Mystery Collection

Starring:Mystery Collection
Studio: Alpha Video
Product Type: DVD

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection Vol. 11

Average customer rating:

The best TV comedy of the 90s
Too much Joel.
if you are smart you will preorder this
Best to Pre-Order while you can...
Another great set..

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection Vol. 11
Director: Vince Rodriguez
Manufacturer: Rhino Theatrical
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Film Crew: Hollywood After Dark
The Film Crew: Killers From Space
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Vol. 10
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 9
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 8

ASIN: B000PC1PBG
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Amazon.com

Book your return flight to the Satellite of Love and join Joel, Mike and the 'bots for another fearful foursome of flops in this collection of episodes from the Peabody Award-winning series Mystery Science Theater 3000. First up on Volume 11's menu of muck is Season Two's Ring of Terror, with Joel, Crow and Tom Servo riffing furiously on a half-baked story of fraternity pranks gone wrong; it's partnered with another interminable episode of the Bela Lugosi serial The Phantom Creeps. Next is Season Four's The Indestructible Man, in which Joel performs a frightening imitation of the movie's star, Lon Chaney Jr.; an episode of The Undersea Kingdom is also celebrated with a parade that goes predictably awry. Season Four's Tormented features headless ghosts, a guilt-ridden Richard Carlson, and Joel stuck in a ventilation shaft, plus a day-rescuing round of happy thoughts. And last but not least is Season Ten's Horrors of Spider Island, a German-made monster movie about dancers on a deserted island and a giant spider than transforms their manager into a hideous creature; Mike also undergoes a man-to-spider switcheroo after getting trapped in the 'bots' homemade spider web. For veteran MiSTies and pop culture fanatics, it doesn't get funnier than this.

Extras include theatrical trailers for all of the films save Ring of Terror; a brief interview with Tormented director Bert I. Gordon, his daughter Susan, and star Joseph Turkel, and wrap-arounds from the syndicated Mystery Science Hour, with Mike Nelson as an obsequious Jack Perkins, are also included. However, the best supplement is the second MST3K Jukebox, which compiles some of the show's funniest and most memorable musical numbers, including "Sidehackin',"Joel and the 'bots' garage-rock tribute to The Sidehackers and the incredible "Patrick Swayze Christmas" from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews:

The best TV comedy of the 90s.......2007-07-03

Yes, Seinfeld is the best sitcom of the 90s. But the funniest thing on TV during that decade was Mystery Science Theatre 3000. The jokes come fast and you better pay attention. Or just watch it again, you'll catch more one-liners the next time around from Joel (or Mike), Tom Servo, and Crow as they comment on really bad movies.

I've only seen the first episode on this volume, but it's a hoot. The running gag about middle-age actors playing college students never gets old.

Too much Joel........2007-06-30

Too much Joel... Not enough Mike. The show is just better with Mike at the helm. Although, TV's Frank kind of makes up for it.

But, what choice do you have? Buy it!

if you are smart you will preorder this.......2007-05-16

I can truly say that I own every set that rhino has ever put out. I never held off on buying them and to me that is a good choice. I have recently seen how high vol. 10 is going for online and I find that amazing considering the fact that I had preorder mine and paid half the price. Vol. 9 is also going for a hefty price as well. I feel that if you are a true MSTie, you will get this set in your hands as soon as possible, if for anything do it for the Mr. BIG movie. If you remember they had to pull one of his MSTied VHS movies off the shelf. With all of the being said I also have to say that there are some prime choice of episodes available on this set. Some of them have not seen the light of day in many years. I highly recommend this set to those who had only seen the show in it's SCIFI channel era and those whom have not seen very many of the Joel episodes. I myself is very interested in this st due to the fact that I have not seen them since their original runs.

Best to Pre-Order while you can..........2007-05-09

If history has taught us anything it is this, you can't depend on the new MST3K sets to be available for long, so if you're interested it's best to get them while you can. Case in point, Mystery Science Theater 3000 volume 10... available for purchase for about three months and then it was suddenly pulled from the shelves in a quiet recall with no replacements ever sent out. I myself had to get Volume 10 off of eBay (at a hefty premium at that) because I waited too long thinking it was a buy I could put off for a little bit. How wrong I was. The moral of the story is, when Volume 11 comes out, (as well as volumes 12, 13, 14 and so on), it's better to hedge your bets and get it as fast as possible before they vanish all too soon.

Oh, and my reason for giving Volume 11 here a 5-Star rating sight unseen... that's just me being the loyal Mistie fan-boy that I am. =^)

Another great set.........2007-05-03

If you're a fan of MST3K,then you'll want to get this right away,in case they lose the rights to some of the movies and of course,some of their funniest episodes are right here.If you love bad movies and have never seen MST3K,then what are you waiting for?? Do some movies that are really bad give you nightmares or shake your head as to what you've just seen??Then,let MST3K take that away from you and let them make fun,so you won't have to.Their pain is your enjoyment..I must admit that watching RING OF TERROR wasn't easy,but at least MST3K was there to make it more enjoyable.Thanks guys!! This is a great collection from a show that was nothing short of pure genius..Funny stuff indeed.Looking forward to each volume.Not only for classic episodes from MST3K,but the extras Rhino will include as well..Keep up the great work!!!

The Original Nancy Drew Movie Mystery Collection (Detective / Reporter / Troubleshooter / Hidden Staircase)

Average customer rating:

These old movies are great!!!
Disappointed with quality
Why that girl is such a card!
FOR THOSE WHO LOVE OLD DETECTIVE MOVIES
Four-Film Classic Series

The Original Nancy Drew Movie Mystery Collection (Detective / Reporter / Troubleshooter / Hidden Staircase)
Starring: Bonita Granville
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries: Season Two
Michael Shayne Mysteries Vol. 1 (Michael Shayne: Private Detective / The Man Who Wouldn't Die / Sleepers West / Blue, White, and Perfect)
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 3 (Behind That Curtain / Charlie Chan's Secret / Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo / Charlie Chan on Broadway / The Black Camel)
Mr. Moto Collection - Vol. 2 (Mr. Moto's Gamble / Mr. Moto in Danger Island / Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation / Mr. Moto's Last Warning)
Perry Mason - Season 2, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000NVL1YU
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Amazon.com

These four classic, 1938 black-and-white Nancy Drew hour-long films directed by William Clemens (not the 2007 movie starring Emma Roberts) feature Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew, John Litel as Carson Drew, and Frankie Thomas as Ted Nickerson. Based on the character from the book series first published in 1930, the headstrong teenager Nancy Drew has a knack for winding up right in the middle of a mystery, and neither her father nor friend Ted can talk Nancy into doing what they consider the sensible thing: letting the police handle the detective work. With a curious mix of early feminism and cultural chauvinism, a dichotomy representative of late-1930s society, Nancy investigates each mystery with fervor, usually dragging her friend Ted into the thick of the investigation and demonstrating a complete disregard for her personal safety or the safety of her friends and family in her determination to track down the perpetrator. Sharp-witted and quick to pick up on the smallest, seemingly insignificant details, Nancy often succeeds where the local Police Captain Tweedy (Frank Orth) fails. Nancy Drew, Detective presents the story of an elderly benefactress unscrupulously detained at a sanatorium, while Reporter and Trouble Shooter are murder mysteries, and Hidden Staircase deals with a combined murder and attempt to dupe two elderly women. While somewhat ponderously paced by modern standards, these original Nancy Drew adventures are quality suspense mysteries that deserve their classic designation. (Ages 10 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

These old movies are great!!!.......2007-07-04

These movies are funny and well written. My husband even enjoys watching them with me. Also recommend that Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series from the 1970s also available on DVD. Go Nancy, go!

Disappointed with quality.......2007-06-25

I was looking forward to owning these movies, having seen and enjoyed them on television over the years. When I got the dvd set, I found that there was no sound to go with the movies. Thinking that I had gotten a defective set, I exchanged them. It's the same problem with the new set, so I'm stuck with silent movies. My dvd player is of recent vintage and plays all forms of dvd's (even ones I've recorded). I hope your experience isn't the same as mine. :^(

Why that girl is such a card!.......2007-06-24

I was first introduced to Nancy Drew through the original books- I loved the books. Then I saw the show(s). I loved those very much. Finally I saw this movie on store shelf and had to have it. I loved it a lot because Bonita Granville played a very great Nancy.

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE OLD DETECTIVE MOVIES.......2007-06-16

I won't go into the plot outlines, as they have already been discussed in previous reviews. I am late again but will add, this is a great entry into the many famous detective series of the 30's. Bonita Granville who originated the role may appear a bit "perky" to some, but we must remember she was a typical all American teen who was not only very intelligent for her age but also had a knack for solving very clever clues to unravel a crime or mystery.

For Granville, this series liberated her typecasting as a "brat" that she was playing prior to the Drew movies. In real life, she was a very gracious lady who went on to produce the famed LASSIE TV series. Warner Brothers hoped the Drew franchise would continue after 4 movies (contained in this set), but Granville was growing up and ready to play roles more suited to her age.

Based on the beloved series of novels by Carolyn Keene (a pseudonym for many writers of the books), all the remakes of Nancy drew pale in comparison including the television series.

For those young girls who loved the books, and nostalgia buffs, will certainly find this an entertaining, if not a bit fluffy series. The 4 movies do manage to create suspense--making this one of the better entries in the genre.

Worthwhile, despite the sometimes imperfect transfers to DVD--and nicely priced.

Four-Film Classic Series.......2007-06-15

The Original Nancy Drew Mystery Collection presents the four movie Nancy Drew series released by Warner Brothers in 1938-9. Nancy Drew (played by Bonita Granville), an enthusiastic, insightful teen, delights in solving crimes. Her successful lawyer father, Carson Drew (played by John Litel) tries to restrain and protect her, to little avail. Nancy's best friend is compliant, inventive Ted Nickerson (played by Frankie Thomas), who takes frequent tumbles in Nancy's behalf. Each film is a separate story and lasts from 60 to 69 minutes. The principals are all excellent and are supported by fine character actors.

In Nancy Drew - Detective, wealthy alumna Mary Eldredge wants to leave $250,000 to Nancy's school but suddenly disappears. Nancy's doctor reports being kidnapped to treat an old woman in a secret place, to gain entry to which, one must use the password `Blue Bells'. An injured carrier pigeon shows up with a message containing the password. Nancy goes to work to find out what happened to the alumna and to get the money for the school. Nancy and Ted disguise themselves. The story is based on `Password to Larkspur Lane'.

In Nancy Drew - Reporter, Nancy, entered in a newspaper's reporting contest, visits a coroner's inquest and decides the likely defendant is innocent. The key to the case is finding the tin can the poison came in because the can preserves all fingerprints, including the real murderer's. Ted has to box, and a hotel sign provides fun.

In Nancy Drew - Trouble Shooter, a family friend at Sylvan Lake is accused of murder. When a dead man is found under a rare, tropical flower in a field, Nancy starts to snoop. She is not happy that her father enjoys the company of a woman neighbor. Nancy and Ted get to ride in a biplane.

In Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, two elderly sisters intend to donate their property to a hospital once they own it in two weeks. By their father's will, at least one sister has to sleep in the large house each night in order to inherit. The problems are that people are trying to steal the proof the sisters met the terms of the will, that the sisters' chauffeur is found shot, and that small sounds and thefts are going on at night inside. Should the sisters flee their home? Nancy and Ted find a passageway in the basement that clarifies matters. The film is based on "The Hidden Staircase".

All four black & white films look good, although there are some brief segments of `Detective' that don't and at times `Reporter' looks viewed through a very thin waterfall. (The picture is still far ahead of Alpha Video's.)

There are no sex or language issues. There are no skin scenes, other than a boxing match in `Reporter' between Ted and an older, bad guy. Nancy and Ted are pals and don't even kiss. The chemistry is good.

The characters often say '23 80', which refers to the $23.80 fixed weekly payment to WPA workers; so if you bet '23 80', you are betting a lot.

The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition)

Average customer rating:

The second coming of The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man
WOW! talk about Must-have!!

The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition)
Starring: Nelly Arno , Leo Bieber , Hedwig Bleibtreu , Martin Boddey , and Siegfried Breuer
Director: Carol Reed
Manufacturer: Criterion Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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Army of Shadows - Criterion Collection
Sansho the Bailiff - Criterion Collection
Naked City - Criterion Collection
If... (Criterion Collection)
Brute Force (Criterion Collection)

ASIN: B000NOK0GM
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com essential video

There have been few better movies in the history of the planet than The Third Man, and fewer still as brilliantly directed from second to second. Orson Welles played the title role, and his legend has tended to engulf the film. But it was directed by Carol Reed and written--except for a Wellesian riff on the Borgias--by Graham Greene, and the credit for this masterpiece is properly theirs. Theirs and Joseph Cotten's; for awesome as Welles is, his Citizen Kane second banana is onscreen about six times as much, and Cotten uses every minute to create one of the most distinctive--if also forlorn--of modern heroes.

You know the story. Holly Martins (Cotten), a writer of pulp Westerns and one of life's congenital third-raters, arrives in post-WWII Vienna only to learn that his old pal Harry Lime, the guy who sent him his plane ticket, is being buried. Everybody, from a cynical British cop named Calloway (Trevor Howard) to Harry's Continental knockout of a girlfriend (Alida Valli) and his sundry absurd/Euro-sinister business associates, feels that Holly should get on another plane and go home. He doesn't. Things come to light. Other deaths follow. The world lies in utter ruin.

The Third Man completed a sublime hat trick--an international critical and popular smash following upon the success of Reed's Odd Man Out ('47) and The Fallen Idol ('48). Although other filmmakers had begun to use war-ravaged Europe as a great movie set, The Third Man is so vivid in its canny mix of gray semidocumentary and insanely angular, Expressionist/Surrealist chiaroscuro that it seems to have imagined not only the postwar thriller but also postwar Europe itself singlehandedly.

What great movie moments: The throwaway details like a mourner who forgets to drop his wreath on a newly dug grave. The sly editing whereby thick-headed Sergeant Paine (Bernard Lee, once and future "M" to 007) goes on leafing through a magazine, knowing just the moment he must rise and subdue the nervy Yank who would take a punch at his boss. The way Anton Karas's legendary zither score seems to jangle in the very guy-lines of a bridge where, far below Robert Krasker's Oscar-winning camera, the Third Man calls a war council. The shadow of a dead man towering, big as Europe, over the nighttime streets of Vienna. --Richard T. Jameson

Studio description

Cynical pulp novelist Holly Martins arrives in shadowy Vienna to investigate the mysterious death of his old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime, and thus begins an ever-thickening web of love, deception, and murder that adds up to one of cinema's most immortal treats, as well as one of its trickiest. Thanks to brilliant performances by Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles; Anton Karas's timeless, evocative zither score; Graham Greene's razor-sharp dialogue; and Robert Krasker's haunting deep focus shots, off-kilter angles, and dramatic use of light and shadow, The Third Man, directed by the inimitable Carol Reed, only grows in stature as the years pass.

Customer Reviews:

The second coming of The Third Man.......2007-06-30

The folks at Criterion never give up short of perfection. They've been reissuing some of their own material lately in newer, better versions, and while I *won't* get another Brazil just because they neglected anamorphic the first time (and I have an up-converting player/TV combo that helps somewhat anyway) I will gladly shell out more cash for improved prints of Seven Samurai, M and now this, The Third Man.

But this is more than just a new transfer. Here you get a second disc of wonderful features. Well, one of the features could have been wonderful: it's a 90-minute documentary made a couple years ago that played at Cannes in 2006. While the information is fascinating, and will shed much light on this noir, the filmmaker's style is pretentious, and distracts from the content.

Other extras are the original U.S. trailer (grossly inappropriate for this movie, but probably closer to the type of film Selznick wanted to make), vintage footage of Vienna and Zitherist Anton Karas, and a photo album of the production--all also included in the prior Criterion release. There's also a mini-doc on the film--much more straightforward and to me more interesting--with all still photos. Even though it's all stills I found this short 10 minute presentation very riveting. Then there's a featurette that shows many of the scenes of German-speaking players with their lines translated (they were deliberately left untranslated in the film so that the audience would feel as confused as Holly), a UK vs. US comparison of the openings, several of the radio shows that used the Harry Lime character, and a profile of writer Graham Greene from a 1968 British television program. Oh, and did I mention there are two commentaries, one from filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Tony Gilroy and one from film distorian Dana Polan. Oh, and there's a very stylish 26-page booklet insert. And you know what? There's probably other stuff I've forgotten. These discs are cram-packed.

In short, this is a whole college-level course on The Third Man in a little box. It'll keep you watching for weeks.

In case Amazon ever deletes the first Criterion edition of this DVD from their site, here's a cut-and-paste of my original review of the film itself:

###
Reportedly Orson Welles replied to people who asked if he'd "really" directed The Third Man that Carol Reed didn't need his suggestions. Yet this feels very much like Welles in many ways. First of all there's the subject matter--like Citizen Kane, this film deals with money and power, shattered idealism, and an elusive figure everyone knows *of* yet few people know. Like Kane, the cinematography is striking (though in a different way) and an integral part of the plot. Like Kane, the music is memorable and tells much of the story, yet again in a different way. Like Kane, the film was greeted coldly by many critics on its initial release and had to be shelved for many years before people realized it was a masterpiece. And last but not least, like Kane, it stars the great Joseph Cotten.

The Third Man benefits enormously from being shot in post-war Vienna (in record time by using three crews simultaneously). You can taste the atmosphere. The locations are a "star" as much as any of the human players. Selznick wanted Reed to film on Hollywood back lots, and he wanted Jimmy Stewart to star. He objected to the zither music. He objected to the canted shots. (William Wyler reportedly gave Reed a level to put on his camera after seeing The Third Man!) Most of all, Selznick wanted a happy ending, where Holly gets the girl. But without Reed's vision, the film would have been a typical glossy Hollywood film now seen at 2 am on local UHF channels if at all.

Reed gave Welles one of the great entrances in screen history. Welles gave Reed a hard time by refusing to work in a sewer and returning to England, forcing Reed to build a sewer set there just for Welles' part. Welles says he only wrote the "Cuckcoo clock speech," but leave it to Orson to give us the most memorable dialogue in a movie filled with memorable dialogue.

Then there is the issue of The Woman. Often she will make or break a film like this, and here Alida Valli (or "Valli" as she preferred to be billed in the film...maybe it's an Italian thing that started long before Madonna) is the perfect choice, brooding and un-glamorous and yet all the more alluring because she's un-glamorous. It's easy to see how impressionable Holly would fall for her. It's harder to see why she would still defend Harry, but love is not always logical. Or is this just selfishness? There doesn't seem to be room for love in Reed and Greene's postwar Vienna...

Criterion has done a loving restoration of The Third Man. While not up to the standard of the Citizen Kane DVD (which is not done by Criterion, incidentally) it is superb considering how poorly prints of this film have been handled over the years. Criterion performed many computer-repairs of tears and splices that make once-damaged scenes play perfectly. The gray scale is finally restored! (So many prints of this film are stark and grainy black and white and nearly unwatchable.) There are some extras, such as footage of Anton Karas performing on his unique instrument, documentary footage of the real Vienna sewers, the original trailer, the re-release trailer*, the alternate American opening, and fascinating production photos and commentary. Once again Criterion hits a home run.
###

Make that a grand slam.

*Not included in this version.

The Third Man.......2007-06-29

Fantastic movie, every time I watch it I see something new. Great cinematography, acting is superlative and story is gripping

The Third Man.......2007-06-27

The DVD case was smashed-in like it had been stacked under some weight. Contacted Amazon and they sent me a replacement.

The Third Man.......2007-06-25

One of the all-time great mysteries, the excellence of this production is reflected in the talents of its key contributors: old Mercury Theatre colleagues Welles and Cotten, screenwriter Graham Greene, producers Alexander Korda and David O. Selznick, and director Carol Reed. Together, they create a haunting, intricate thriller, with corrupted souls inhabiting decimated Vienna like so many vultures. "Man" also features one of the best music scores in all film, with Anton Karas's original zither score adding to the ominous proceedings. Stunningly shot on location, this is a must-see.

WOW! talk about Must-have!!.......2007-06-18

I was reading Criminal,the Marvel comic series
by Ed Brubaker, who also wrote the Sleeper for DC/Wildstorm
(my all time favorite)...

and in the back of the issue, he talked about this movie.
being a big fan I had to see what it was about...

AND I'M SO GLAD I DID!!

its PERFECTION

Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection, 1989

Average customer rating:

Back to the best on television!
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Columbo
Worth the cost
Don't miss out on the movie Columbos

Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection, 1989
Starring: Peter Falk , Anthony Andrews , Karen Austin , James Greene , and Alan Fudge
Director: Leo Penn , Sam Wanamaker , and James Frawley
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Columbo - The Complete Sixth and Seventh Seasons
Columbo - The Complete Fifth Season
Columbo - The Complete Fourth Season
Murder, She Wrote - The Complete Sixth Season
Mission: Impossible - The Second TV Season

ASIN: B000MV9OMM
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Amazon.com

After a 10-year break from the role that made him a TV superstar, Peter Falk returned as rumpled LAPD homicide detective Lt. Columbo in 1989, appearing in feature-length episodes of The ABC Mystery Movie. The first five of those TV movies are collected here as the Mystery Movie Collection 1989 comprising what is essentially the long-delayed "eighth season" (and part of the ninth) of Columbo, the popular series that made its debut on NBC in 1971. Now signed to ABC with a lucrative new contract, Falk returned to his iconic role as if he'd never left, still wearing the same worn-out overcoat, still driving the same old 1959 Peugeot rust-bucket (with his lazy Bassett Hound "Dog" in the passenger seat), still making frequent references to the never-seen "Mrs. Columbo," and still annoying nervous murder suspects with his politely cunning approach to solving homicides in Los Angeles. As created by TV mystery masters Richard Levinson and William Link, the Columbo series was nothing if not formulaic, but the fun of watching these 93-minute TV movies comes from seeing how that formula still works like a charm: The first half-hour shows how the killers commit and conceal their crimes (Columbo is a police procedural, not a whodunit), and the remaining hour shows Columbo grilling his suspects, slowly turning up the heat until the killer's goose is summarily cooked. With his trademark line "Just one more thing...," Falk fits his role like an old shoe, and the show's writers played on the character's beloved status by milking humor from Columbo's well-established mannerisms, such as leaving the room after gently probing suspects for telling clues, then returning (after a pregnant pause) to deliver "one more thing "--his crime-solving coup de grace (aptly referred to by Rockford Files creator Stephen J. Cannell as Columbo's trademark "dart to the heart.")

The Mystery Movie Collection emphasizes a colorfully Southern Californian element of crime and eccentricity, from the beheading of a magician in "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" (with Anthony Andrews hamming it up as the killer) to the malicious misdeeds of "Murder, Smoke and Shadows," in which Spielbergian movie-mogul wunderkind (Fisher Stevens) stages an electrocution murder on the backlot of Universal Studios. "Sex and the Married Detective" is a lightly comedic film noir send-up, in which a sex therapy radio-host (Lindsay Crouse) invents a sexy alter ego to eliminate her cheating lover. In "Grand Deceptions," Robert Foxworth's misdeeds on a military training base aren't clever enough to fool Columbo, and in "Murder: A Self Portrait," Patrick Bachau plays a selfish lothario with three lovers (wife, ex-wife, and girlfriend) who decides that three's a crowd and his ex (Fionnula Flanagan) has got to go! Clever enough to hold anyone's attention, these murders are smartly conceived and entertainingly solved, and the performances and direction are uniformly strong. But the obvious appeal of Columbo is Columbo himself, and with Falk in the role he was born to play (even though it was originally offered to Bing Crosby!), the character remained so popular that he appeared in 19 more TV movies between 1990 and 2003. The Mystery Movie Collection includes one DVD bonus feature: a 30-minute tribute to "America's Top Sleuths," as chosen in a 2007 online survey by viewers of the newly-launched Sleuth TV network. Columbo ranks #2 (out of 10), a close runner-up to Tom Selleck's Magnum P.I. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Legendary Peter Falk is back checking his pockets for clues as everyone's favorite trenchcoat wearing Police Lieutenant in five immensely popular TV movies on DVD for the first time ever in the Columbo TV Movie Collection 1989. Smart, witty and entertaining, Columbo is on the beat of unlikely criminals who always think they can outsmart TV's most probing and perceptive detective. Join a dossier of guest stars, including Fisher Stevens and Lindsay Crouse, in this landmark TV movie set that opens a new chapter on the Columbo legacy!

Disc One
"Columbo Goes to the Guillotine"
There's much more than meets the eye when Columbo investigates the death of a magician who supposedly was killed by one of his own clever magic tricks.
"Murder, Smoke and Shadows"
Columbo searches for clues on the cutting-room floor when he suspects a high-powered film director of hiding evidence of murder.

Disc Two
"Sex and the Married Detective"
Does the heart rule the head, or vice versa? Columbo ponders the answer to this timeless question and others when he must out-wit a sex therapist involved in a crime of passion.
"Grand Deceptions"
Rank and reputation prove to be particularly difficult obstacles when Columbo looks into the murder of a respected military General by one of his overly-ambitious Colonels.

Disc Three
"Murder, a Self Portrait"
It's no murder-by-numbers when Columbo investigates the deadly relationships between a savvy artist, his troubled ex-wife, his attention-starved current wife, and his live-in model.

Customer Reviews:

Back to the best on television!.......2007-06-08

This is what a real sleuth is all about. When you think it is impossible, when you think that you have the plan down, Columbo will show you what real thinking is all about. He keeps you on the edge and entertains in the process. Most enjoyable! I wish he were still on the tube and thank God I can get him on the DVDs. What a way to sit back and enjoy what is on my screen without depending on the foolishness they show today! Thank you again!

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.......2007-06-03

I LOVE ALL THE COLUMBO DVDS THAT I HAVE ORDERED

Columbo.......2007-05-31

Peter Falk is great. I have all seasons of Columbo . I am a hugh fan.

Worth the cost.......2007-05-28

I look forward to each set that comes out. Not just to collect them but to watch them over and over. What made this one so special was the interview at the end. That interview with Peter Falk was great! I would have voted him as #1 instead of Tom Seleck.

Don't miss out on the movie Columbos.......2007-05-24

Your collection isn't complete without these TV movies made after the regular series episodes had ended. All of the movies in this set are great, but I know this is not all of them. Hopefully the others will come out before very long.

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 3 (Behind That Curtain / Charlie Chan's Secret / Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo / Charlie Chan on Broadway / The Black Camel)

Average customer rating:

TERRIFIC--ANOTHER VOLUME!
"THANK YOU....SO MUCH."

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 3 (Behind That Curtain / Charlie Chan's Secret / Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo / Charlie Chan on Broadway / The Black Camel)
Starring: Robert Young
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2 (Charlie Chan at the Circus / Charlie Chan at the Olympics / Charlie Chan at the Opera / Charlie Chan at the Race Track)
Mr. Moto Collection - Vol. 2 (Mr. Moto's Gamble / Mr. Moto in Danger Island / Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation / Mr. Moto's Last Warning)
Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection (Manhattan Melodrama / Evelyn Prentice / Double Wedding / I Love You Again / Love Crazy)
The Original Nancy Drew Movie Mystery Collection (Detective / Reporter / Troubleshooter / Hidden Staircase)
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1 (Charlie Chan in London / Charlie Chan in Paris / Charlie Chan in Egypt / Charlie Chan in Shanghai / Eran Trece)

ASIN: B000QGDJG0
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Description

Disc 1: Charlie Chan's Secret (1936) **Full Frame Feature (B&W) **Commentary by Film Critic Ken Hanke & Film Historian John Cork **Charlie Chan and the Rise of the Modern Detective **Dr. Henry Lee: The Modern Day Charlie Chan **Restoration Comparison **Still Gallery

Disc 2: Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937) **Full Frame Feature (B&W) **The World of Charlie Chan **Chanograms: The Aphorisms of Charlie Chan **Restoration Comparison **Still Gallery

Disc 3: Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937) Side A: **Full Frame Feature (B&W) **Charlie Chan is Missing: The Last Days of Warner Oland **Restoration Comparison **Still Gallery **"Warner Oland is Charlie Chan" Poster Gallery

Side B: **"Behind That Curtain" (B&W) (91:00) **Released in 1929, this film features the first appearance of the Charlie Chan character at Fox.

Disc 4: Charlie Chan - The Black Camel (1931) **Full Frame Feature - B&W **Commentary by Film Critic Ken Hanke & Film Historian John Cork **Charlie Chan's Chance: A Recreation of a Lost Chan **Restoration Comparison **Still Gallery

Customer Reviews:

TERRIFIC--ANOTHER VOLUME!.......2007-06-15

Just when you thought it was over, Fox has released a 4th and final installment in the Warner Oland Charlie Chan series. Thank you Fox. This set contains several very important Chan films. The Black Camel is the second Oland outing (Carries On is lost and only a Spanish version exists with Spanish actors), so this is a very important film in the Chan genre. It also contains what has been considered by many fans another "lost" film, SECRET and ends with the final Oland entry MONTE CARLO that has a hilarious scene with #1 son Keye Luke's rear end on fire.

There is still a missing Oland film and Like CARRIES ON may be lost forever. MGM has released the first 6 (and the least interesting) of the Sidney Toler WWII Chan films--which are overly cautious. The pre-war Fox Toler outings are still waiting for release. Let's hope they will be forthcoming, so many of them are highly entertaining and much better made than the Monogram counterparts released on CHANTHOLOGY.

Thanks again FOX. Let's see some more!

"THANK YOU....SO MUCH.".......2007-05-13

Four more films:
Behind that Curtain (1929) - No Oland, very little Chan but Warner Baxter who would later play Doctor Ordway in the Crime Doctor film series, and Boris Karloff in the role of a servant.

The Black Camel (1931) - Features Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye

Charlie Chan's Secret (1936) - A great old-dark house whodunnit

Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)- Charlie and #1 son on the great white way

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937) - The last of the Oland Chan films

EXTRAS:
Black Camel commentary by film critic Ken Hanke
Charlie Chan's Secret commentary by film critic Ken Hanke
Chan Is Missing: The Last Days Of Warner Oland featurette,
The World Of Charlie Chan featurette
Chanograms: The Aphorisms Of Charlie Chan featurette
Charlie Chan and The Rise of The Modern Detective featurette
Dr. Henry Lee: The Modern Day Charlie Chan featurette
Charlie Chan's Chance: A Recreation, a dramatized recreation of the lost film, Charlie Chan's Chance with an optional introduction by film historian John Cork
Restoration comparisons
Theatrical Trailers
Still Galleries

The Warner Oland cycle is now complete. The special interest groups that scared the Fox Movie Channel into not showing re-mastered editions of the Charlie Chan films back in 2003 have ultimately failed. With the release of Vol 3, ALL the Warner Oland Chan films (not counting the lost ones) are available on DVD for all who want to see them. (Hopefully, the rest of the Toler Chans will follow) Long live the great detective. And to the P.C. forces that don't like it I can only say is "ha-ha!"

Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 (Act of Violence / Mystery Street / Crime Wave / Decoy / Illegal / The Big Steal / They Live By Night / Side Street / Where Danger Lives / Tension)

Average customer rating:

10 lesser-known but excellent Film Noirs make it to DVD

Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 (Act of Violence / Mystery Street / Crime Wave / Decoy / Illegal / The Big Steal / They Live By Night / Side Street / Where Danger Lives / Tension)
Starring: Van Heflin , Robert Ryan , Janet Leigh , Mary Astor , and Phyllis Thaxter
Director: Fred Zinnemann , John Sturges , and André De Toth
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Ace in the Hole - Criterion Collection
The Woman in the Window (MGM Film Noir)
Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection (Manhattan Melodrama / Evelyn Prentice / Double Wedding / I Love You Again / Love Crazy)
Cult Camp Classics 4 - Historical Epics (The Colossus of Rhodes / Land of the Pharaohs / The Prodigal)
Tyrone Power: The Swashbuckler Box Set (Blood and Sand / Son of Fury / The Black Rose / Prince of Foxes / The Captain from Castile)

ASIN: B000PKG7DE
Release Date: 2007-07-31

Description

Ex-World War II pilot Frank Enley (Van Heflin) is a respected contractor and family man. Then his troubled, gimp-legged bombardier (Robert Ryan) shows up with a gun and a score to settle. Perhaps neither man is what he seems to be as director Fred Zinnemann (The Day of the Jackal) guides a searing Act of Violence, "the first postwar noir to take a challenging look at the ethics of men in combat" (Eddie Muller, Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir). Murder lives on Mystery Street. John Sturges (The Great Escape) directs a revealing-for-the-era procedural about a Boston cop (Ricardo Montalban) solving a whodunit with the help of a Harvard forsensic expert (Bruce Bennett). Welcome to CSI Noir.

Customer Reviews:

10 lesser-known but excellent Film Noirs make it to DVD.......2007-04-25

This collection is the DVD debut for all ten of these films, and I don't even know if any of them are available on VHS. I've only seen them thanks to Turner Classic Movies playing them at odd hours, along with other cable channels presenting them over the years. They are excellent but not well remembered film noirs. I would rate them all between 4 and 5 stars. I thought I would list their descriptions, stars, and special features below, not in any particular order:

Crime Wave: (1954) Starring Sterling Hayden and Gene Nelson. An ex-con is trying to go straight, but circumstances force him into crime one more time. Gene Nelson plays a hard-nosed cop. Note a young Charles Bronson playing a minor role.
Commentary by James Ellroy and Eddie Muller
Crime Wave: The City is Dark
Theatrical trailer

Decoy: (1946) Starring Gene Gillie and Edward Norris. Sci-Fi meets Film Noir in this story of a woman who will stop at nothing to retrieve 400K stolen in a robbery. Gillie would make Barbara Stanwyck proud as she chews up man after man in her quest.
Commentary by Stanley Rubin and Glenn Erickson
Decoy: A Map to Nowhere
Theatrical trailer

Illegal: (1955) Starring Edward G. Robinson and Nina Foch. Robinson plays a D.A. whose upwardly mobile career faces a train wreck when a man he convicted is executed and then found to be innocent. After he hits bottom he resurrects his legal career, this time as a criminal attorney. The plot can be hard to follow, but Robinson's performance is great.
Commentary by Nina Foch and Patricia King Hanson
Illegal: Marked for Life
Behind the Cameras: Edward G. Robinson
Theatrical trailer

The Big Steal: (1949) Starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. The lead duo from "Out of the Past" trade wisecracks and insults in a cross-country chase over a suitcase full of stolen money. For once, Mitchum is actually not the bad guy. Almost too much fun to be considered Film Noir.
Commentary by Richard B. Jewell
The Big Steal: Look Behind You

They Live By Night: (1948) Starring Cathy O'Donnell and Farley Granger. The story of an escaped convict trying to live a normal life with the help of his girlfriend. Granger plays the convict who isn't entirely bad, but not entirely reformed either.
Commentary by Farley Granger and Eddie Muller
They Live By Night: The Twisted Road
Theatrical trailer

Side Street: (1950) Starring Cathy O'Donnell and Farley Granger. Granger plays a struggling husband trying to make ends meet when he spots some cash lying around in an office one day. He takes the money, but finds out it is much more than he thought. When he tries to return the money, he gets caught up in a murder mystery. Hitchcock-like in its twists and turns.
Commentary by Richard Schickel
Side Street: Where Temptation Lurks
Theatrical trailer

Where Danger Lives: (1950) Starring Robert Mitchum and Faith Domergue. The plot is somewhat unbelievable, even for Film Noir, but Mitchum gives a strong performance that makes it worthwhile. Mitchum plays a doctor who becomes taken with a patient. Due to a concussion, his judgement becomes clouded and he believes he has murdered the patient's husband. He and the woman go on the run, have some strange adventures, and then Mitchum realizes what kind of illness his new girlfriend was being treated for in the first place.
Commentary by Alain Silver and James Ursini
Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie
Theatrical Trailer

Tension: (1950) Starring Richard Basehart and Audrey Trotter. Basehart plays a mild-mannered man whose salary and disposition are not enough for his wife. She leaves him for a tough and wealthy man. Why Basehart would want her back is anyone's guess, but he does and plans to murder his wife's new boyfriend. The tough guy is murdered, but not by Basehart's character.
Commentary by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward with Audrey Trotter
Tension: Who's Guilty Now?
Theatrical Trailer

Act of Violence: (1948) Starring Van Heflin and Robert Ryan. Van Heflin plays a family man trying to adapt to life after the war and internment in a prison camp. Enter Robert Ryan, who plays a man with Terminator-like determination in his quest to murder Heflin's character for something that happened during their joint stay in the German prison camp.
Commentary by Dr. Drew Casper
Act of Violence: Dealing With the Devil
Theatrical Trailer

Mystery Street: (1950) Starring Ricardo Montalban and Sally Forrest. Montalban plays a detective who, working with a forensics expert, tries to solve a murder case and exonerate the lone circumstantial suspect. One of the first films I know of to use science to help solve a murder decades before DNA made this aspect of crime solving so interesting and important.
Commentary by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward
Mystery Street: Murder at Harvard
Theatrical Trailer

Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)

Average customer rating:

Poor packaging.
A REALLY NICE COLLECTION - A GREAT GIFT
Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection
Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Movie Collection DVD set
Multible Thrillers

Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One
Lifeboat (Special Edition)
To Catch a Thief (Special Collector's Edition)
Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)

ASIN: B000A1INJE
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Product Description

14 of the finest works from the universally acclaimed Master of Suspense come together for the first time in one collection. These captivating landmark films boast three decades of Hollywood legends, including James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Anthony Perkins, Sean Connery and Doris Day. The premium packaging and collectible book make Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection the must-own, definitive anthology of gripping works by a true genius.

System Requirements:

Running Time 1630 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Masterpiece indeed. With 14 films, each supplemented with numerous documentaries, commentaries, and other bonus materials, Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection will be the cornerstone for any serious DVD library. Packaged in a beautiful, conversation-starting velvet box, the individual discs inside come four to a case, decorated with original poster art.

No doubt opinionated fans will argue about what should fall under the rubric of "masterpiece" in Hitchcock's body of work, but with the bona fide classics Vertigo, Psycho, and The Man Who Knew Too Much, there's plenty of timeless movie magic here. Eye-popping transfers and gorgeous sound make this set one of the must-have releases of the year.

Should the Hitchcock fan have the energy for more after imbibing on the movies themselves, a bonus disc provides additional documentaries. These include a revealing interview in which the master of suspense discusses, among other things, how much he dislikes working with method actors, going so far as to name names (we're talking about you, Jimmy Stewart and Montgomery Clift). In an American Film Institute lifetime achievement ceremony, the master of suspense is praised by the likes of Stewart and Ingrid Bergman, and seems to be suffering from severe boredom as celebrities pile on the flattery. Then Hitchcock opens his mouth to accept the award, delivering an endlessly witty stream of perfect bon mots that prove once again that he was a master of high comedy as well. Revealing documentaries about the making of Psycho and The Birds round out the feast of extras. The 36-page booklet, filled mostly with stills and poster art, provides little new information about the films.--Ryan Boudinot

Films Included in Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection

Saboteur
Robert Cummings stars as Barry Kane, a patriotic munitions worker who is falsely accused of sabotage, in this wartime thriller from Alfred Hitchcock. Plastered across the front page of every newspaper and hated by the nation, Kane's only hope of clearing his name is to find the real villain. The script as a whole is a clever one--Algonquin wit Dorothy Parker shares a screenwriting credit, and her trademark zingers make for a terrific mix of humor and suspense. Saboteur is a pleasure whether you're a die-hard Hitchcock fan or just someone who likes a good nail-biter. --Ali Davis

Shadow of a Doubt
Alfred Hitchcock considered this 1943 thriller to be his personal favorite among his own films, and although it's not as popular as some of Hitchcock's later work, it's certainly worthy of the master's admiration. Scripted by playwright Thornton Wilder and inspired by the actual case of a 1920's serial killer known as "The Merry Widow Murderer," the movie sets a tone of menace and fear by introducing a psychotic killer into the small-town comforts of Santa Rosa, California. Through narrow escapes and a climactic scene aboard a speeding train, this witty thriller strips away the façade of small-town tranquility to reveal evil where it's least expected. And, of course, it's all done in pure Hitchcockian style. --Jeff Shannon

Rope
An experimental film masquerading as a standard Hollywood thriller, Rope is simple and based on a successful stage play: two young men (John Dall and Farley Granger) commit murder, more or less as an intellectual exercise. They hide the body in their large apartment, then throw a dinner party. Will the body be discovered? Director Alfred Hitchcock, fascinated by the possibilities of the long-take style, decided to shoot this story as though it were happening in one long, uninterrupted shot. Since the camera can only hold one 10-minute reel at a time, Hitchcock had to be creative when it came time to change reels, disguising the switches as the camera passed behind someone's back or moved behind a lamp. James Stewart, as a suspicious professor, marks his first starring role for Hitchcock, a collaboration that would lead to the masterpieces Rear Window and Vertigo. --Robert Horton

Rear Window
Like the Greenwich Village courtyard view from its titular portal, Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rear Window is both confined and multileveled: both its story and visual perspective are dictated by its protagonist's imprisonment in his apartment, convalescing in a wheelchair, from which both he and the audience observe the lives of his neighbors. Cheerful voyeurism, as well as the behavior glimpsed among the various tenants, affords a droll comic atmosphere that gradually darkens when he sees clues to what may be a murder. At deeper levels, Rear Window plumbs issues of moral responsibility and emotional honesty, while offering further proof (were any needed) of the director's brilliance as a visual storyteller. --Sam Sutherland

The Trouble with Harry
A busman's holiday for Alfred Hitchcock, this 1955 black comedy concerns a pesky corpse that becomes a problem for a quiet, Vermont neighborhood. Shirley MacLaine makes her film debut as one of several characters who keep burying the body and finding it unburied again. Hitchcock clearly enjoys conjuring the autumnal look and feel of the story, and he establishes an important, first-time alliance with composer Bernard Herrmann, whose music proved vital to the director's next half-dozen or so films. But for now, The Trouble with Harry is a lark, the mischievous side of Hitchcock given free reign. --Tom Keogh

The Man Who Knew Too Much
Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 remake of his own 1934 spy thriller is an exciting event in its own right, with several justifiably famous sequences. James Stewart and Doris Day play American tourists who discover more than they wanted to know about an assassination plot. When their son is kidnapped to keep them quiet, they are caught between concern for him and the terrible secret they hold. When asked about the difference between this version of the story and the one he made 22 years earlier, Hitchcock always said the first was the work of a talented amateur while the second was the act of a seasoned professional. Indeed, several extraordinary moments in this update represent consummate filmmaking, particularly a relentlessly exciting Albert Hall scene, with a blaring symphony, an assassin's gun, and Doris Day's scream. The Man Who Knew Too Muchis the work of a master in his prime. --Tom Keogh

Vertigo
Although it wasn't a box-office success when originally released in 1958, Vertigo has since taken its deserved place as Alfred Hitchcock's greatest, most spellbinding, most deeply personal achievement. James Stewart plays a retired police detective who is hired by an old friend to follow his wife (a superb Kim Novak, in what becomes a double role), whom he suspects of being possessed by the spirit of a dead madwoman. Shot around San Francisco (the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of the Legion of Honor are significant locations) and elsewhere in Northern California (the redwoods, Mission San Juan Batista) in rapturous Technicolor, Vertigo is as lovely as it is haunting. --Jim Emerson

Psycho
For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night. --Jim Emerson

The Birds
Vacationing in northern California, Alfred Hitchcock was struck by a story in a Santa Cruz newspaper: "Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes." From this peculiar incident, and his memory of a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the master of suspense created one of his strangest and most terrifying films. The Birds follows a chic blonde, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), as she travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a rugged fellow (Rod Taylor) she's only just met. Before long the town is attacked by marauding birds, and Hitchcock's skill at staging action is brought to the fore. Beyond the superb effects, however, The Birds is also one of Hitchcock's most psychologically complicated scenarios, a tense study of violence, loneliness, and complacency. What really gets under your skin are not the bird skirmishes but the anxiety and the eerie quiet between attacks. Treated with scant attention by serious critics in 1963, The Birds has grown into a classic and--despite the sci-fi trappings--one of Hitchcock's most serious films. --Robert Horton

Marnie
Sean Connery, fresh from the second Bond picture, From Russia with Love, is a Philadelphia playboy who begins to fall for Tippi Hedren's blonde ice goddess only when he realizes that she's a professional thief; she's come to work in his upper-crust insurance office in order to embezzle mass quantities. His patient program of investigation and surveillance has a creepy, voyeuristic quality that's pure Hitchcock, but all's lost when it emerges that the root of Marnie's problem is phobic sexual frigidity, induced by a childhood trauma. Luckily, Sean is up to the challenge. As it were. Not even D.H. Lawrence believed as fervently as Hitchcock in the curative properties of sexual release. --David Chute

Torn Curtain
Paul Newman and Julie Andrews star in what must unfortunately be called one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser efforts. Still, sub-par Hitchcock is better than a lot of what's out there, and this one is well worth a look. Newman plays cold war physicist Michael Armstrong, while Andrews plays his lovely assistant-and-fiancée, Sarah Sherman. Armstrong has been working on a missile defense system that will "make nuclear defense obsolete," and naturally both sides are very interested. All Sarah cares about is the fact that Michael has been acting awfully fishy lately. The suspense of Torn Curtain is by nature not as thrilling as that in the average Hitchcock film--much of it involves sitting still and wondering if the bad guys are getting closer. Still, Hitchcock manages to amuse himself: there is some beautifully clever camera work and an excruciating sequence that illustrates the frequent Hitchcock point that death is not a tidy business. --Ali Davis

Topaz
Alfred Hitchcock hadn't made a spy thriller since the 1930s, so his 1969 adaptation of Leon Uris's bestseller seemed like a curious choice for the director. But Hitchcock makes Uris's story of the West's investigation into the Soviet Union's dealings with Cuba his own. Frederick Stafford plays a French intelligence agent who works with his American counterpart (John Forsythe) to break up a Soviet spy ring. The film is a bit flat dramatically and visually, and there are sequences that seem to occupy Hitchcock's attention more than others. A minor work all around, with at least two alternative endings shot by Hitchcock. --Tom Keogh

Frenzy
Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate film, written by Anthony Shaffer (who also wrote Sleuth), this delightfully grisly little tale features an all-British cast minus star wattage, which may have accounted for its relatively slim showing in the States. Jon Finch plays a down-on-his-luck Londoner who is offered some help by an old pal (Barry Foster). In fact, Foster is a serial killer the police have been chasing--and he's framing Finch. Which leads to a classic Hitchcock situation: a guiltless man is forced to prove his innocence while eluding Scotland Yard at the same time. Spiked with Hitchcock's trademark dark humor, Frenzy also features a very funny subplot about the Scotland Yard investigator (Alec McCowen) in charge of the case, who must endure meals by a wife (Vivien Merchant) who is taking a gourmet-cooking class. --Marshall Fine

Family Plot
Alfred Hitchcock's final film is understated comic fun that mixes suspense with deft humor, thanks to a solid cast. The plot centers on the kidnapping of an heir and a diamond theft by a pair of bad guys led by Karen Black and William Devane. The cops seem befuddled, but that doesn't stop a questionable psychic (Barbara Harris) and her not overly bright boyfriend (Bruce Dern, in a rare good-guy role) from picking up the trail and actually solving the crime. Did she do it with actual psychic powers? That's part of the fun of Harris's enjoyably ditsy performance. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Poor packaging........2007-06-01

This is a great set minus the annoying packaging. As someone mentioned earlier the DVD cases are fitted to go in a certain order and if they don't go in in that order then they get stuck and the edges of the DVD cases get frayed. The corners of the cases get frayed anyway because the cases are a paper and cardboard-based binding with the plastic DVD holders glued on to them. So I put them in spine first now. Open and close them enough times and you get those white, worn edges on the spine. Another problem with the cases is that the plastic glued on part that hold the DVDs in place are notorious for getting de-glued. Yet another thing. . .one disc is now not holding in the case properly. How could I remedy this problem? Buy an entire new set??? The door on the velvet box doesn't snap shut in anyway so if you hold the wrong side down. . .the DVDs will fall out. So watch out. The velvet box looks and feels nice but it collects dust very easily and is not easily cleanable. I tried to brush off some of the dust and the silvery logos and such began to flake off.

A REALLY NICE COLLECTION - A GREAT GIFT.......2007-05-23

Not only does this collection have some of Hitchcock's best movies, it also comes in a REALLY nice felt box and nice DVD cases. Makes an excellent gift.

Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection.......2007-05-08

This is an excellent collection. It doesn't have all of Hitchcock's greats, it's missing Strangers on a Train, Notorious and Rebecca, but its hands down the best collection assembled of his movies from the 40's and on. There are some great extras as well. I highly recommend this collection.

Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Movie Collection DVD set.......2007-04-12

A Must have for all hard-core Alfred Hitchcock movie fans

Multible Thrillers.......2007-04-12

I received this DVD in the time promised. It came in good condition. How can you go wrong purchasing Alfred Hitchcock collections! One of the greatest,writers,director, and producer of all times. This was a birthday gift, and my son was "THRILLED" to receive it. Thanks

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2 (Charlie Chan at the Circus / Charlie Chan at the Olympics / Charlie Chan at the Opera / Charlie Chan at the Race Track)

Average customer rating:

Number One Charlie Chan
THE BEST OF THE TWO VOLUMES OF CHAN BY OLAND
Typical Classic Charlie
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2
Number one fan...

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2 (Charlie Chan at the Circus / Charlie Chan at the Olympics / Charlie Chan at the Opera / Charlie Chan at the Race Track)
Starring: Charlie Chan
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1 (Charlie Chan in London / Charlie Chan in Paris / Charlie Chan in Egypt / Charlie Chan in Shanghai / Eran Trece)
Mr. Moto Collection - Vol. 2 (Mr. Moto's Gamble / Mr. Moto in Danger Island / Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation / Mr. Moto's Last Warning)
Mr. Moto Collection, Vol. 1 (Mr. Moto Takes A Chance / Mysterious Mr. Moto / Thank You Mr. Moto / Think Fast Mr. Moto) (4DVD)
The Charlie Chan Chanthology (The Secret Service / The Chinese Cat / The Jade Mask / Meeting at Midnight / The Scarlet Clue / The Shanghai Cobra)
Michael Shayne Mysteries Vol. 1 (Michael Shayne: Private Detective / The Man Who Wouldn't Die / Sleepers West / Blue, White, and Perfect)

ASIN: B000GY728I
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Amazon.com

"Size of package does not indicate quality within," Honolulu's finest, Charlie Chan sagely observes in Charlie Chan at the Circus, and while this boxed set contains only four films, it does this venerable franchise justice, with some of Chan's most arresting cinematic outings. All four films star Swedish-born Warner Oland, who is to Charlie Chan what Sean Connery is to James Bond. The high note of this set is Charlie Chan at the Opera, in which the curtain comes down on two opera singers during a performance. Boris Karloff (whose frightening presence accounts for a very funny reference to Frankenstein) costars as an amnesiac who escapes from a sanitarium to haunt the theatre like some phantom of the... well, you know. William Demarest steals his scenes as a cop in dire need of sensitivity training. He refers to Chan as "Chop Suey" and "Egg Fu Young," and when No. 1 son (Keye Luke) gives his dad a note, he asks if it's a laundry ticket. In Charlie Chan at the Circus, a Chan family excursion (with all 12 children!) to the Big Top is interrupted when the nasty circus owner is murdered.

Charlie Chan at the Olympics is another gold-medal outing that finds Chan embroiled in international espionage when an experimental automatic pilot device is stolen. His investigation leads him to the Berlin Olympics (via the Hindenburg), where his son is on the track team. Newsreel footage of the games integrated into the film features Jesse Owens running the 400-meter relay. Less of a sure bet but still an efficient mystery is Charlie Chan at the Race Track. Each restored film looks great, and each is enhanced with featurettes that illuminate interesting aspects of the series. One profiles prolific Chan director H. Bruce "Lucky" Humberstone (who, we learn, fortified his star with drink), and another Keye Luke. "Charlie Chan at the Movies" examines these films' places in the Chan canon. There are certainly enough 1930s cultural and racial stereotypes (John Allen as stableboy "Streamline" Jones in Race Track) here to keep the PC police working overtime, but for Charlie Chan buffs and B-movie fans, this is an essential collection that is, to quote Chan, a "chip off ancient block." --Donald Liebenson

Description

Disc 1: CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA Full Screen Feature (Black & White) Charlie Chan's Lucky Director: H. Bruce Humberstone Restoration Comparison Trailer

Disc 2: CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OLYMPICS Full Screen Feature (Black & White) Layne Tom,Jr: The Adventures of Charlie Chan, Jr. Restoration Comparison Trailer

Disc 3: CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACE TRACK Full Screen Feature (Black & White) Number One Son: The Life of Keye Luke Restoration Comparison Trailer

Disc 4: CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS Full Screen Feature (Black & White) Charlie Chan At The Movies Restoration Comparison Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Number One Charlie Chan.......2007-05-13

I bought this for my husband who loves the old Charlie Chan series. I ended up watching them myself. The restoration of these old black and white classics is amazing. Warner Oland was Charlie Chan. I went back and bought volume 1. I am hoping that there will be a volume 3 since Oland did 15 Charlie Chan movies before he died in 1938.

THE BEST OF THE TWO VOLUMES OF CHAN BY OLAND.......2007-04-23

Both sets have been reviewed many times so I am making mine short and to the point. Vol. I and II are both thematic (I. deals with places--famous world cities) and II (the best) involves events. The best two entries are "At the Circus" that shows Chan for the first time with his large family of 12 (it grew to 14 later on in the series) and deals with the murder of the very unpopular circus owner. "CC At The Olympics" is an amazing piece of work. #1 son (the great Keye Luke) is a contender at the Nazi occupied Berlin Olympics. This premise on it's own (even with it's great subplot) makes this one of best in the Oland series.

None of the Chan Francishe films ran more than an hour (70 minutes top), so both sets containing 4 discs are quite expensive (although Fox is reputed to have spent $2,000,000 in restoration). To round out the set is the Sidney Toler WWII outings released by MGM--CHANTOLOGY (which is far to cautious due to the times--and the series had moved to B studio Monogram).

If you are a REAL fan, then all three pricey sets are worth the investment. I have tried to buy them used at a lesser price. BEWARE! Once you start watching the series (and unfortunately many of the finer outings have lost their copyright and only available on poorly made homemade bootleg DVD-Rs), you will get hooked on the most famous Oriental detective (based on a real life Honolulu detective) of all time, the amazing Charlie Chan.

A great series and the best of the genre.

Typical Classic Charlie.......2007-03-22

I enjoyed this series very much. I have watched Charlie Chan for many years and was glad I could add these to my collection. They are first class entertainment !

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2.......2007-03-16

I found this collection very entertaining and think that others would enjoy them also. The extra features and information about some of the actors was very interesting and informative. First class DVD's.
Paul Reside

Number one fan..........2007-03-12

These are wonderful dvd's. The quality is excellent. I can't wait for them to release the Sidney Toler films on dvd as well. If you're a chan fan then you will do well to purchase these.

The Beales of Grey Gardens - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

Assault on Reason
I adored this movie, absolutely mad about it.
Well worth the 32 year wait
Still making money off of Big Edie & Little Edie?
The Beales revealed

The Beales of Grey Gardens - Criterion Collection
Director: Albert Maysles , and David Maysles
Manufacturer: Criterion
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Grey Gardens - Criterion Collection
Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
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The Fallen Idol - Criterion Collection
My Life at Grey Gardens: 13 Months and Beyond

ASIN: B000IY02W4
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Description

The 1975 cinema vérité classic Grey Gardens, which captured in remarkable close-up the lives of the eccentric recluses and cousins to Jackie Onassis, Big and Little Edie Beale, in their decrepit East Hampton mansion, has spawned everything from a midnight-movie cult following to a Broadway musical remake an upcoming Hollywood adaptation. Now, Albert and David Maysles have revisited their landmark documentary with a sequel of sorts, culled from hours of never-before-seen footage recently found in the filmmakers' vaults.

Customer Reviews:

Assault on Reason.......2007-06-24

Showing up 30 years after the original, and undoubtedly here to capitalize on the smash Broadway play and upcoming fictional feature film, "The Beales of Grey Gardens" scoops up whatever was left on the editing room floor, puts them together like links of sausage and calls itself a movie. That's fine, they have some decent material here, but still this experiment of filming Jackie O's reclusive, deranged relatives is nothing more than a prehistoric "Osbournes". To its credit it feels much more organic as it is not burdened by MTV style editing or staged feuds with their neighbors. We just sit around and watch crazy people sink further and further into their own messed up world. Of course it is entertaining, but as a movie it doesn't really work. For a comedy it just isn't funny enough and for a tragedy it just isn't sad enough. How can we feel sad for these people, ignorance is bliss, as they say, and Big Edie and Little Edie are both more than stocked up in both departments.

I think a main theme here is taking yourself out of civilized society and entering an alternate reality. My hatred of people is well documented, but I am at least smart enough to surround myself with them for the sake of my own mental health. And so while I admit that I had a lot of fun at their expense I must emphasize the point that I am not judging them. How could I considering that my apartment looks like the Unabomber lives there, and that I eat ice cream out of the carton, and that I sit around prattling off conspiracy theories. Then again, I never danced around in front of my mother singing show tunes. And I certainly never burned a hole in my house and then had a raccoon come and take up residence within it. So like that trip to see the crazy old aunt nobody talks to anymore this trip begins to wear thin about an hour in.

With very few people around to stop their wild-eyed pontifications they just went on believing their own version of the truth. This becomes painfully apparent when Little Edie begins equating alcohol to "orgies" and "exploding livers". Later she rails against private and public property in the same rant, quite obviously not knowing the difference. It is my theory that when men go crazy they direct it outward, but when women go crazy everything is directed inward, and this is a perfect example. Little Edie means and does no harm to anybody else, but you listen to her talk for five minutes and you realize that this is one lost little girl. The film fails because, like Spike lee's "Next Movement", you really can't turn deleted scenes into a movie. They were deleted for a reason, not to mention that it is near impossible to create a narrative structure out of leftovers. **1/2

I adored this movie, absolutely mad about it........2007-06-11

Everyone else has already said how wonderful the "new" footage, how beautiful the scenery, how in-depth the exploration...I agree with them all. I adore this film and am so grateful it has been made available (I would have taken it as raw footage). I just wanted to mention that the subtitles are way off in many, many places. I'm from Long Island, a native speaker of the LI accent, and I've seen Grey Gardens probably around 500 times. I know what they're saying and it is not what is printed in the subtitles much of the time. Perhaps whoever did the subtitles is not a LI native. It's not really a complaint, but if you really want to know what they're saying you just have to listen closely and let your ear guide you, because if you take your info from the subtitles, it sometimes alters the actual meaning of what they're saying. I hope this helps someone--it's my good deed for the day.

Well worth the 32 year wait.......2007-06-09

Though I had watched "Grey Gardens" at least 2000 times since 1975, last fall, I went to the Castro Theater in San Francisco to see the new print of it with an audience for the first time since the Bouvier-Beales were introduced to me in '75.

That night, an appearance by Jerry Torre was incentive for me to see "Grey Gardens" on the big screen. I had just purchased the Broadway cast album and the song "Jerry loves the way I do my corn" was repeating in my brain as I waited in the long line to get into the theater.

Over 30 years of viewing, the Maysles film had made the Beales virtual friends of mine. Once upon a time, when I said that "Grey Gardens" was my favorite film, nobody had heard of it.

I did not know that a second feature would follow the interview with the "Marble Fawn".

As Ms. Beale pranced through the yard singing "You Ought to be in Pictures," my heart felt as though I was visiting an old friend.

As true today as it was in 1975, you'll either be fascinated or repelled by "The Beales of Grey Gardens." I now have two favorite films.

One thing is certain: you'll never forget them.

Al, if you're reading this - thank you!

Still making money off of Big Edie & Little Edie?.......2007-05-22

As a great fan of Big Edie & Little Edie I was naturally delighted to see the new footage. However, after reading Lois Wright's book about the 13 months that she actually lived with the Beales' in which she reveals that the Maysles agreed to give them 40% of the profits, but yet they were starving during the Premiere and while it was showing at theaters. The Maysles promised to pay their grocery bill, which they did not, and soon after the grocer cut off their credit. At Big Edie's funeral, Little Edie was upset that they were even there - they were made to stand at the back of the funeral service & denied permission to attend the graveside service. I do not know what the ultimate outcome was & if indeed they honored their agreement to give the Beales their 40%. But, back to "The Beales of Grey Gardens" I was as captivated as much, if not more so, than the first film. I think the footage was more revealing and showed a more unvarnished version of the Beales, which endeared me even more to these two incredible entertaining, intelligent, witty & enchanting ladies.

The Beales revealed.......2007-03-08

The "Beales of Grey Gardens" brings home the story of Big Edie and Little Edie as introduced in the original "Greygardens". It is very helpful to view "Greygardens" first because it provides the background for the more in-depth presentation of their relationship and history.

WR: Mysteries of the Organism (Criterion Collection)

Average customer rating:

Of course it's a distortion
A Total Distortion of Reich's Work
Organism or orgasm?
Bulat Okudzhava

WR: Mysteries of the Organism (Criterion Collection)
Starring: Milena Dravic , Ivica Vidovic , Jagoda Kaloper , Tuli Kupferberg , and Zoran Radmilovic
Director: Dusan Makavejev
Manufacturer: Criterion Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Sweet Movie (Criterion Collection)
If... (Criterion Collection)
La Jetee/Sans Soleil (Criterion Collection)
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The Two of Us (Criterion Collection)

ASIN: B000OPPAEC
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Description

What does the energy harnessed through orgasm have to do with the state of Communist Yugoslavia circa 1971? Only counterculture filmmaker extraordinaire Duan Makavejev has the answers (or the questions). His surreal documentary-fiction collision WR: Mysteries of the Organism begins as an investigation of the life and work of controversial psychologist and philosopher Wilhelm Reich and then explodes into a free-form narrative of a beautiful young Slavic girl's sexual liberation. Banned upon its release in the director's homeland, the art-house smash WR is both whimsical and bold in its blending of politics and sexuality.

Customer Reviews:

Of course it's a distortion.......2005-01-09

It's the heart-breaking narrative of Reich's persecution interwoven with moments that highlight the absurdity of sex that make this work so powerful. I saw it first in 1980 in the UK and that screening still reverberates.

Nothing against Mr. DeMeo, who's posted a comment complaining that the film is not historically accurate. I used to subscribe to DeMeo's mailing list and found him a bit humorless. I think the whole *point* of this is that it's a work of art, not a documentarian's take on Reich's work.

Say what you will about Makaveyev's work as a whole, this one is a winner.

A Total Distortion of Reich's Work.......2004-02-02

This video was undertaken by Dusan Makavajev, who according to a 1971 film review article in the Journal of Orgonomy, obtained original footage of Reich from the Reich Museum, and interviews with various individuals who knew Reich and who had followed up on his research, by posturing as a "friend of Reich". He then proceeded to mix that original footage with pornographic images designed to plunge a knife into the heart of everything Reich argued about, and stood for. Only a few of Reich's genuine friends had the forethought to grant permissions based upon their approval of the final film - and they promptly refused such permission. It caused an uproar among those who knew and understood Reich, but Makavajev got his footage and danced away a laughing man. This film has done more damage to Reich's name and legacy than any single item one might point to, by distorting Reich's excellent and important biophysical work on the "Function of the Orgasm" (see book of this title) into a malignant advocacy of "free sex for all". Reich would puke forever if he saw how his life's work was so badly twisted. "F--- Freely" announces one of the heroes of this film, in a plot about an ice-skater who seduces, but then murders and decapitates one of the "revolutionary proletariat" female characters. A weak "plot" indeed, interspliced with porno images from the plaster-casters, the first male erection to appear on a US film, masturbation images, and people group-fornicating to cartoon music -- Makavajev's apparent idea of the "sexual revolution" -- all under a smiling wall portrait of Reich. "Freedom Peddling" is what comes to mind, and I can say with confidence that there is nothing of accuracy or authenticity about Reich in this film, aside from the interviews and short seconds of film from Reich's original archives, which were obtained by fraudulent means. Reich's work informs us, that the pornographic character is a sexually-frustrated character, no less than the sex-negative moralist of the organized church, and that they are in fact mirror images of each other, flip sides of the same coin. "Brothels are built from bricks of religion" as the poet William Blake once said -- and Reich's clinical work put substance to this idea. And so when this film was shown at my university years ago, the theatre was flooded with all the frustrated fraternity boys, come to hoot and ogle at the images of naked people. They learned nothing. Neither will anyone viewing this film, except perhaps how deceptive some Hollywood-types can be, even if they come from Yugoslavia.

Organism or orgasm?.......2002-07-22

I saw "WR: Mystery of the Organism " in my youth, say age 20, at a film festival one evening almost 30 years ago. I do remember it having a strange effect on me and having stirred my original interest, delving into the work of (WR), Dr. Wilhelm Reich, the alleged mad scientist who died in prison for what he believed in.

I have read maybe 12 to 15 different books on the subject of "Orgone Energy" and the good doctor over time. Some of WR's own works, which are psycho-sociological and way scientific at times, are a little hard to grasp. Mostly I've read the hip psuedo-scientific biographies and post-WR studies of which there were once several books available.

Some were especially written by the followers and practitioners of his life energy and psycho-sexual liberation work. Though I remember the movie using just the more titillating portions of his theories as part of a spoof and sexual comedy, I still felt like there was a sense of truth and amazement implied in the use of them in the story. (Unlike the "Orgasmatron scene", a take off and exaggeration of his orgone accumulators, in Woody Allen's futuristic farce "Sleeper".)

I think there may be a documentary about the making of the movie "WR": out there as well? I am suprised it or a revised production about Dr. Reich has not showed up on PBS or the Discovery Channel by now.

Anyway, I was glad to find that the VHS tape of the movie is available and am looking forward to seeing it again.

Bulat Okudzhava.......2001-02-01

Reykjavik, Iceland Film Festival, September, 2000.

I was not sure what to expect from this. I am a longtime fan and student of all things Yugoslavian. I had seen Makavejev's comparatively commercial film A Night of Love prior to screening two of his more obscure films, Sweet Movie, which is nothing less than visually frightening and decidedly disturbing, and this, Mysteries of an Organism. With more disturbing visual imagery and borrowings from surreal fantasy, the second half of the film is more like a "film" in that it tells a story of a Yugoslav woman, who, like all women portrayed in the film, is very sexually liberated, and claims that this is so because all women have been justly liberated by the revolution and socialism in Yugoslavia. When she meets a visiting Russian figure skater, she realizes that the Soviet ideals of socialism are limiting and lead only to repression of the self. She tries to teach him that love and socialism are not at odds with each other, but are indeed intertwined. When they finally make love, he ends up killing her because his passions and love have been so repressed. The first half of the film, which is a bit excessive and strange, is more documentary in style, but it does illustrate the points that are made more eloquently in the second half of the film by probing the life of a man (whose name i cannot recall) who was demonised by the US government.

The screening in Reykjavik was luckily accompanied by the director himself explaining his ideas and what he hoped to accomplish. This is a fascinating film, a total departure from American, or really, any other films of any genre or nationality.

DVD: