Gangster Story

Starring:John Albright, Raikin Ben-Ari, Carol Grace, Clegg Hoyt, David Leonard, Bruce McFarlan, Garry Walberg
Studio: Vidtape
Product Type: DVD

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West Side Story
West Side Story (Full Screen Edition
West Side Not Snorie
Gonna Rock It Tonight!
The Movie's OK...

West Side Story (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Natalie Wood , Richard Beymer , Russ Tamblyn , Rita Moreno , and George Chakiris
Director: Jerome Robbins , and Robert Wise
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B0000AM6IY
Release Date: 2003-10-07

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The winner of 10 Academy Awards, this 1961 musical by choreographer Jerome Robbins and director Robert Wise (The Sound of Music) remains irresistible. Based on a smash Broadway play updating Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the 1950s era of juvenile delinquency, the film stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers from different neighborhoods--and ethnicities. The film's real selling points, however, are the highly charged and inventive song-and-dance numbers, the passionate ballads, the moody sets, colorful support from Rita Moreno, and the sheer accomplishment of Hollywood talent and technology producing a film so stirring. Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim wrote the score. --Tom Keogh

Description

This brilliant (The New Republic) film sets the ageless story of Romeo and Juliet against a backdrop of gang warfare in 1950s New York. Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins and scripted by Ernest Lehman, the film combines Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's unforgettable score ( Maria, America, 'somewhere, 'tonight ) with Robbins own exuberant choreography to achieve an exhilarating work of art (Saturday Review). A love affair is fated for tragedy amidst the vicious rivalry of two street gangsthe Jets and the Sharks. When Jets member Tony (RichardBeymer) falls for Maria (Natalie Wood), the sister of the Sharks leader, it's more than these two warring gangs can handle. And as mounting tensions rise, a battle to the death ensues, and innocent blood is shed in a heartbreaking finale.

Customer Reviews:

West Side Story.......2007-07-02

Adapted by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins from the long-running Broadway play, this triumphant production combines a brilliant score and jaw-dropping choreography with a heart-rending tale of doomed love. The leads work well together, with Wood particularly effective, but supporting players Russ Tamblyn (as Jet leader Riff), Chakiris and Rita Moreno (as Bernardo's sassy girlfriend Anita) virtually eclipse the stars with their intense moves and portrayals. This vibrant film is also elevated by an unsurpassed, evergreen Bernstein/Sondheim score. Winner of a staggering ten Oscars, including Best Picture.

West Side Story (Full Screen Edition.......2007-06-27

I don't have much to say about this DVD as I only purchsed it for my husband, he is very pleased with the order, he only bought this DVD as he likes Westside story and has seen it numerous times and loves it, he thinks it is the best musical that ever was made

West Side Not Snorie.......2007-06-27

West Side Story is a clasic. The theam is almost timeless, and the songs are first rate. Anyone who enjoys good music, and/or acting should make an effort to view this film.

Gonna Rock It Tonight!.......2007-05-30

My goodness, after wearing out my old VHS copy, it was amazing to see this in such clarity. The one-hour documentary and production home movies and stills were fascinating!!!

The Movie's OK..........2007-05-11

"West Side Story" is an interesting film to analyze. It won Best Picture in 1961; it's #41 on The American Film Institute's Top 100; But look at the top 250 films according to the Internet Movie Database. It's nowhere to be found..."West Side Story" is not, in my opinion, a masterpiece. It's a good film, but it's overly long and none of the singers are particularly good (except Marni Nixon, who dubbed Natalie Wood's vocals), and it's also very cheesy. A modern update of Romeo & Juliet, a movie about rival gangs that sing and dance. It's almost campy.

The movie takes place in New York, where the rival gangs The Jets (whites) and The Sharks (Puerto Ricans) frequently fight for the right to certain turf. After a school dance, a Jet named Tony (Richard Beymer) falls for Maria (Wood), the Puerto Rican sister of Bernardo (George Chakiris) the leader of The Sharks. The film features such memorable tunes as "I Feel Pretty" and "Gee, Officer Krupke."

It's definitely well made, as the acting is fine, and the choreography is superb...But at 2 hours and 30 minutes, I was thinking (once it hit the 90-minute mark) "END ALREADY!" I guess I should clarify however that I'm not a very big fan of musicals and I guess if you are, you'll probably like "West Side Story" a lot more than I did. But I think this is one of the 10 or so films that appear on the A.F.I. list that I can honestly say don't deserve to be there.
GRADE: B-

West Side Story (Special Edition DVD Collector's Set)

Average customer rating:

West Side Story
West Side Story (Full Screen Edition
West Side Not Snorie
Gonna Rock It Tonight!
The Movie's OK...

West Side Story (Special Edition DVD Collector's Set)
Starring: Natalie Wood , Richard Beymer , Russ Tamblyn , Rita Moreno , and George Chakiris
Director: Jerome Robbins , and Robert Wise
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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Singin' in the Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B00008972S
Release Date: 2003-04-01

Amazon.com essential video

Description

Customer Reviews:

West Side Story.......2007-07-02

West Side Story (Full Screen Edition.......2007-06-27

West Side Not Snorie.......2007-06-27

West Side Story is a clasic. The theam is almost timeless, and the songs are first rate. Anyone who enjoys good music, and/or acting should make an effort to view this film.

Gonna Rock It Tonight!.......2007-05-30

My goodness, after wearing out my old VHS copy, it was amazing to see this in such clarity. The one-hour documentary and production home movies and stills were fascinating!!!

The Movie's OK..........2007-05-11

Jackie Chan's Police Story (Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Classic Jackie Chan
Jackie Getting Started
Absolutely Chan-tastic!
great action and humor you'd expect from classic Chan
Great film, but I wish they had kept the origonal English dub

Jackie Chan's Police Story (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Maggie Cheung , Brigitte Lin , Jackie Chan , Bill Tung , and Cho Yuen
Director: Jackie Chan
Manufacturer: Dragon Dynasty
ProductGroup: DVD
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Police Story 2 (Special Collector's Edition)
Kill Zone
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ASIN: B000HC2M3Y
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Amazon.com essential video

This classic Jackie Chan picture opens with one of the wildest police action set pieces ever filmed, an extended chase that includes the total destruction of a hillside shanty settlement, as fleeing crooks and pursing cops crash down through it with their vehicles. Overall, however, the picture is an awkward mixture of clashing elements. At first it is a little strange seeing Chan playing it (mostly) straight in a hard-edged police thriller. The fights are all extremely ferocious and real-looking, without the lighthearted slapstick stylization that leavens his best period vehicles, like Project A, Part II. The comedy elements (especially a recurrent cake-in-the-face gag) seem to come out of nowhere; they are no longer integral to the spirit of the movie. But there are wonderful set pieces, stunts, and action scenes, including Jackie struggling to answer a dozen jangling phones at once, when he's left alone at the police station, and the all-out, glass-smashing fervor of a climactic battle royal in a shopping mall. --David Chute

Amazon.com

Jackie Chan has become a genre unto himself, and watching Police Story, you'll understand why. The plot is minimal: Chan is a hero cop involved in a raid that goes wrong. He's assigned to guard a witness, the kingpin's attractive female secretary (Brigitte Lin). For the rest of the film, Chan's protecting himself from the secretary, from the gangsters out to silence her, and from his own jealous girlfriend (Maggie Cheung). But watching Chan for plot is like watching porno for existential themes. While most modern action films steal cues from Westerns, Chan condenses those open mesas into the dense throngs of modern Hong Kong--and tosses in Buster Keaton slapstick. For example, when the opening raid goes haywire, there's an unbelievable car chase through the steep huddle of a hillside shantytown. That's through. No roads, just shacks. Flimsy shacks. As the film progresses, Chan scales a speeding bus using an umbrella, uses cow dung as an excuse to break into some Shaolin moonwalking, and transforms an urban shopping mall into a demented gymnasium (think clothes racks, escalators, and lots of plate glass displays). Chan is amazingly versatile both physically and emotionally--and he's a secure enough star-director to let his costars shine, too. --Grant Balfour

Amazon.com essential video
This classic Jackie Chan picture opens with one of the wildest police action set pieces ever filmed, an extended chase that includes the total destruction of a hillside shanty settlement, as fleeing crooks and pursing cops crash down through it with their vehicles. Overall, however, the picture is an awkward mixture of clashing elements. At first it is a little strange seeing Chan playing it (mostly) straight in a hard-edged police thriller. The fights are all extremely ferocious and real-looking, without the lighthearted slapstick stylization that leavens his best period vehicles, like Project A, Part II. The comedy elements (especially a recurrent cake-in-the-face gag) seem to come out of nowhere; they are no longer integral to the spirit of the movie. But there are wonderful set pieces, stunts, and action scenes, including Jackie struggling to answer a dozen jangling phones at once, when he's left alone at the police station, and the all-out, glass-smashing fervor of a climactic battle royal in a shopping mall. --David Chute

Description

Police Story breaks new ground with its breathtaking fights and incredible stunt sequences. Featuring a top-notch cast, which includes multi-award winning actresses Brigitte Lin & Maggie Cheung, director Chan combines a compelling storyline of an honest cop on the run from a false murder charge with dynamic visuals and full-blooded fight action which is electrified with emotional underscoring. In the case of this particular project the price of excellence was high, with many of Jackie's elite stunt team being seriously injured during the course of principal photography.

Customer Reviews:

Classic Jackie Chan.......2007-04-06

French film-maker Jean-Luc Godard once said that the best criticism of one film is to make another. Jackie Chan was so dissatisfied with his experience on the cop drama The Protector, his second staring lead in an American film that he decided to make his own Police Story under his underused vanity label Golden Ways Films Ltd. In Hong Kong, he would have much more control over script, stunt coordination and direction (he made sure he would direct this film) that if he was going to flounder it would be on his terms. The result of his efforts is one of my favorite action films as well as Jackie's personal favorite amongst his modern fare.

Jackie Chan plays Chan Ka Kui a model Hong Kong cop who gets involved in a police procedural code named Operation Boar Hunt to take down a triad led by Chu Tu (prolific director/actor Chor Yuen). This operation begins in a shanty town specifically built for the film. The detail is extraordinary in the design and like everything created for an action film it is short-lived. In one of the most awesome car chases I have ever witnessed on screen (up there with Bullitt and The Blue's Brother's mall scene) Chu Tu after being cornered by the police decide to drive through the hovels instead of being captured and Chan decides to chase after. The juxtaposition of having the camera in the vehicle and long shots in which stuntmen are scurrying to avoid being hit (several stuntmen were injured in this scene) are sagacious in displaying the maelstrom of destruction. That and it's pretty damn cool.

Most films would have given a respite after that tumultuous scene of car and house derby but as soon as Chan finishes the car chase he goes into foot mode while running after a double-decker bus that Chu Tu and a few of his cronies hijacked. In several of these scenes as he catches up to the bus he is literally hanging by an umbrella as he holds unto the outside of the bus trying to climb his way in while fighting people who do not want him aboard as well as dodging traffic as the bus speeds along. Two of the stuntmen got hurt at the end of this scene where Ka Kui forces the bus to stop and as they flew out of the top windows they were supposed to land on top of the car that was stopped in the middle of the road but the backward momentum of the brakes as the bus rocked backward after stopping made them undershoot the stunt and land on the road.

Police Story has a stronger storyline than most Chan movies to connect the action scenes. After the arrest of Chu Tu, Inspector Li sets up his secretary Selina Fong (Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia) by letting her go free of all charges to try to pit her against her boss. Ka Kui is assigned to protect her (several scenes of this scenario were cut out of the film). This, of course, will interfere and cause problems with his girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk whose relationship with Jackie is underplayed though that would change in the sequel). Chan tries to trick Selina into trusting him by pretending to save the day when Mars attacks Selina in her apartment. What ultimately happens because of this is predictable as well as the cop working for the triad but these are mere trifles.

The comedy is underrated in this film. There is a great sequence in which Jackie is assigned to the Sha Tau Kok Police Station, a rural area in the north eastern corner of Hong Kong, after he completely messes up the prosecution of Chu Tu. He deftly tries to answer several phones and juggle several conversations at the same time while not being really successful in solving any of them. Like Project A, his influence by silent film comedians is shown in how he performs this skit with physical perfection. This scene is so sublime I cannot fathom why this was missing in older American prints. I also enjoyed a nice little scene where Jackie does this beautiful car-slide stunt by doing the ultimate parallel parking literary by sliding the car parallel into a spot barely bigger than the car.

Another highlight of this film is the final sequence named "glass story" by the stuntmen. It takes place in a mall where Jackie has cornered Chu Tu and his cronies. It is 10 minutes of excellent martial arts, stunts and action. Some of the highlights is some great fights by Jackie with clothes racks, Brigitte Lin doing her own fighting, Chan doing a great jump into moving stairs, lots and lots of broken glass and the famous multi-story slide down a pole. Jackie severely burnt his hands on his slide down, partially attributed to the wrong voltage being set on the lights attached to it and it is also mentioned on several web sites and his own autobiography that he injured his spine and hip on that drop. This is a bit doubtful because on a camera with an alternate angle from the floor (shown in certain deleted footage) shows him bouncing up after the fall and slugging a stuntman (and according to Fung Hak-On hurting him). If you have ever had a back injury (I have several times) you usually do not do get up after it happens or beat up your stuntmen.

This movie not only influenced the Hong Kong action picture, it would also influence American action pictures. Sylvester Stallone would use the bus scene in Tango and Cash, several early scenes were copied in Rapid Fire, Brett Ratner took so much from this film in making Rush Hour (self-admitted in commentary in Rush Hour as well as Dragon Dynasty's Police Story DVD) and countless other action choreographers and directors would be directly or indirectly affected by this work. This movie was created because of the visionary ideas of Jackie Chan and also because of the backbreaking effort of Sing Ga Ban - Jackie Chan's Stuntman Association and their every increasing effort to out due rival stuntman association led by Sammo Hung. Their backbreaking effort helped make this a hit (26 million HK dollars and win the Best Film for the Hong Kong Film Awards) and became the favorite of action auteur directors everywhere.

DVD Notes: I was happy to get a R1 version of this film when Dragon Dynasty put out the DVD. The quality of the picture could be better (Police Story 2 has a much better print) but overall I am satisfied with it. The commentary with Hong Kong action movie expert Bey Logan and director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) was decent with Logan pointing out small tidbits of information like how Sammo Hung asked Bill Tung for horse advice during shooting, pointing out the cameo by Clarence Ford (Naked Killer) as the photographer and also pointing out who every person acting was (sometimes this got annoying). I did wish he would have put more info about one of my favorite actors Fung Hak-On who helped with the stunt choreography and played Danny Chu. Ratner would talk about how this movie influenced him and occasionally get his facts wrong (confuse Brigitte Lin with Maggie Cheung) and was completely ignorant about many Jackie Chan films (Winners and Sinners and every other early Jackie Chan film except Drunken Master) but was still decent to listen to.

Jackie Getting Started.......2007-02-17

Mostly a dated Chinese action movie. Some fun to be had - but mostly a lot of really stupid people running around firing pistols badly. To be fair, you can see how Jackie Chan was perfecting the special style that he brings to the big screen so effectively in his recent movies. See this flick once and move on.

Absolutely Chan-tastic!.......2007-02-08

Jackie Chan demonstates in this film that not only is he a great martial artist and dare-devil, but also a great director and a good actor. He wanted to prove that Hong Kong could produce movies as good or better than Hollywood for less money. I think in some ways he succeeded in that goal.

In an interview on this dvd, Jackie says that the financial constraints made shooting stunts more dangerous, because they couldn't rehearse them as much.

Another interesting fact from the interview is that Jackie's house in this movie was his house in real life.

This dvd is great as many others have attested. Regarding the dubbing, I doubt it would have been possible to retain the old English dub as this version is longer than the old vhs version. However, it would've been better if they had gotten an actor who sounded more like Jackie.

Depite a few slapstick scenes, this movie has a very real feel. The bad guys are not catoonish, and the action is not on a stage or in front of a blue screen. When you see somebody falling off a roof, it is a real person risking his or her life to make a stunning scene.

I personally agree with others that this may be Jackie's best movie. However, I must admit that my wife hated it. She thought the slapstick scenes were just dumb, and she is less impressed with stunts. So, you can't please everybody.

great action and humor you'd expect from classic Chan.......2006-12-31

Finally its on dvd, and long overdue - one of the best Jackie Chan movies ever made. Police Story is classic Chan at its best, including terrific action and great Chan humor. Jackie Chan plays "Kevin Chan", and is a one man army in this action blast.

After capturing a criminal drug lord in an explosive action-packed beginning sequence, the movie only begins to take off, as Chan constantly fights off goon after goon wherever he goes to protect a witness to the criminal. The drug lord only frames Chan for killing another cop, result, Chan becomes one angry and determined man to take matters on his own hands to capture the guy once and for all, who had escaped his first capture swiftly thanks to his ridiculous lawyer at the hearing.

The action is constant from beginning to end, and where there isn't Chan fighting and action, there is the comedy and humor, resulting in great pacing overall. The real treat of Poilce Story is the final fight in the shopping mall, where fist fly, glass breaks everywhere, motorcycles run, and Chan performs an outrageous stunt that is shown 3 times from different angles during the movie - sliding down a multi-story string of lights and crashing into a glass house. Simply amazing and one of his best known stunts ever.

Poilce Story is a must for the heart of any Jackie Chan collection, and now that its on dvd you can experience this much deserved movie in better than VHS quality. Thank God Poilce Story 2 is to be released soon too, another excellent Chan flick!

Great film, but I wish they had kept the origonal English dub.......2006-12-30

There's no need to mention what a great a film this is, as most other reviews already attest to it. Instead, I'll critique its presentation in this release.

The film is provided in its original length, making for about ten minutes of extra footage that hasn't been seen on this side of the Pacific. The added scenes give the movie a slightly grittier feel than the US cut, but Chan's comedy still shines. Also included are alternate beginnings, endings, and deleted scenes. Overall, the print is clean and looks great.

Unfortunately, commentary tracks feature the ramblings of inept American director Brett Ratner. Ratner directed Chan in the "Rush Hour" series, and because of this feels qualified to pontificate on a genre about which he knows nearly nothing. In addition to Ratner's inane blathering, there is also an interview with Chan, which is well worth watching.

Audio tracks include two subtitled Cantonese versions - one new, the other original - and a new English dub. Personally, I preferred the old dub and wish they had included it. The original dub used a voice actor that sounded like the real Jackie Chan, and that same voice was later employed for many of Chan's other US releases ("Project A", "Wheels on Meals", etc.). That voice has since developed a following, and to hear a new, non-descript American accent come out of Police Inspector Chan's mouth makes for real disappointment. The same goes for the supporting cast, including "Uncle Bill", who's US voice talent was similarly popular but discarded for this release.

Overall, this is a fine film that deserved this new, remastered DVD outing, but the original English dub should have been retained.

Average customer rating:

Poor Jesse
Not very compelling
Great Psychological Western (and yes it is in widescreen)
Why not the correct aspect ratio?
The James boys ride again

The True Story of Jesse James
Starring: Robert Wagner , Jeffrey Hunter , Hope Lange , Agnes Moorehead , and Alan Hale Jr.
Director: Nicholas Ray
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000G6BLEW
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Amazon.com

The best thing about this take on the celebrated Missouri outlaw is Nicholas Ray's dynamic use of CinemaScope, a format that left most mid-'50s directors flatfooted. Ray composes his action in slashing diagonals, over multi-leveled ground, with sectors of the wide screen defined by frames-within-the-frame and different qualities of light and color. Which is to say, he continues the radical experimentation of his 1955 James Dean classic Rebel Without a Cause while attempting to develop a fresh, contemporary perspective on another violent young protagonist who's an outsider in his own society.

Nunnally Johnson's script for 20th Century-Fox's 1939 Jesse James is credited as source material, but Ray opted for a tortuous, balladlike flashback structure--beginning with the James-Younger gang's ruinous raid on Northfield, Minnesota, 400 miles from their Missouri stomping ground--that aims to deconstruct the outlaw's populist legend. "Jesse James" is an elusive subject; the Minnesota posse never sets eyes on him in the jagged first reel of the movie. How much of an Old West "Robin Hood" was he? And how murderously vengeful was his criminal career as he struck back against the railroads and their cold-blooded police force, the Pinkerton (here, "Remington") agency, and Union-sympathizer neighbors who hated this former member of the wartime guerrilla band, Quantrill's Raiders?

However radical the director's intentions, his movie runs afoul of studio recutting and an underwhelming cast of Fox contract players. Jeffrey Hunter (recently loaned out to play Ethan Edwards' companion in The Searchers) comes off best as Jesse's thoughtful brother Frank (a pattern that holds true for Henry Fonda in Jesse James and Stacy Keach in The Long Riders). But Ray was stymied by Robert Wagner as Jesse--in the phrase of Ray biographer Bernard Eisenschitz, a player "expressive of nothing but Californian physical culture." (James Dean being dead, Ray's first choice for Jesse was ... Elvis Presley!) --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Legendary fifties director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without A Cause) retells the Jesse James saga, starring Robert Wagner as the legendary bank robber. As Jesse James attempts to evade the law, those who know him best -- his brother Frank (Jeffrey Hunter), wife (Hope Lange) and mother (Agnes Moorehead) -- ponder the question, "What turned this simple farmboy to a life of lawlessness?" And as Jesse continues his ride into notoriety, the key events in his life are scrutinized in a desperate attempt to close in on him for good.

Customer Reviews:

Poor Jesse.......2007-03-23

Fox's "The True Story Of Jesse James" (1957) is a remarkably poor Widescreen remake of their prestigious 1939 Tyrone Power/Henry Fonda classic "Jesse James". I'm not sure where the fault lies but the casting in this version of the two central characters, the uneven direction by Nicholas Ray and the hamfisted screenplay must surely have something to do with it.

In the late thirties and forties Tyrone Power was Fox's top leading man but in the fifties his star began to wane and studio head Darryl Zanuck started to groom newcomer Robert Wagner to take his place. This was a major error on Zanuck's part as Wagner proved to be a
less than suitable replacemant. With the possible exceptions of "Broken Lance"(1954) and "Between Heaven & Hell" ('56) it is hard to think of Wagner distinguishing himself in anything!

Also, Jeffrey Hunter was nothing more than a Fox contract player before being assigned to play Frank James to Wagner's Jesse in "The True Story Of Jesse James". Borrowed from the studio the year before, this actor's one distinguishing mark was his excellent and revealing performance in John Ford's classic "The Searchers". But Hunter's and Wagner's playing here as the James brothers is nothing short of boring. They bring no personality or colour to their respective roles. They totally miss the mark, lacking the charisma and appeal so vividly displayed by Power and Fonda in the original. The movie is also marred by too many flashbacks. And with the all over the place screenplay Wagner - as the Robin Hood of the American West - comes across as a charmless introverted twit that you can feel no empathy
for whatsoever. The supporting cast are hardly worth talking about but it is a shame to see such a great actress as Agnes Moorhead barely getting a look in as mother James!

Best about this uninvolving so so western is the wonderful Cinemascope/
Colour cinematography by the great Joe McDonald and the excellent music by
the underrated and little known composer Leigh Harline.

Not very compelling.......2007-03-20

Although this version of the Jesse James story is more factual than most, it's at the expense of entertainment. Robert Wagner simply does not have the charisma that the character needs for us to believe that so many men, older than he was, were willing to follow him. Nor are any of the characters particularly well drawn, which doesn't give the actors much to do. The story is told in flashback form, starting with Northfield, but this does not seem to be to the film's advantage. The first 10 or more minutes are spent with the Northfield posse trying to track and find the gang, and because there are no characters to be invested in, it's rather dull. Later, when the flashbacks catch up to the present, we see some of the same material again. Interestingly, the screenplay credit says it's based on Nunnally Johnson's screenplay for the 1939 version with Tyrone Power. That version took a lot of liberties with the history, but is far more entertaining.

Technically, the DVD looks fine. It's a clean print, nice transfer with decent color. A trailer and a newsreel clip comprise the extras.

Great Psychological Western (and yes it is in widescreen).......2006-08-30

Well I finally got to see this on DVD the other day, after waiting years to see it. The True Story of Jesse James is a great psychological western. You could tell that the budget wasn't very high, but this was compensated for by some wonderful character moments.

Unlike what had been listed on this site for months before its release, this DVD is in widescreen. I'm glad that the earlier info on here was a misprint (listing it as full screen), because there is some really great widescreen composition in this film. Check this DVD out if you're a fan of psychological westerns or the work of director Nicholas Ray. Kudos to Fox for releasing this film, and I hope that eventually they release Nicholas Ray's best directed Fox film, Bigger Than Life.

Why not the correct aspect ratio?.......2006-08-20

According to IMDB Technical Specifications, this film was shot at aspect ratio 2.35:1 which is widescreen - if IMDB is correct, why is 20th Century Fox Pan&Scanning it into FULL SCREEN academy aspect ratio 1.33:1?
Maybe the FULL SCREEN description is incorrect but I think I'll wait to see what other reviewers say before I purchase.
I, too, am a Nicholas Ray fan.

The James boys ride again.......2006-08-04

Essentially a remake of the film "Jesse James", this version has a fine cast. Robert Wagner and Jeffrey Hunter portray Jesse and Frank. In comparision, it is hard to fill the shoes of Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda, but the leads do well. Supporting cast Includes Hope Lang , Agnes Moorehead and Alan Hale. Look for John Carradine who was in the original. A good turn by Nicholas Ray make this a good bet to see.

Biggie & Tupac: The Story Behind the Murder of Rap's Biggest Superstar

Average customer rating:

I liked this
Did Suge Do It?
Ignore martee and his vice.god accounts
The real scoop
A Fascinating Murder Mystery.

Biggie & Tupac: The Story Behind the Murder of Rap's Biggest Superstar
Starring: Frank Alexander (IV) , The Notorious B.I.G. , Marshall Bigtower , Lil' Cease , and Joe Clair
Manufacturer: Razor & Tie Theatric
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ASIN: B000087F6O
Release Date: 2003-02-18

Amazon.com

It would be an exaggeration to say that Nick Broomfield solved the murders of Biggie and Tupac. Nonetheless, he makes a convincing case as to who the perpetrators were and why they weren't brought to justice. Broomfield (Kurt and Courtney), who narrates and appears on camera, comes across like a scruffy Robin Leach, but he's done his homework and sniffs out the clues with the tenacity of a bloodhound. Time and again, he refuses to be intimidated--even when his life appears to be at stake. Fortunately, he was able to convince Voletta Wallace, beloved mother of Biggie Smalls (a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G.), to cooperate, and that opened many doors. Unfortunately, Afeni Shakur, Tupac's mother, refused to participate or to allow access to his music. She had nothing to fear. Broomfield is fair to both rappers, although the soundtrack is all-Biggie. Easily one of the most fascinating documentaries of 2002. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

I liked this.......2006-04-12

It has an honest in your face tone to it and the style of the interviews lends a high degree of credibility.

The obvious reluctance of the people being interviewed makes it known that these murders were seriously planned by persons who can make ones life very uncomfortable..even cease.

This is a highly believable documentary.

That Suge has something to do with Tupac's 'disappearance' is wthout a doubt ...but I doubt the truth will ever be known.

Did Suge Do It?.......2005-11-01

I've always been interested in the theories of Tupac's death, so decided to buy this documentary. This obviously deals entirely with the theory that Suge Knight arranged the hit, and then also Biggie's death, to make it look like retaliation. The problem with this theory is that i wasn't buying it before and after watching this im still not. It goes something like this, Suge suspected that Pac was possibly trying to get out of Death Row, he realised that if he killed him, he would have access to all his music, which amounted to hundreds of tracks. Also he would probably make more money from him if dead, as he would have become sort of a martyr. Up to this point it is believable, what isn't are the circumstances of his death. If Suge wanted Pac dead, why would he have a car pull up alongside and fire across the car right where he was also sitting (he also received a minor flesh wound), there would have been better ways to arrange this. Nick Broomfield fails to answer this, and i still can't really beleive Suge Knight planned it. It is much more likely that Orlando Anderson (the guy beaten up at the MGM beforehand) was behind the killing, or even that Biggie himself arranged the hit with the Crips that carried it out (though im not really buying that one either). Overall this documentary was interesting and worth watching, but it failed to provide anything more than speculation, and no answers.

Ignore martee and his vice.god accounts.......2005-08-18

Hes upset of successful people because they can use their subconscious for success but unlike martee/druggie tell amazon.com to delete him.Buy this dvd if you like 2 pac, i don`t like this dvd much but i respect the fact he used his spiritual subconscious for real success.

The real scoop .......2004-12-29

I think two or three men (mainly one) Go out out to find out about as much information they can get about 2pac and Notorious B.I.G. They go to some of their old friends, relatives people like that. They even went to Suge Knight that was in prison when they interviewed him. And Biggie's mother and even more 2pac's father in the flesh. All were on this movie. Telling their sides of how they felt and what happened with them since the death of 2pac and Biggie.

A Fascinating Murder Mystery........2004-07-05

Perhaps no murders in the music culture from the last decade have caused so much fascination and debate as those of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. The killings of these two rap stars remain important footnotes in the debate about the influence of rap music and the relevance of rap in today's popular culture. Nick Broomfield's latest film, "Biggie And Tupac," is both an exploration of the gangsta rap underworld and a fascinating search for answers and testimony involving the murders. As was the case with Broomfield's previous icon murder mystery, "Kurt & Courtney" which tried to find a link between Courtney Love and the suicide between her rock star husband, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, "Biggie And Tupac" doesn't solve the case or even come to a solid conclusion. Instead it presents us with a gallery of both corrupt and truth searching characters and lots of questions, many valid. Fans of Broomfield know he will stop at nothing to at least get a few comments, the man will try everything from sneaking mikes to chasing down reluctant sources to get some form of information. The stakes here are higher because the people Broomfield is investigating are not angry Punk rockers or disgruntled former friends but people linked to dangerous California gang circles, corrupt policemen and a record label boss who fashions himself as a modern day Al Capone. What we get out of the film is that Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls started off as good friends and as soon as they found real success with their craft other forces such as Suge Knight began to influence events with a negative air due to money and rivalries with figures such as Sean "Puffy" Combs. The main theory here is that Knight had connections with corrupt L.A. P.D. officers who worked for Death Row records on the side and planned BOTH executions and then blame them on the East Coast vs. West Coast "rap wars." It may sound like a wild idea, but look at the evidence and people Broomfield uncovers and it becomes more valid. And here Broomfield has more material to use. "Kurt & Courtney" was plagued by Courtney Love's restriction of Broomfield using footage and music, and eventhough Shakur's mother doesn't let him use songs, Broomfield uses interviews, early performance footage and photographs to describe the rise of Biggie and Tupac and point out those who were present and witnessed important events. It's a suspenseful ride at times, playing like a real life murder mystery. We learn a great deal about the gang world of California where being a "snitch" is a death sentence and Broomfield gives a tour of the excessive, edgy world of rap music. Bodygaurds and ex-cops are interviewed, all telling what they saw and we realize that indeed these are two murders surrounded by such strange stories, eyewitness accounts and corruption that there is no way these were random killings. And Broomfield does it with gusto and style, never relenting and even going for the big fish when he gets access into a prison facility to face Suge Knight in person. "Biggie & Tupac" is the kind of documentary those who don't even care for rap can enjoy because it is more about the mysteries surrounding the two stars' murders, it plays like a dark detective story that still hasn't found an answer. Broomfield scores again.

Average customer rating:

West Side Story
West Side Story (Full Screen Edition
West Side Not Snorie
Gonna Rock It Tonight!
The Movie's OK...

West Side Story
Starring: Natalie Wood , Richard Beymer , Russ Tamblyn , Rita Moreno , and George Chakiris
Director: Jerome Robbins , and Robert Wise
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

7-9 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

10-12 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Adapted from Books | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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My Fair Lady
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Oklahoma! (50th Anniversary Edition)
The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition)
Singin' in the Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: 6305132984
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

West Side Story.......2007-07-02

West Side Story (Full Screen Edition.......2007-06-27

West Side Not Snorie.......2007-06-27

West Side Story is a clasic. The theam is almost timeless, and the songs are first rate. Anyone who enjoys good music, and/or acting should make an effort to view this film.

Gonna Rock It Tonight!.......2007-05-30

My goodness, after wearing out my old VHS copy, it was amazing to see this in such clarity. The one-hour documentary and production home movies and stills were fascinating!!!

The Movie's OK..........2007-05-11

Average customer rating:

Gangster Story
Starring: Raiken Ben Ari , Carol Grace , Walter Matthau , Bruce McFarlan , and Garrett Wallberg
Director: Walter Matthau
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Incident In A Small Town
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Robert Mitchum - The Signature Collection (Angel Face / Macao / The Sundowners / Home from the Hill / The Good Guys and the Bad Guys / The Yakuza)

ASIN: B000EOTV02
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Average customer rating:

Excellent Crima Drama!!

Honor Thy Father: A Mafia Story
Starring: Joseph Bologna , Brenda Vaccaro , Raf Vallone , Richard S. Castellano , and Joe De Santis
Director: Paul Wendkos
Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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Boss of Bosses
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ASIN: B00004VVOC
Release Date: 2000-10-03

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Crima Drama!!.......2002-04-17

This 1973 Movie starring Joeseph Bologna,Brenda Vaccaro tells about the rise and fall of the Bonnano Family.It's an excellent crime drama!!

Gangster With a Heart of Gold - The Noonie G. Story

Average customer rating:

Gangster With a Heart of Gold - The Noonie G. Story
Starring: Gangster With a Heart of Gold: Noonie G. Story
Manufacturer: Tapeman
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Description

Narrated by Kanye West and Common, this DVD captures Chicago's Harold 'Noonie' Ward's dicey gangster past and fascinating ascent into Chitown's entertainment, business, and politics. Noonie is a former high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples, reported to be the largest criminal organization in the U.S. This title carries a parental advisory.

Average customer rating:

jackie chan police story

Jackie Chan's Police Story
Starring: Maggie Cheung , Brigitte Lin , Jackie Chan , Bill Tung , and Cho Yuen
Director: Jackie Chan
Manufacturer: K.C. Sales
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Police Story 2 (1988)
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ASIN: B00094AS8Q
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Customer Reviews:

jackie chan police story.......2005-08-03

Awesome movie crappy DVD. Looks worse than the vhs tape I have. You can't turn the subtitles off so you have english and korean or whatever it is on the screen at the same time. Also the dvd pixalates (breaks-up) quite often, not even worth a $ 1 do not buy or you will be very dissapointed. Hopefully someone will realize that this movie was released with an english soundtrack and re-release it properly along with The Big Brawl. DO NOT BUY!!!!!

Well they re-released this awesome movie and it looks great BUT they changed the dubbed voices so now everyone sounds different including Jackie they also changed some of the dialogue not quite what I wanted but hey I guess it's out right.

DVD:

DVD

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Amazing Nurse Nanako - The Last Spiral (Vol. 3)

Impostor

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