The Abduction

Starring:Victoria Principal, Robert Hays, Christopher Lawford, William Greenblatt, Tabitha Lupien, Tom Melissis, Christopher Bondy, Paul Soles, Liz MacRae, Mark Polley, Neil Crone, Robert Bidaman, Diane Plotka, Elizabeth Gould, Lloyd White, Nonnie Griffin, Tim Progosh, Graham McPherson, Barbara Jones, Taylore Ashlie
Director: Larry Peerce
Studio: Starlight Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Though the subject matter of Mysterious Skin is as sensational as that of Gregg Araki's other films (such as Totally F***ked Up, The Doom Generation, or The Living End), his direction is richer and more multilayered than ever before. Two Kansas teenagers named Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 10 Things I Hate About You) and Brian (Brady Corbett, Thirteen) share a childhood trauma--but their responses are radically different: Neil hustles tricks, while Brady, who can't remember what happened, believes he was abducted by aliens and left with "missing time." As both try to make sense of their lives and Brian struggles to find out the truth, Mysterious Skin builds to an emotional pitch that some viewers will find uncomfortable and others will find liberating. The characters of Neil and Brian have a fullness that lifts Mysterious Skin above most examinations of sexual abuse and trauma. Gordon-Levitt has been deservedly praised by the critics, but the entire cast--which also includes Bill Sage (Simple Men), Elizabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24)--turns in superb performances. A striking and powerful movie. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Sensational!.......2007-06-19

Mysterious Skin- Sensational, controversial, intense... so many words can describe this movie by Gregg Araki based on the novel by Scott Heim. The first time I watched this film, I was blown away by the display of raw emotions of the two young lead actors- Joseph Gordon Levitt (who plays young hustler Neil McCormick) and Brady Corbet ( who plays Brian, the shy teen who believes he was abducted by Aliens). There is a special, albeit disturbing connection between the two young men and the film captures the journey towards their reunion and the ultimate discovery of that particular event that connects them.

Gordon-Levitt delivers one of the most unforgettable performances I have seen in recent years. As a young hustler, his dark and secret past, allowed him to mask his emotions, and live life as if what he does for a living is something ordinary and mundane. With his eyes showing off nothing, and staring blankly into space, he goes from one job to another just as if he's replacing parts in an automotive shop or sorting out letters in a mail room. There are certain sex scenes that are graphic and disturbing, but it captures the world of Neil- dark, violent, uncaring... It's the only way he can go on- the absence of emotion and with it, the inability to truly love the people who care for him. Corbet also delivered an amazing performance, as Brian he is the shy, trusting and unassuming young man who is so obsessed with recording his periodic episodes of forgetfulness, that he opens himself to anyone who cared enough to listen...

There is a certain fulfillment in watching this movie and see it towards its end, it opens up a world that is there, perhaps a world apart from your own, but it's there and you may need or may not need to protect yourself to discover it.

Intense and unsettling film.......2007-06-07

Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Brian (Brady Corbet) played on the same Little League team when they were eight, but they grew into very different young men. Neil is a burned out, soulless prostitute, while Brian is shy and confused and obsessed with UFOs. When they meet again as adults, Neil reveals a terrible truth about that summer they played baseball.

This movie is a shocking look at pedophilia and its effects on the lives of two children. It is at times difficult to watch, but the actors' performances are flawless. Gordon-Levitt is stunning as the young hustler who lives a zombie-like existence, and Corbet is appealing as the naive boy who thinks he was abducted by aliens. The story is cleverly constructed; parallel vignettes from each boy's life trace their development until they are reunited and the truth brings them a degree of peace. This unforgettable film is brutal and very, very sad.

Decent film, but bad adaptation........2007-05-27

Mysterious Skin (Gregg Araki, 2004)

A good deal of my problem with Hollywood can be summed up by one unfortunate set of scenes in Gregg Araki's adaptation of Scott Heim's intriguing novel Mysterious Skin. All of these scenes concern Brian (Thirteen's Brady Corbet)'s relationship with Avalyn Friesen (Mary Lynn Rajskub of 24). Every time she appeared on the screen, I couldn't help but think "this is the conception of `grossly overweight' [as she's described in the book] in California?" That alone was enough to throw off my enjoyment of the film; the feeling was exacerbated by a number of small changes, the kind of thing I'd normally assume was done to preserve the film's R rating, but with more involved in each case. (For example, the lovely scene in the novel where Neal (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), his mother (Elisabeth Shue), and Eric (Jeff Licon) go picnicking the day before Neal leaves for New York is torn to shreds; the portion of it that might have messed with the film's rating is there, in abbreviated, almost prudish, form, but all the rest of the scene has been dispensed with.)

Not a terrible movie, but do yourself a favor: see it before you read the book, so you don't know what you're missing until afterwards. ** ½

What Film Is All About.......2007-05-16

This is one of those films that is so well made that it makes other films look bad. The acting is top rate and honest. The subject matter is difficult, but the film handles it so well. This a must see film.

Very disturbing but Very good.......2007-05-14

I thought this movie was excellently done and very watchable. Excellent acting and story. But the story was very disturbing, showing the effects on kids of abuse. It really opened my eyes to the problem of child abuse. A must see for every open minded free thinking adult. Not sure if I would recommend it for teens though.

Average customer rating:

An Embarrassment to ALL Overtly Christian Movies! It Does NOT Deliver the Goods Along with the Gospel!
OK, but not enough
Out of this world bad
Ham and cheese sandwich
Watch it!!

Unidentified (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Jonathan Aube , Josh Adamson , Michael Blain-Rozgay , Rebecca St. James , and Jenna Bailey
Director: Rich Christiano
Manufacturer: ChristianMovies.com
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Facing the Giants (Widescreen)
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ASIN: B000LC52BE
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Product Description

Released in theaters and the latest film from Rich Christiano, Unidentified is the story of a man who states he was abducted by a UFO while driving home on a back road one night in a small Texas town. Two reporters (Jonathan Aube and Josh Adamson) from Both Sides Magazine are sent to investigate. When the man is unwilling to discuss the incident with the reporters, the curiosity of the magazine editor is raised and he decides to further check into the situation. What transpires is a quest for the truth regarding UFO's and their spiritual implication in today's world. This is a very high quality production with a talented cast.

Customer Reviews:

An Embarrassment to ALL Overtly Christian Movies! It Does NOT Deliver the Goods Along with the Gospel!.......2007-06-07

The topic of UFOs and alien abductions, whether you believe them or not, are just as encompassing for the victim as being lost in witchcraft or any other occult practices and scenes. The victim can easily lose decades of their lives being haunted by these obsessive topics, and the more the victim researches and is engrossed in finding out "the truth" about UFOs and alien abductions, the more precious years of their lives are wasted on the fruitless, negative endeavor. This is a topic that is very deserving of having a film made about it all! But, unfortunately, it is not this film, UNIDENTIFIED.

This film, UNIDENTIFIED, is really bad! Not even the brief cameo appearances of Christian rock singer Rebecca St. James is enough to help this movie.

The main problem is that it seems to be a movie presenting the Christian perspective about UFOs, but it almost non-existently shows anything about UFOs, which is what should have made the movie unique among low budget Christian films. They talk alot about UFOs, but don't deliver the goods before showing how Christianity solves the UFO problem for believers.

When UNIDENTIFIED was in theaters, the local Christian radio stations played commercials for it for months, before and after its release, which had me looking forward to seeing it! After seeing it, I was embarrassed that this was being promoted so heavily on Christian radio because the film is so bad.

I was expecting that they would at least make an attempt at special effects and make-up for the UFOs and aliens, no matter how low budget, to try to re-create the widely documented UFO/alien reports and descriptions before debunking them via Christian teachings. Nope. The special effects are basically normal looking actors looking at bright lights. That's it. Dud science fiction. Dud monster movie. Dud Christian movie!

This film seems so much like a bait and switch that I think it takes away from its attempt to spread the Christian message at the end of the film. I was extremely disappointed in the lack of UFO content, and the way-too-quick Christian conversion aspects at the end of the film. The end of the film doesn't tie up any loose story lines from the rest of the film, and most questions go unanswered and not specifically addressed or debunked.

The writing is awful, and the events are very forced and seem very unrealistic.

I like science fiction films and monster movies, from all of the history of cinema, and I am very forgiving over a low budget effort, as long as it is either fun or interesting, or clever. None of those saving graces are present in UNIDENTIFIED.

This movie was a very failed attempt at a topic that needs to be addressed in another film, but SHOW the UFOs, and SHOW the alien abductions, THEN debunk them using Bible principles, exposing them for what they are: tricks of the devil for minds of the more "modern" mankind. There is a good book available that does just that, and I know of no other book or DVD that does, so please check out ALIEN INTRUSION by Gary Bates. Alien Intrusion

The book, ALIEN INTRUSION, by Gary Bates, delivers the goods in a non-fiction format! This fictional UNIDENTIFIED movie is awful, not because it is fiction, but because it does NOT deliver the goods, no cinema UFOs or movie alien abductions, just really bad writing.

OK, but not enough.......2007-04-22

I was very excited to see this movie. Being a Christian film about UFOs, I was expecting to hear about Genesis 6, sons of God, Nephilim, etc., but there was nothing like that here. In fact, there really was not enough about the UFO phenomenon at all. It started out promising, but quickly digressed from investigating the UFO incidents to an interoffice debate about being saved or not. I think it is important to include the message of salvation in Christian entertainment; however, this movie did not live up to its billing. Also, I think the end "joke" was very cruel and distasteful. Maybe someday they will make a movie of Lynn Marzulli's "Nephilim." For a Christian perspective on UFOs, Chuck Missler is a much better resource.

Out of this world bad.......2007-04-18

I've been hoping to see a good movie on this subject from a Christian perspective. This isn't it. The premise is good, the storyline and acting stink. Don't waste your time or money.

Ham and cheese sandwich.......2007-04-17

I believe there's a need and a role for Christian movies, as a method of both evangelism and entertainment. There's not a need to make more garbage movies, even if it's done by Christians. This is what "Unidentifed" is, all's the pity, because the concept had potential.

UFO things always sell. And there's a strong belief in the Christian community about a UFO-demonic connection. So we make a movie about it.

What you ultimately get, however, is a lot of dangling plot lines that are never resolved, wooden characters, wooden dialogue, illogical conclusions, and ham-fisted proselitzing. This sort of work does more damage to those it's seeking to win over.

They get the stars for the effort, not the results.

Watch it!!.......2007-04-02

Sad to see so many lost people. Movie has a great message. Other disappointing reviews are not supprising as these people are typical of the so many worldy lost people who write these critical reviews. Hope God can open there eyes.

Average customer rating:

Stunk.
Forgettable
A parent's tie with thier children
Interesting concept...bad execution
No need to tell the story

The Forgotten
Starring: Julianne Moore , Christopher Kovaleski , Matthew Pleszewicz , Anthony Edwards , and Jessica Hecht
Director: Joseph Ruben
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006IIKQW
Release Date: 2005-01-18

Amazon.com

With a plot that might've been lifted from The X-Files, nothing is quite what it seems in The Forgotten, a psychological conspiracy thriller with Julianne Moore doing fine work as a grieving mother whose nine-year-old son was killed in a plane crash. At least, that's what she's been led to believe, but when even her husband (Anthony Edwards) tries to convince her that she's delusional and never had a child, things start to get very spooky indeed. Dominic West (from HBO's superb series The Wire) plays a similarly traumatized father, and when they witness some very strange events--and a mysterious man (Linus Roache) who might be indestructible--this glorified B-movie potboiler directed by Joseph Ruben (best known for Dreamscape and The Stepfather) turns into a preposterous but entertaining trip into The Twilight Zone territory. Featuring Alfre Woodard as an intuitive New York detective and Gary Sinise as a seemingly sympathetic psychiatrist, The Forgotten offers adequate shocks and an intriguing, otherworldly study of tenacious parental instinct. It deserved its mixed reviews, but it's a fun spook-fest for rainy-day viewing. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Haunted by the memories of a son her husband swears she never had, a distraught mother's search for the truth leads to a mind-shattering conspiracy of unearthly terror.

Customer Reviews:

Stunk........2007-04-10

I really can't think of anything positive to say about this movie. It was not even down to the so bad it is funny level. It was just mediocre, boring, and stupid. A waste of time, pure and simple.

Forgettable.......2007-03-09

"The Forgotten" looks like a bad episode of the X-Files or the Twilight Zone. A mother grieves the death of her young son, only to be told (by her therapist, her husband and the whole world) that the boy never existed. She forms an unlikely alliance with an alcoholic ex baseball player and the whole thing turns really, really ludicrous. Julianne Moore delivers, as usual, a wonderful performance, but not even her talent can rescue this silly movie.

A parent's tie with thier children.......2007-02-19

I really liked this movie. It does show how strong a parent's tie with thier children certainly are. Watching this movie certainly made me think of all of the parents that have lost thier children via accidents, child abductions or run-aways and how the parents must feel. Appreciation of what you have comes to mind and love the ones that you have, because tomorrow they could be gone. I liked this movie because it told of the "real pain" that Telly was feeling when her child was gone and "others" tried to erase her memories. I did watch the extended alternate ending which I do recommend in seeing. This movie is an on the edge of your seat thriller and I do recommend it to anyone!!!

Interesting concept...bad execution.......2007-01-07

This is a horribly implausible storyline, but probably could have been better executed had it been an episode of the defunct X-Files. The begining is intriguing but somewhere in the middle you sense that the writers didn't truely know where to go. I think I could have swallowed this more, if in fact 'The Others' needed the children for something-not simply to watch this woman go crazy like a lab rat. Her doctor even says that they've been doing this sort of thing for years-decades even. So you're telling me they've been success of making people disappear and just watching the festivites? For their own amusement? But didn't the NSA guy-say something about survivial? SO which is it? You needed the children to survive or do you need them for amusement? And even if you buy that this is a one time experiment gone wrong-and you buy into the Disney-like fairy tale ending-that still leaves the problem of aliens hoovering above doing what they will. So is the ultimate goal to get the children back or do away with the aliens. How can you buy into the peace of mind and security when the children return but know they are still out there?
Julianne Moore give a good performance-for the material, I think. Dominic West made me wince each time he came onto the screen. Overall-save ninety minutes of your life and skip this one.

No need to tell the story.......2007-01-06

Regarding all the reviews, you can deduce what the film is about. I'm not going to re-tell the story. I am going to tell you that a parent's panic at a lost child is traumatic, but what is worse is that no one believes you. You go through the stages of panic, investigation, doubt, blame, and guilt. Your results may vary.

This film is certainly a B film. But, the issue remains. After a few wet-your-pants moments you really want Julianne Moore to find her son. The confrontation with her and the creator of loss and forgetfullness, a dispassionate alien, brings to fore the nobility of humanity and the shortcomings of an analytical race.

Hug your loved ones. No one knows how permanent it may be.

The X-Files Mythology, Vol. 1 - Abduction

Average customer rating:

Revisiting old friends
inevitable repackaging of the brilliant television series
If Fox squeezing us?
A more fatal flaw
One small issue with this set

The X-Files Mythology, Vol. 1 - Abduction
Starring: X-Files Mythology
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The X-Files Mythology, Vol. 2 - Black Oil
The X-Files Mythology, Vol. 3 - Colonization
The X-Files Mythology, Vol. 4 - Super Soldiers
The X-Files - Fight the Future
The Lone Gunmen - The Complete Series

ASIN: B0007ZEO7I
Release Date: 2005-06-07

Amazon.com

The X-Files Mythology series consists of collections of episodes grouped around certain themes that were central to Chris Carter's gripping, funny, and sometimes impenetrable sci-fi/suspense/horror series. The 15 episodes in the first volume, Abduction, are culled from the first three seasons of the show, and they introduce FBI agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who has been assigned to keep tabs on her new partner, the eccentric Fox Mulder (David Duchovny). Mulder's specialty is those cases that can't seem to be solved on normal parameters--the "X-Files"--because he believes that many years ago his sister was abducted by aliens. We meet a dizzying cast of supporting characters: FBI assistant director Skinner (Mitch Pileggi); a government informant, code-named "Deep Throat," who offers to get Mulder closer to the truth than he's ever imagined; apparent abductee Duane Barry (Steve Railsback); a trio of conspiracy theorists called the Lone Gunmen (Dean Haglund, Tom Braidwood, and Bruce Harwood); the mysterious Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis); and suspicious agent Krycek (Nicholas Lea). And the theme of alien abduction leads to deeper threads involving experiments with alien DNA, cloning, alien bounty hunters, and more. These early episodes are some of the best the series ever had to offer, and the reasonably priced Mythology sets might be enticing for novices who would like to get a feel for the series without having to wade through all the story arcs and concepts that wandered through the nine seasons. (They're also conveniently packaged, with four discs in two Thinpaks.) X-philes, of course, would prefer the complete seasons, with the multiple arcs as well as the numerous excellent standalone (a.k.a. "creature feature") episodes. The discs include new commentary tracks on five of the episodes by Chris Carter, writer Frank Spotnitz, or director R.W. Goodwin, and there's a new 28-minute documentary that provides an overview of the series and the pertinent episodes that's well suited to novices. --David Horiuchi

Description

For nine seasons, fans of ?The X Files? watched and waited for an ultimate explanation of the complex web of alien conspiracy theories, government cover-ups and shadow organizations woven by series creator Chris Carter. Now, for the first time, viewers can follow every twist and turn of the complete mythology story arc beginning with THE X FILES MYTHOLOGY: ABDUCTION. ABDUCTION consists of 16 episodes from seasons 1-3, and presents the government conspiracy episodes in order, beginning with the series pilot. The set also features commentary on selected episodes and part one of Chris Carter?s all-new documentary ?Threads Of Mythology,? which explains the meaning of ?The X Files? and how all lies lead to the truth.

Customer Reviews:

Revisiting old friends.......2007-02-20

Contrary to what others have said, the Abduction series lacks nothing from not having "Conduit" in the package.

inevitable repackaging of the brilliant television series.......2006-01-04

This repackaging of THE X FILES according to the mythology arc has, no doubt, long been expected by most diehard fans of the now legendary television series. Having received the 4 volumes as a Christmas gift, this grateful recipient has not had time to peruse all 60 episodes + extras; however, a few observations do come to mind.

RE: THE X FILE MYTHOLOGY, VOL 1-4 ("Abduction"; "Black Oil"; "Colonization"; "Super Soldier"):

Recommendations, divided into 4 categories of prospective buyers, are as follows:

1) FANATICS/COLLECTORS:

True fanatics or obsessive collectors will, irrespective of whether they own all 9 complete seasons, want to add these 4 volumes to their shelves. That there exists only a small amount of new material ( in terms of extras: audio commentary + documentary ) is really irrelevant to those who fall into this category. 5 STARS in terms of its appeal for this group of people.

2) "REGULAR" FANS:

"X-Philes" who exist on a lesser ( if saner ) plane of dedication may want to consider whether, possessing some ( if not, perhaps, all ) of the complete DVD sets, these repackaged sets actually add to their enjoyment. It seems indisputable that THE X FILES will never be understood on an aesthetic level by solely watching the myth arc episodes; therefore, it begs the question of why one would purchase the "complete" myth arc when it's possible to go the way the series did when it originally aired- i.e., by alternating between mythology and stand alone episodes. 2 STARS in terms of its appeal for this group of people.

3) CONFUSED BUT INTERESTED VIEWERS:

People with some familiarity with the show but who never quite watched with enough regularity ( or intensity ) to follow the intricacies of the mythology arc, may well consider purchasing these volumes. Presumably, those who fall ( more or less ) into this category will not have purchased the complete DVD seasons ( or at least not *all* of them ). It may well be financially (1/5 cost of 9 complete seasons) and aesthetically satisfying to purchase these 4 repackaged volumes and supplement ( by renting or borrowing ) selected stand alone ( "monster of the week" ) episodes. 4 STARS in terms of its appeal for this group of people.

4) NOVICES

For those who truly haven't watched THE X FILES, or at most, a few episodes, it seems a toss-up as to whether these sets are the right way to go. It is this reviewers suggestion that those in this category rent some episodes; specifically, the first 4 episodes of SEASON ONE (Pilot, Deep Throat, Squeeze, Conduit ) in order to establish whether they find the show appealing. If they're hooked, and have the willingness to invest money through purchasing DVD's outright, it might be better to start purchasing all nine complete seasons over time ( most definitely *in order* ). The other option for beginners would be to purchase the 4 repackaged myth arc volumes ( again, paying attention to proper order ) and renting select stand alone episodes ( there are numerous books and websites which can guide one to the very best episodes ). 3 STARS in terms of its appeal for this group of people.

NOTE: The X FILES MOVIE ( "Fight the Future" ) is *not* included in this repackaging release. After viewing the first 3 episodes of Vol 3: "Colonization" (Patient X, The Red and the Black, The End), it is extremely advisable, for the sake of continuity and understanding, to buy ( or at least, watch ) the film *before* continuing with the remaining (Vol 3) episodes.

RE: THE X FILES MYTHOLOGY, VOL 1: "Abduction":

Of the 15 episodes selected ( which span Season 1 thru start of Season 3), it seems to this reviewer debatable whether Season 2 episode titled "Red Museum" should have been included when Season 1 "Conduit" was not. Furthermore, if the latter episode was not deemed (for whatever reason) to be up to standard, Season 2 "Sleepless" would have had the virtue of introducing a key character (Alex Krycek), with the episode plot having at least as much pertinence to the myth arc as the comparatively inferior "Red Museum". Just two cents from a faithful X-Phile.

IMPORTANT: for those who are new to THE X FILES, the documentary ("Threads of Mythology" ) for Volume 1 contains an unfortunate (completely inappropriate) spoiler. Without elaborating, I can only implore beginners ( few as they may be ) to stay away from this documentary until after finishing either Complete Season 7 or Volume 3 ("Colonization")

CONCLUSION:

With regard to THE X FILES myth arc as a totality; those looking for airtight plot development and perfectly logically explanations as the storyline developed over the course of nine grueling seasons, are truly barking up the wrong tree. Chris Carter and his collaborators, while having a vague idea of where the specifics of the storyline could go, never had every detail planned out, and thank goodness for that! If 1013 Productions had applied such a misguided notion of continuity, many of the surprising twists and turns that characterized the myth arc would have never materialized.

If Fox squeezing us?.......2005-12-13

Add me to the list of disgruntled fans who have loyally bought the full season sets, which are expensive, and then are asked to shell out more for extra features. I agree that Fox should just offer the features on a dvd for those who have already contributed to the Fox coffers.

A more fatal flaw.......2005-12-08

In addition to the missing "Sleepless" as another reviewer pointed out, this series is missing "Counduit" which in my mind is a much greater omission. This isn't the usual nitpicking, as I'll explain at the end of the review if you'd like to jump there.

"Sleepless" itself, though the case being investigated is not returned to as part of the mythology, and though it's not even a particularly brilliant episode by X-Files standards, is a great loss. It does introduce Krycek, but that's not the only thing; it also implies something, at the end, which will become EXTREMELY important to the entire progression of the show. Something that certainly relates to both "mythology" and "abduction."

However, I suppose the lack of "Sleepless" is justified in some way, because practically every episode from the first third of the second season has almost as much right to be here as it does, and there wouldn't have been room. Shows like "The Host" and "Blood" and even the uncharacteristic "3" (it was the first I ever saw, and turned me off for two years) are immersed in the ongoing struggle between Mulder and the bureau, between the bureau and its puppetmasters, and between and within Scully and Mulder themselves as they stumble around aimlessly. From "The Erlenmeyer Flask" to "One Breath" is the most real these characters have ever felt, even the sidelined Scully. These episodes are not typical television, they're dark, though not without hope. Those who have only seen later years of the show, even the vastly less believable sixth season period when the files were again closed and such tensions resurfaced, will have no idea how different from your typical "monster of the week" the early second season shows were, and how essential to the greater picture.

I could also make the argument that in its best seasons (i.e. the first three or four, possibly part of five), many of the non-mythology episodes contained equal character insight and depth as the ones about the grand conspiracy. I first watched the X-Files for sci-fi/suspense elements too, but when I came back to it this year I was amazed how much I had been missing. When laid out in a straight line, I could imagine the events of the grand plan seeming more than faintly ridiculous. Someone watching in this form might really miss not only the point, but the quality of the show.

Aliens are only one part of The X-Files, and honestly not the strongest part in the early seasons. From the Season 1, for newbies I recommend "Squeeze" (and sequel "Tooms" which without being mythology still manages to introduce Assistant Director Skinner, AND give the Cigarette Smoking Man his first speaking role), "Ice," "Eve," "Beyond the Sea," and "Darkness Falls," none of which are included here. From season 2, watch "The Host," "Blood," and "Sleepless" after "Little Green Men," watch "3" after "Ascension," and then "Irresistible," "Die Hand Die Verletzt," and "Humbug" in whatever order you want. I realize I'm following the same ones the official VHS tapes featured back when only some of each season could be released. I'll recommend "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" from season 3 but depart from conventional wisdom with "Quagmire," "Hell Money" and especially "Oubliette," incredible hours that exemplify, as much as any mythology episode, what was unique about the X-Files. From season 4, two episodes with huge significance are omitted from that mythology DVD (by then on VOLUME 2: BLACK OIL). They are "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" and "Demons," and there are many classics you'd miss if you only saw the mythology, as that season intertwined the characters' personal lives with their cases more than any since 2. "Paper Hearts," Leonard Betts," "Never Again," and "Small Potatoes" are most essential for understanding the episodes surrounding them. If you take "the mythology" to mean "the episodes where CHARACTERS rather than MONSTERS matter," then all these shows I've mentioned, and many many more, actually qualify. You can watch this stuff in these new packages, but it's like listening to Beethoven's greatest hits (not the Duchovny kids film!). You'll not only be missing a lot, you won't get the full appreciation of the ones you do see.

Now to "Conduit." I suppose at the price, this series is still worth it in some way for those who aren't able to rent or buy the massively expensive full season DVDs or didn't have the luck, as I did, of seeing and recording the episodes on cable when they were first on. But if the entire point is to collect all the episodes essential to understanding the mythology (and at least in the first season, there aren't that many of them), the absence of "Conduit" is more than puzzling, it's a huge loss for someone who will only ever see the show's progression through this DVD series, even more than the absence of those early season 2 episodes. In fact, if someone were to ask me which X-Files episode presents alien abduction in the most moving, most believable terms, it would be this one. Plus, it was only the fourth show that ever aired, and the first crushing insight into that whole thing with Samantha, which was the cornerstone of the "mythology."

I am well aware of similarities between "Conduit" and, say, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, or every other movie or TV show about alien abduction ever. But that's not really a point worth making, as nearly every X-Files show from the most sophisticated Morgan & Wong or Darin Morgan script in the early years to Chris Carter's own more derivative work later, tends to use cliches as far as the actual concepts of the paranormal, alien invasion, abduction, and government conspiracy are concerned. Once you watch the show for awhile you will realize that is not the point, in fact it may be a strength, allowing greater concentration by the writers on the heart of what was going on.

Worse yet, even the valid excuse that there wasn't room for "Conduit" or "Sleepless" rings hollow when one episode on this DVD is Chris Carter's incoherent "Red Museum." I say "Chris Carter's" to denote he wrote it, rather than just produced. This is not often the case, and as newbies are often surprised to notice, only rarely with the best episodes. Exception: "Deep Throat," "Duane Barry." Anyway, "Red Museum" is neither proper mythology nor one of the better episodes of its era. In fact, it starts very strongly as a monster of the week, and the moment the "mythology" aspect is introduced (in the most forced, ridiculous way) it becomes almost laughable.

Otherwise these are good episodes. In fact, the majority selected here are brilliant. The "Colony"/"Endgame" two parter is the only one remotely approaching "only decent" level and compared to late X-Files or just about anything on TV, it's flawless. The same cannot be said for any of the subsequent mythology DVDs. Volume 2 is uniformly great, but again will suffer out of context. Volume 3 is iffier, very compelling, technically incredible TV but by then the show had lost its original character and the conspiracy had become entirely unbelievable. Volume 4, take a pass.

But ideally these DVDs should neither be the first or the last way you experience the show. If you go for them, be sure to see the best ones that fell beneath the cracks, or you won't really get it.

One small issue with this set.......2005-11-26

The X-Files is my absolute favorite televison show. In fact I bought my first DVD player just so I could buy the DVD sets and watch all the episodes in order. The stand alone episodes are good, but the mythology episodes are why I collected them in the first place.

However, I came across one small "issue" when I saw the list of episodes on the Abduction set. It's missing the episode called "Sleepless". While this episode's main plot is NOT part of the mythology it does contain two or three EXTREMELY important scenes pertaining to the mythology. This is the episode that introduces two major mythology characters: Krycek and X. It has a wonderful scene where we meet X for the first time and it establishes Krycek's connection with the CSM (although this becomes easily apperent in Ascension). But think about it. If you are watching the episodes as they are presented in this set, the first time X appears is in Ascension when Mulder goes to Senator Matheson's office for help. People who haven't seen Sleepless will be wondering "Who the heck is this guy? Did I miss something?" And of course the answer is, "Yes. You did miss something". At the very least I think that those scenes should have been worked into the set, maybe as optional bonus footage that could be viewed in the Duane Barry menu.

For those of you who are new to the mythology and are interested in buying the four sets you should know that "Sleepless" should be viewed between "Little Green Men" and "Duane Barry".

I WAS pleased to note that they corrected the credit tag on Ascension to "Deny Everything" which was not on the original season two box set (at least not on mine anyway).

P.D.Q. Bach - Abduction of Figaro / Peter Schickele, Minnesota Opera

Average customer rating:

where's my stuff?
A dissenting view
its fun
The Great Bach's youngest son again covers himself in ignominy
You Gotta Love Him

P.D.Q. Bach - Abduction of Figaro / Peter Schickele, Minnesota Opera
Starring: John Ferrante , Lisbeth Lloyd , Dana Krueger , Michael Burt , and LeRoy Lehr
Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballet & Dance | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

P.D.Q. Bach in Houston - We Have a Problem!
Sing Faster - The Stagehands' Ring Cycle
Anna Russell - The (First) Farewell Concert
Anna Russell - Crown Princess of Musical Parody: Her Television Appearances 1964, 1976, 1977
1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults

ASIN: B00018D58A
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Customer Reviews:

where's my stuff?.......2007-01-17

the delivery date continues to be moved to the future. i thought this item was in stock when i ordered it.
is it deliverable or do i need to shop elsewhere???

i would love to have an opportunity to truly review this product!

A dissenting view.......2006-11-27

The previous reviews are uniform in praising this piece as a spoof. Yes, it is a spoof and a very good one. No more of that. I am going to take another tack. I say it is an opera and a pretty good one, too, whatever its roots and original intentions. It works, and works well as a music drama--or rather comedy in this case.

Peter Schickele, channeling the last and least of the Bachs, has concocted an effective singspiel/opera buffa, probably the only one in the Twentieth Century that Wolfie Mozart, Larry Da Ponte and Manny Schickaneder would have applauded. Da Ponte, true to form, would have tried to seduce one or all of the leading ladies. Schickaneder would have rushed home to stage a pirate version at his own theater in order to swindle Schickele/Bach out of the profits.

Regional opera companies and opera workshops ought to be producing "The AbFig" on a regular basis. And major companies might do worse. Come to think of it, they have!

its fun.......2006-11-03

this dvd is not for the purist in classical music but for those with a sense of humour I found the entire production absolutely crazy and had a good laugh the entire way mind you one must know your music as snippets from all sources of the classical music pop up suddenly
I thouroughly recomend this to those with a sense of humour in the classical music

The Great Bach's youngest son again covers himself in ignominy.......2006-06-08

Most of PDQ Bach's operas are fairly short (Hansel and Gretel and Ted and Alice; The Stoned Guest). His really long one is mostly lost (Einstein on the Fritz). The Abduction of Figaro is a 3-act extravaganza, almost 2 1/2 hours long, set in Seville, North Africa, and Cuba. Somehow the Minnesota Opera Company was inveigled into performing it in 1984 and William Pierce was hijacked to do the commentary.

Mozart was a fabulous composer, so one can hardly blame PDQ for stealing so liberally from him. Had he done so more competently he would have written a much better opera. But PDQ never wrote a much better anything.

The opera is very tuneful. Other peoples' tunes, mostly. PDQ Bach (1807-1742?] was an equal-opportunity plagiarist. "Abduction" is something of an upstairs-downstairs opera, considering the number of master-servant pairs involved. There's Figaro's wife, Susanna Susannadanna, and her servant Pecadillo; Donald ("Don") Giovanni and his servant Schleporello; Dona Donna and her servant Blondie; Pasha Shaboom and his servant Opec. Schleporello is a mute, doesn't like it at all, and argues about it quit a bit.

Although the singers' names appear on the jacket, I'm sure they would prefer to remain anonymous. The performance is defective in that it uses a piano for continuo, when of course PDQ wrote for a harpsichord. Harpsichords are far superior anyway.

The overture is sprightly and sounds almost as if it had been cobbled together by Spike Jones -- except that Jones would have done a better job. The opera itself is sung in English, unfortunately -- not because English isn't the original language (there's some debate on that), but because it allows you to understand the fairly idiotic libretto. If it were in Italian or German, you could pretend it's better than it is.

Act I opens at the palace of Count Almamater, in the bedroom of the sick Figaro, who has mostly lapsed into a coma. After Doctor Al Defonso sings his aria ("Found a Peanut") (I told you English was a bad idea) he leaves. Susanna sings her aria, "Stand By Me", which has given rise to an acrid debate as to whether PDQ invented do-wop. Pecadillo comes in to announce the arrival of Dona Donna, who immediately charges in to sing a condemnation of Donald Giovanni and ask if she and Blondie can stay the night. Outside, later that night, Donald and Schloporello show up, while Pecadillo tries to serenade Blondie ("My Dog Has Fleas" ... should have performed this in Lithuanian or something else nobody understands). Donald meanwhile, is unaccountably smitten with Susanna. Things get increasingly complicated until, when the scene returns to the bedroom, Captain Kadd (who has a hook) breaks in. He sings (with hornpipe) about how bad he is and how he's on his way to retrieve a treasure in Cuba. Using Figaro's covered bed, he sails off in with the title character. There is general lamentation. Donald confronts Donna (or vice-versa). Donald, Schleporello, and Pecadillo sail off to rescue Figaro. Almost immediately their ship sinks in full view of everyone (so that's where Bernstein got the idea for the shipwreck in Candide!).

In Act II the 3 men are washed up on shore and sing at length about it. At the court of the Pasha, Opec picks fruit and sings (but not about that)(Opec is played by the inimitable John Ferrante, a countertenor who was so long associated with PDQ Bach's stuff ("Iphegenia in Brooklyn", "The Seasonings", &c.) he wouldn't mind being identified. The Pasha (who's pretty much out of it) comes in and his dancing girls do the Dance of the Seven Pails. Donald and Schleporello discover that Blondie and Donna are somehow already there and part of the Pasha's harem. The latter pair are mightily annoyed when the former put moves on them. Capt. Kadd passes through. Blondie and Donna are disgusted with men ("Macho, Macho"). Schleporello tries the serenade bit again ("You Can Beat Me"), this time with a steel guitar -- obviously an unwonted interpolation in an effort to get a modern audience interested, but by this time they're laughing too hard to notice. Donald makes another pass at Donna. OK, confess; how long ago did you get lost in all this? Donna has a hissy-fit and walks out without singing her aria. Conductor (and PDQ Bach discoverer) Prof. Schickele skips ahead. Donald, Schleporello, Pecadillo -- AND Opec -- decide it's time to go and wind up in ....

Act III is set in Cuba. The 4 guys arrive, walk offstage and then there's is completely senseless ballet that's sort of Carmen Miranda meets Swan Lake, in which PDQ Bach actually plagiarizes himself. The 4 men come back and meet Mama and Papa Geno (hard "G") and their pigs. Captain Kadd now shows up, the bed loaded with pirates, Blondie, Donna, and (of course) the still-comatose Figaro. Kadd gets the treasure map from Papa Geno (huh?) and when it appears that the treasure is in the bed, it turns out that Figaro has disappeared and the Maltese Falcon ... huh? huh? Well, now I'm lost and I'm actually watching it. Anyway, Schleporello gets an aria and ... where did those Valkyries come from? ... and then happily all ends.

This opera is unsuitable for children because they won't understand. Besides, nowadays children quickly reach the point where they don't like actual music and won't discover it again (if ever) until they get dragged to real concerts. On the other hand, an opera written at the time of Salieri, by a composer who was actually inferior to him, isn't a really good place to start. By the same token don't watch "Abduction of Figaro" alone. You may laugh hard enough to require CPR

You Gotta Love Him.......2005-06-14

How Schickele can lovingly lampoon - with no intention to destroy - Mozart's greatest operas is a miracle. I couldn't stop laughing. The singers are great. And the dancers in the Corpse de Ballet are wonderful. I work for Peoria (IL) Ballet and I'm recommending this for all our dancers. Yes, it's broad. Yes, it's over the top. But every plaudit of the other reviewers is true. This "opera" is not to be missed, especially if you are a Schickele fan.

Average customer rating:

The Abduction
Powerful Story
A Good film for Men also, not only Women
Victoria Principal & Robert Hays are very believable

The Abduction
Starring: Victoria Principal , Robert Hays , Christopher Lawford , William Greenblatt , and Tabitha Lupien
Director: Larry Peerce
Manufacturer: Starlight Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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If Someone Had Known (True Stories Collection TV Movie)

ASIN: B00005NKT3
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Description

She is one woman who seems to have it all. Great children, a great guy and good life. But all this changes when a maniacal ex-husband starts to stalk and harass her. Tension rises when she finds herself trapped in a snowstorm with a man that is losing touch with his sanity.

Customer Reviews:

The Abduction.......2006-03-23

I've seen a couple of movies of this genre and this one was one of the better. How a "crazed" cop can't let his successful working wife "go" and difficult it was for her to get the law inforcement to help her because he was a cop. Based on a true story.

Powerful Story.......2004-03-21

Came home late last night and flicked on the tv....this movie caught my eye and kept me on the edge of my seat. It had a strong, important message and is definetely worth your time!!!

A Good film for Men also, not only Women.......2002-09-28

INfrequently (thank God !) we Men run into the (thankfully) *rare* "Lady* that _chooses_ to NON-ethically claw into a Man using the courts, etc., just-coz-she-wants-to-strike-at-him. May I haste to add that the MAJORITY of the Ladies out here among us guys would NEVER choose such a disgusting, illegal, UNethical course of action, just to get back at us. And _that_ is the perfect segue, at least as I see so, into my high praise of Victoria Principal and Robert Hays in THE ABDUCTION. May I please say how marvelously balanced, rational, and just and fair the illustration of the HORROR of us "Men" doing the OPPOSITE to the Love we *are* OBLIGED to demonstrate, perpetually, to Ladies is so well portrayed by Ms. Principal and Mr. Hays. A *must see* for EVERY Man *and* EVERY Woman. Guys, sit down with your Wives / Girl / Your Wife or Romance's Girls, and if what you see in THE ABDUCTION is YOU, please, get help ! It's NEVER too late !

Victoria Principal & Robert Hays are very believable.......2002-05-12

Shocking and suspenseful movie about a stalker ex-husband who wants his ex-wife back...both physically and emotional. Victoria Principal is a victim overcoming the violence brought upon her by her ex-husband (who turns psycho and will go to any length to get her back). This kind of stuff is really going on...The movie is a good reminder of that.

Mysterious Skin (Original Theatrical Director's Cut)

Average customer rating:

Sensational!
Intense and unsettling film
Decent film, but bad adaptation.
What Film Is All About
Very disturbing but Very good

Mysterious Skin (Original Theatrical Director's Cut)
Starring: Chase Ellison , George Webster (IV) , Rachael Nastassja Kraft , Lisa Long , and Chris Mulkey
Director: Gregg Araki
Manufacturer: Tla
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000ATQYQU
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Amazon.com

Description

The summer I was eight years old, five hours disappeared from my life. These are the words of Brian Lackey, a troubled 18 year old, growing up in the stiflingly small town of Hutchinson, Kansas. Plagued by nightmares, Brian believes that he may have been the victim of an alien abduction. Neil, however, is the ultimate beautiful outsider. With a loving but promiscuous mother, Neil is wise beyond his years and curious about his developing sexuality, having found what he perceived to be love from his Little League baseball coach at a very early age. Now, ten years later, Neil is a teenage hustler, nonchalant about the dangerous path his life is taking.

Customer Reviews:

Sensational!.......2007-06-19

Intense and unsettling film.......2007-06-07

Decent film, but bad adaptation........2007-05-27

What Film Is All About.......2007-05-16

Very disturbing but Very good.......2007-05-14

Average customer rating:

This is what a horror movie is supposed to be
"Gutsy" story of alien hunting
FF.
Earth boys are Easy
This movie makes a 70's geology documentary look good

Altered
Starring: Misty Rosas , Paul McCarthy-Boyington , Brad William Henke , Michael C. Williams , and Adam Kaufman (II)
Director: Eduardo Sánchez (II)
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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Feast (Unrated) [HD DVD]
A Dead Calling
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Saw III (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
The Return (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000JLQPYU
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Customer Reviews:

This is what a horror movie is supposed to be.......2007-06-28

I'm very surprised by the negative reviews for this movie, oh well, some people just don't know quality when it's standing in front of them.
If you're interested in horror/science fiction with an element of realism thrown in, then this is the film for you.
From the makers of the Blair Witch Project (which sucked but is still culturally significant) this film takes us to rural farm land where a group of rednecks, united by a horrible past event, go into the woods looking for some revenge on the extraterrestrial jerks who have ruined their lives. They capture one and keep it chained up, bringing it back to their buddy's farm house to exact a little torture on it, but are then one by one picked off in various gruesome fashion.
The great thing about this movie is that there aren't any really big names in it, and yet the actors all turn in great performances. The storyline is ultra creepy, especially if you're at all into UFO/conspiracy theories.
This, and 28 weeks later, are probably the best horror films I've seen in a decade, and is proof positive that you don't have to have a tremendous budget and popular names to make a decent film.
Ignore the negative reviews on this one, there's plent of gore and excellent special effects, if you're still a little undecided, then rent it first, but if you're a real fan of horror, then you'll appreciate this film.

"Gutsy" story of alien hunting.......2007-06-05

A group of rednecks go alien hunting. Otis, Cody, and Duke manage to bag one of the beasties and take it to Wyatt's house. Why? Evidently, all four were victims of the aliens in the past, including Cody's brother Timmy who was killed during the early encounter. Otherwise, its never explained why they bagged this bad boy or why they brought it alive over to Wyatt's.

Wyatt's girlfriend Hope is not amused. She calls the sheriff. Wyatt has some sort of relationship with these aliens, having been imbedded with a "clicker" in his intestines years ago. Evidently, the aliens want more clickers installed because they have a predilection for intestine pulling. The intestine pulling is what raised this from one to two stars. Do the boys kill the alien or return it? Are there ramifications to killing this alien? Wyatt seems to think so, but it turns out Wyatt has been ready for their return for years.

The most interesting part of this movie is that when they finally show the aliens, their mouths look vaguely like a discreet southern body part of the female anatomy, but with big teeth. Freud would have a field day.

The FX is bad (I swear I saw a zipper), the acting isn't bad but nothing to run to the awards with either, and the dialogue is juvenile. (One minute Hope stomps away from Wyatt's truck, the next moment she swears she'll never leave him) This movie was bad, not even cheesy bad but bad. Do yourself a favor and rent before you buy.

FF........2007-05-07

sorry kids, but from the start of the movie i was annoyed. the viewer is immediately introduced to 3 guys that are so annoying, that you wish something bad happens to them. i stayed with the movie until i could get a good look at the creature. after that i found myself fast forwarding thru the last at least 30 mins. whenever i find myself using the FF feature, i know i just lost $ on rental fees.

Earth boys are Easy.......2007-03-21

It's late, way up in the wild high hills, and you're resting on a little hillock in a ring of oak. You've got the rifle broken open and slung over your forearm, the dogs drowse by your boots, the moon sails out over the crest of the trees and rides the wild night sky in its milky nimbus.

Then the night is shattered---not by sound, but by the silence itself. There is a low, throbbing hum: you can barely hear it, but the dogs whine in terror. The ground vibrates; the fog, creeping low over the tussocky earth, is beginning to glow, a wan, treacly yellow. Then everything gets quiet, and you glance at your watch: it has stopped, both hands stretched to midnight.

A twig snaps.

You're frantic, your mind races, you gasp in terror: it's an alien abduction! What will they look like, these visitors from beyond the stars? What do they want? Will it hurt?

What about the anal probe?

Alien abductions have transfixed the human imagination since Ezekiel saw the Wheel, JC got beamed up from the Tomb, and Whitley Streiber---um, shook his 'thang' all night on the dance floor with some little bee-bopping aliens and got an anal probe.

It is the rawest, the most naked, encounter with the strange, the alien, the unknown, and those terrifying skirmishes on the verge of the Dark provoke questions: What is their interest in us? Are they malevolent? Do they want to rule Earth? Do they eat people? Will they return? And the perennial, at least for the abductee: Why don't they ever call me the morning after?---it makes me feel so cheap.

I'm not worried about their intentions. See, I think I've got the aliens who visit Earth in their little glow-in-the-dark space thingies, with their hoses and their slime-tubes and their spores & little alien grey sectopod gear, all that good stuff: they're graduate students.

You heard me: Earth is getting all the alien grad students.

And they're using us to do their science projects. Senior theses. Whatever they call it on Aldebaran or Alpha Centauri, we're getting them. And maybe a few alien grad student keggers, too, which explains volumes about all the cattle mutilations ("honest to God, I just tried to *tip* the damned thing...").

Framed in that light, "Altered", helmed by "Blair Witch" vet Eduardo Sanchez, makes a lot of sense. 15 years ago, townie buddies Otis (Mike Leonard, Mike from "Blair Witch"), Cody, Wyatt, & Duke went out in the woods on a hunting trip: they disappeared. Aliens may have been involved.

And were never heard from again. Two weeks ago, their documentary footage turned up, buried beneath a house, showing a mysterious alien autopsy---and a no-holds barred ANAL PROBE!

Sorry, kidding. Couldn't resist. Anyway, aliens *were* involved, scarring them forever, etc. etc.: now, tonight, this very evening, they have caught the grey-skinned boodle-eyed alien bungus camper that did this thing to them---this horrific THING---and they mean to do a little "Sleepers" number on him.

So they bring him back to Cody's house, which looks more like a big rambling survivalist compound, and they plan to interrogate & then torture the little grey guy, and no I don't mean panties-on-the-head-butt-pictures a la Gitmo. I mean---breaking out the blowtorch & strapping tape.

Problem is, as Cody (Paul Boyinger who, like everybody else, does what he has to do) points out, the Greys---Aliens---Big Bugs---these guys mastered intergalactic travel. So---they either control the time stream (doubtful), or they have faster-than-light engines. Which means---well, they can probably figure out who put the hurt down on their buddy Mr. Monkey.

And that, of course, might have some severe *intergalactic* implications.

Faster than you can say "E.T. phone home!" the little bug-eyed bastard gets loose in the house, and things go very wrong, very fast.

"Altered" is great fun: a nasty, unevenly suspenseful, deeply atmospheric little terror from the stars romp, not remotely scary but deeply enjoyable nonetheless. It's even better if you've dunked your head in a vat of Kentucky bourbon beforehand: I'm not positive, but I think at one point the alien gets one of the gang in a Full Nelson. Bottom-line: you don't want to watch "Altered" sober. What's the point?

"Altered" gets big points for its nasty old-school organic special effects, along with wagonloads of goop. Lots of goop! Huge sackloads of goop & blood and gore, including someone getting his face ripped off & someone (I think that happened---again, bourbon, which really enhanced "Altered") finding out his guts had basically been dragooned as an intergalactic call center---you've really got to love a horror flick happy to wallow in the grue. "Altered" does, & I love the grim psychotic thing for it.

Highly recommended, particularly if you plan to kidnap (bugnap?) your former alien tormentor & torture the nasty thing.

JSG

This movie makes a 70's geology documentary look good.......2007-03-03

Geez, with all the remakes of old horror flicks these days, I'm losing faith in horror films altogether. This movie goes to prove a point that horror movie creativity is headed south. The plot sucked, the acting was predictable and the pulse was about as dull as the script itself. I'm a fan of the Blair Witch mainly because it struck a chord of truth despite it's overly abundant attempt to be true, but the brothers who made that film wasted their budget on this junk. There are no doubt kids in grade school that can conjour up better ideas, create more realistic suspense and drive you insane with terror. But these days, horror directors fall back on old ideas, stale scripts with added gore and one or two decent actors, in hopes that their ship might sail, bringing in a budget that will carry them over until a newer, fresher idea surfaces. Give me your budget, throw in the towel and let me scare the s#$t out of you, because if movies like these are all you have to offer up, then the genre of horror has a fate sealed in doom.

Average customer rating:

Smells like someone passed gas!
Oh my Gawd!
Beware the Men in Black
Is Ed Wood responsible?
Dean Stockwell lives

The Shadow Men
Starring: Eric Roberts , Sherilyn Fenn , Brendon Ryan Barrett , Dean Stockwell , and Andrew Prine
Director: Timothy Bond
Manufacturer: Xenon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001Y4M2C
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Customer Reviews:

Smells like someone passed gas!.......2007-01-15

Stink-o-rama! This is one of the worst(and unintentionally funny) movies I've seen in quite some time. Gawd! The acting (or lack thereof) was apparent from start to finish. MIB? Hahahahahaha. No way. These guys would have you rolling on the floor instead of running for your life! In short then...if you want a good laugh this movie is for you...otherwise, go to your dentist. Nuff said...

Edit: I decided to watch this movie again and it was worse that the first time (full of laughs though). Save your money!

Oh my Gawd!.......2006-06-09

I have seen a couple of movies worse than this one, but only a couple, including Robinson Crusoe On Mars.

Horrific acting, stupid plot, bratty child actor. Cheesy special effects, some of the most hilariously lame fight scenes I have ever seen in my life. It makes spaghetti westerns and amateur porn films look like high art. Dean Stockwell should be ashamed. Guess he needed money.

Rent it first, before even spending $8.99 on it. It might be worth having if you find rubber masked aliens dressed up like the Blues Brothers humorous, and want to listen to a bratty kid continually call his father an idiot, but otherwise, it's a good one to miss.

Beware the Men in Black.......2005-03-05

UFO lore holds that people who have experienced encounters are often visited by mysterious men in black who convince them not to talk about their experiences. While Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were in a movie that had a lot of fun with this idea, this movie takes the grimmer and darker path.

A family out hiking for a day has an experience with some lights on their way home. They have little or no memory of the experience except disturbing dreams. But as they try to figure out what is going on, they get a visit from the Men in Black. Soon it becomes obvious that they are being watched and are in danger. They turn to a UFO researcher for help.

Family and researcher piece together more of what happened but get targeted by the Men in Black again. In the end we learn more about the Men in Black and who they are but not before some very tense action as the story fully unfolds.

Very well-done with a pretty good cast. The researcher is simplified a little so that the story can unfold in the space of a movie but otherwise it was a tense movie with some chilling moments.

Is Ed Wood responsible?.......2004-08-28

I watched this movie today for the first time and I found it
unintentionally hilarious. I can't imagine what Stockwell and
Roberts were thinking when they jumped into this project. The film has the misfortune of being released in the same era as the intentionally hilarious "Men in Black," which steals (and mocks) the thunder from the serious premise of the movie.
One scene in particular had me howling. Six or seven hybrid human/alien MiBs charge a house, and it looks like "Revenge of the Blues Brothers," or something.
I gotta say, I found it riveting for all the wrong reasons.
The acting was horrible, as the actors must have known what
a dog they were in as filming progressed.
Speaking of dogs, Anthrax the Border Collie did a great job.

Dean Stockwell lives.......2004-02-12

Throw away your notion of Men in Black; find the truth about them.

Stan Mills (Dean Stockwell) has a close encounter that compels him to champion those other encounteries that have nowhere to turn to. Years later Bob Wilson (Eric Roberts) decides to take his family out hiking in a deserted area that he knew as a kid. It is not as if a weird gas station pump jockey did not warn him. Yep you guessed it. And the mysteries men come back to clean up any evidence later to clean up WHITNESSES.

Will the family turn to Stan Mills for protection?
If so can he really help?
What is the secret of the men in black?

Average customer rating:

shawna french kidsmartz
KIDSMARTZ IS SMART
KidSmartz Keeps Kids and Parents Smart

KidSmartz: Abduction Prevention
Starring: Bryan Cranston
Manufacturer: Showtime Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009L4ZB
Release Date: 2003-05-08

Description

How do you talk to children about safety issues like preventing child abduction without scaring them? Kidsmartz shows you how! Kidsmartz empowers parents with the essential information needed to help keep children safe from abductions and other hazards. Through reenactments of common situations and ploys, parents and children alike will be trained to recognize potentially dangerous situations before they happen. It's what every parent should know and what every child should learn.

Customer Reviews:

shawna french kidsmartz.......2007-03-11

this i found is geared more towards the teenage population however it was done well and gives valuable tips especially towards internet abduction.

KIDSMARTZ IS SMART.......2003-09-12

KIDSMARTZ ---
Excellent!
Top notch!
Class act!
One of the "smartest" educational videos going. The writing and direction is superb -- most of the actors have a sense of realty -- almost a documentary flavor -- the information is clear and powerful. I highly recommend that every parent, and every person see this video... it will shed a multitude of light.

KidSmartz Keeps Kids and Parents Smart.......2003-09-02

If you have kids, no matter what their age, this DVD is a must. Sometimes it's difficult to know exactly how to approach kids about the everyday dangers that abound. Abduction can take many forms and as parents we may not always know the best way to impart important safety issues to our children. You can use the DVD as important information for you to learn how to educate your children or you can show the DVD to your kids, choosing the entire DVD or simply the segment that you feel would be most beneficial.
I have two kids and found the information invaluable. It's presented in a way that uses no violence and imparts vital informtion by showing actual enactments.
I feel better knowing I have given my kids additional tools to keep them safe.

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