cannot be categorized as mere defiance of a norm or dominant mode of thought. This norm or mode is somehow not necessary for her will to exist.

In the third and final section we meet an old woman who, for the first time in her life, is able to purchase the things she has always wanted but has never been able to buy. Meshkini uses particularly subtle and fascinating technique in this vignette, and her audience is able to see that the distinction between what we have come to know as "apparent" or "obvious" and "fantasy" is blurred.

I am especially pleased that this film is being released on DVD with lots of special features. I went and found the website for the film ([...]) and noticed that it comes with an essay by Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, and with an audiocomentary by Richard Pena. This DVD is definitely worth a look if you are looking to watch a unique and highly intelligent examination of the condition of womanhood, not just in Iran but throughout the world.

A Real Film About Real Women.......2005-07-09

The Day I Became A Woman is a beautifully told story about growing, maturing and aging as a woman in a traditional society. Showing life altering moments in the lives of three woman at different age, this movie encompasses a very large spectrum of psychological and social aspects of being a woman, not only in Iran but anywhere in the world. The symbols, which the director has masterfully chosen, allow any woman to relate to the condition, the desires and fears of the three heroines, regardless of the cultural, educational or religious background. Finally, a real film for real woman: artistic,provocative, educational and very, very enjoyable.

A Universal Work.......2005-06-17

This wonderful film by an Iranian woman is not "just for women" It is tug-o-war between indomitable human spirit & cultural or personal boundaries from which none of us is free. There are 3 related stories: (1)A girl's last day as a child to play with a (boy)friend of her choice & to live in the moment (2)A womens bicycle race where they seek both pride & escape (to their men this amounts to theft) (3)An old lady who inherits money runs out and buys things, however now she has no one. All these stories blessed by the gorgeous Persian Gulf seacoast.

A Beautiful Film with Immediate Messages on Women.......2002-04-03

Since the 1990s, we have been given more oppotunities to watch Iranian films, and another masterpiece came here. This time, however, the film handles with a more immediate issue in Iran with a very subtle touch (and you may remember that the director Marzieh Meshkini is the wife to the acclaimed Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf ("Kandahar" and "The Cyclist").

"The Day I Became a Woman" consists of three short stories that cover three generations of women. Each part is, as always with Iranian films, based on allegorical meanings, so if you're used to the idea of traditional storytelling, you must stop using that concept for a while. But don't worry, because her method here is more accesible to aundience outside Iran than other works made there. Just try to find what the film really wants to say.

The first story follows a girl who meets her 9 year-old birthday. That means, in the traditional view, that she becomes a grown-up woman, and henceforth she belongs to domestic sphere her mother and grandmother are in. No longer she is allowed to play with boys, but the girl contends that as she was born at noon she still has time, and she is finally given short time to meet her best friend (a boy), who is ironically grounded in his room to do his homework. The way she spends the last moment of her childhood is depicted with slow but poetic images.

The second follows a married woman who takes part in a bicycle race. But her husband threatens her to stop, then her family, the village's chief, and so on. But in spite of these interruption, she keeps on going, never thinking of stopping for them, even facing her divorce. From what she rides, or runs? To where she runs? These questions are never directly replied, but instead, with a dynanic images of rushing bicycles (all driven women) the film keeps on running breathless, leading us to its shattering ending.

The third one, most humorous and poignant, portrays an old lady, who comes to a shopping center to buy things for her house. As she has inherited money, she can buy anything she wants -- a fridge, clearner, television, tea-pot, you name it. One irony is that she cannot remember one thing that she really wanted, and that is the crucial point of the film. Spreading all she bought on the beach, she tried to remember in vain while the children play with them. The answer is again indirectly shown, implied by the past her story suggests, but I should not reveal that part. Find it for yourself.

Description

An abandoned psychiatric hospital looms dark and foreboding on the horizon. Into it pass six individuals who are about to discover its terrifying secrets and come face to face with its blackest horrors.

Customer Reviews:

Underrated.......2006-08-14

The acting isn't great and there's way too much nudity but other than that it's great!

It was a dark and stormy night.......2006-01-04

In Brett Piper's Screaming Dead, a dominating photographer has made a name for himself as an artist who "explores" the dark side of the human psyche with photos of chained and tortured women. He gives his pictures their edge by being abusive to his young unsuspecting models and by putting them in genuine fear of their lives and limbs, though he stops short (barely) of actually maiming or killing them. He and his latest crop of models encounter an entity with fewer scruples during a shoot at an abandoned mental institution -- the film was actually shot at an abandoned NJ mental institution.

I must admit to some prejudice against supernatural elements in movies, including mainstream films such as Poltergeist, Ghost, or The Sixth Sense. I can suspend my skeptical world view long enough to make them watchable, yet I think horror in particular is much more effective when the monster is credibly flesh and blood: Norman Bates is the prime example. I cut more slack when the films are overtly campy (e.g. Bride of Chucky). Piper's film is pretty campy. It is very referential to 50s/60s horror films with updated sleaze. The humor, which is understated enough to be easy to miss, comes from exploiting the conventions of these older films. The hero is a bit of a Neanderthal, but this too is common in 1950s B features.

While this film deserves its R rating, some Misty Mundae fans, who know her from Playmate of the Apes or Bikini Girls on Dinosaur Planet, may be disappointed that this is not a softcore sex film. Although she never has done hardcore, Misty is in a similar position to Traci Lords about a decade ago. She has built up a name and fan base which provide her an opportunity but at the same time hold her back. The good news is that Screaming Dead is a better breakout film than was Not of This Earth. (I like Traci, by the way: she was wonderful in the more recent Chump Change.)

I can't quite bring myself to give this movie four stars, but it really isn't bad. If you like horror - and especially if you grew up watching the old ones - this one will probably work for you.

WOW! What A Film!.......2004-11-20

I usually have a lot of patience when it comes to Misty Mundae films, simply because I'm such a huge fan. Even when the sex scenes run on too long, I'm there, watching every second, never to hit the fast forward button. This is not to say Misty makes bad films, some of them just aren't as entertaining as they at first seem to be. This was not the case with Screaming Dead, a film I purchased months ago just because it featured Misty, yet put away for quite awhile in fear it'll be one of those very boring horror film. Then, just recently, I was ready, so I watched it. All it took was the opening scene and I was hooked, then came the introduction of another mysterious character, whose motives aren't quite clear through a lot of the film, creating some very interesting suspense. The film does have that B movie feel, cause it is a B movie, but it never tries to hide that, but at the same time, it contains a plot interesting enough to hold a viewer (that's not just looking for the usual buckets of nudity) throughout the entire runtime of the film without getting bored. Never since SpiderBabe has a Misty film impressed me so much.

This is without a doubt a waste of time .......2004-10-05

I'm sorry but this flick is dismal at best. The story is inane. The actors are second rate, and the lines....oh who came up with these lines? A schmuck photogragher likes to take disgusting photographs of women and is considered a genious. He abuses his models and video tapes their every move.

This slow moving story with an anticlimatic ending is a yawnfest at best. Yes Misty has a nude scene or two. Freaks may even be excited to know how she is interviewed for the photoshoot. She's naked, blindfolded, and tied to a chair. It sounds much more exciting than it actually is. The bozo who plays the 'hero' gives a completely amateurish effort. His lines are so fake and wooden, you'd swear he was reading everything.

The photographer's busty blonde assistant was by far the hottest and sexiest girl of the movie. Too bad they couldn't get her to shed her clothes.

If you are Misty Mundae fan you'll buy this no matter what anyone says. But I give you fair warning. You'll watch SPiderBabe a hundred times before you watch Screaming Dead twice.

awful.......2004-08-02

Its unfortunate that this movie is so bad because the first couple of scenes were quite promising. AJ Kahn is stretched out on a table in an initial torture scene just as the titles roll and then Misty Mundae sits nude and blindfolded in a wooden chair for a job interview as a kinky art model. From that point on, after about five minutes or so into the movie, everything goes down the drain. Too bad because the cast was ok. The material just was hopeless. Check out Suburban Nightmare by the same production company for a much better movie. Thank you.

Coffin Joe - At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul

Average customer rating:

Coffin Joe at his ghoulish best
Creepy and genuinely disturbing
A truly must-see cult horror classic from Brazil
TEREZINHA; COFFIN JOE

Coffin Joe - At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul
Starring: José Mojica Marins
Director: José Mojica Marins
Manufacturer: Fantoma
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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

Coffin Joe - This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse
Coffin Joe - Awakening of the Beast
Aussie Horror Collection (Patrick / Strange Behavior / Thirst)
The Toolbox Murders
Brainiac AKA El Baron Del Terror

ASIN: B0000A2ZSO
Release Date: 2003-07-29

Customer Reviews:

Coffin Joe at his ghoulish best.......2005-11-28

Brazilian filmmaker Jose Mojica Marins spent his career writing, directing and starring in violent psychosexual horror tales filled with graphic images of carnality, brutality, and torture. Not surprisingly, his work was banned in his native country. But now, thanks to DVD, his films are accessible to anyone who has the stomach for this sort of ghoulish fare.

AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL marked the first time Marins appeared as his onscreen alter ego "Coffin Joe," a villainous Brazilian gravedigger who manages to break all Ten Commandments within as many minutes. This 1963 feature film may be Marins' best, mainly because it's more coherent than most of his other efforts.

The Coffin Joe movies are often self-indulgent, tedious affairs, but Marins' complete lack of artistic restraint results in bone chilling moments of undeniable power. It's a body of work that is at once both revolting and compelling.

Creepy and genuinely disturbing.......2005-08-08

Although cheaply produced and cinematically clumsy, this campy, grotesque Brazilian horror film has several moments of genuine visceral revulsion. The film's centerpiece outrage -- of the sadistic, amoral Ze Do Caixa (aka: Coffin Joe) eating red meat on Good Friday -- may hold less punch for modern, non-Catholic viewers than it did for Brazilian audiences in the early 'Sixties, but the graphic depiction of a violent, bloody rape and the goring out of one man's eyes will still make many viewers recoil. Director Jose Mojica Marins played the role of Coffin Joe himself, leering madly and cursing God as he toppled over the flimsy set and knocked over the props. A Mr. Hyde story with no Dr. Jeckyl to balance things out, the film was apparently a sensation in Brazil and spawned two sequels of an equally lurid nature. Unless you're a student of low-budget camp, I'm not sure you really need to spend the time on any of these films, but if you do check them out, prepare to be shocked.

A truly must-see cult horror classic from Brazil.......2005-04-25

At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul is probably one of the best cult horror films you've never seen. Decades ago, this 1963 classic shocked and disturbed Brazilian audiences (it was, in fact, Brazil's first horror movie) and gave birth to a whole Coffin Joe franchise, yet only in recent years has this landmark of horror filmmaking found its way to the shores of America - and it's about time because this is one amazing film. With its expressionistic and existentialistic overtones and a cruel, thoroughly unforgettable protagonist, At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul shines with a dark aura all its own. The stark nature of the black and white cinematography seems to sharpen Coffin Joe's hard edges, accentuate his evil glare, and set the mood perfectly for a thoroughly corrupt soul to face the consequences of his amoral and atheistic challenges to both God and Satan.

The character at the center of this film is now well-known as Coffin Joe, but this is actually a mistranslation of his name, Ze do Caixo. The name fits, though, as Ze stalks around in his black top hat and undertaker's getup intimidating and scaring the beeswax out of everyone in town. Everyone fears him, for good reason - those foolish enough to challenge him wind up with missing fingers, ugly stripes all over their bodies from his ruthless whip, or - as happens increasingly in this film - dead. Ze spits in the face of religion, summing up his nihilist philosophy at the very beginning of the film - to put things in a nutshell, he wants to continue his existence by producing a son. His wife Lenita has yet to bear him a child, so he has no more use for her. Instead, he casts his glance toward Terezhina, not caring one iota for the fact that she is the fiancée of his only friend in the world, Antonio. Ze is not one to let a silly thing like friendship get in the way of getting what he wants. There are a number of deaths in this film, but I won't ruin things for future viewers by detailing them here. I'll just say that Ze takes great delight in killing, thus giving us some surprisingly gory images (especially for a 1963 film) - Brazilian censors tried to suppress portions of the film, but we now have the luxury of seeing it as it was truly envisioned.

The downright evil of the man may not come across as strongly in America or elsewhere as it did in Brazil, however. Eating meat on a holy day surely offended the Catholic audiences of Brazil much more than it will many of today's American viewers. Still, Ze's fury in the face of religion is made obvious to all, as he has a tendency to rail at the God he doesn't believe in and challenge anyone or anything to send him straight to hell. Such scenes of voracious nihilism, set in a graveyard and cast against a backdrop of stormy lightning seemingly serving to vent the anger of heaven itself, play beautifully here.

It is amazing just what director Jose Mojica Marins was able to accomplish on such a low budget. The set was limited, especially that of the graveyard and forest, but it hardly shows. No one was willing to play the part of Ze, so Marins took it upon himself to bring his malevolent creation to life - and does a magnificent job. He actually glued glitter onto his negative to create one special effect, but it actually works quite well - and indeed, the special effects are a tremendous plus for this shockingly impressive film. I especially loved the change that appears in Ze's eyes just before he unleashes his fury on another innocent victim.

American audiences met Coffin Joe for the first time in 1993; now, with the DVD release, it is time America's horror fans properly introduced themselves to Marin and gave a brave, ingenious director his due. While I haven't seen the DVD itself, I can say that the print of the film that I came across was incredibly sharp and clear in both sight and sound. The film is in Portuguese, of course, but the subtitles are easy to read and correspond very well with what is taking place on the screen. Coffin Joe is a strikingly captivating fiend who revels in his own evil; I daresay I've never encountered a character quite like him.

TEREZINHA; COFFIN JOE.......2004-04-02

Being a fan of foreign horror films, I was intrigued to find out that this was the first to be filmed in Brazil. Upon viewing the strange, but captivating movie, I knew that I had not been let down. True, the film is an oldie (released in 1964), but still delivers better than most from that time period, as well as some that are released today. The story is fairly simple: Coffin Joe, resembling Jack The Ripper with claws, wants a child born of his ideal woman. The religious aspects of the film, from the holy to the blasphemous, prove that the censors had a hard time releasing it, especially in that time period. The special effects are comical by today's standards, but are still effective in being creepy. The DVD hosts some interesting extras, including a comic book and the original trailer. Most entertaining is the up-to-date interview with writer-director-actor Jose Mojica Marins, in which he reveals that the ghost effect was done by gluing glitter to the actual film around the actor's image to create a glowing essence. This film proves that you don't need a mega-budget to make a good film.

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