Thriller II Pack (3pc) (Btb)

Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

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"What are you supposed to be, a birthday cake?"
"A bit of a bore. . . but you don't kill someone for that!"
Agatha Christie's he Mirror Cracked
"Murder, She Droned"
The Mirror Crack'd

The Mirror Crack'd
Starring: Angela Lansbury , Geraldine Chaplin , Tony Curtis , Edward Fox , and Rock Hudson
Director: Guy Hamilton
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
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Evil Under the Sun
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Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express
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Agatha Christie Collection Featuring Peter Ustinov (Dead Man's Folly / Murder in Three Acts / Thirteen at Dinner)

ASIN: B000059LGG
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Amazon.com

Angela Lansbury does the honors as Agatha Christie's determined sleuth, Miss Marple, in this adaptation of Christie's novel. A washed-up movie star (Elizabeth Taylor) is attempting to make a comeback but is driven to distraction by a mysterious event from her past. Also problematic for Taylor's struggling actress is a series of murders occurring with clockwork regularity in the quiet, 1950s English village where a film is being produced--killings that are all somehow connected to her. Despite the British backdrop, most of the suspects, including Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, and Tony Curtis, are American in this 1980 feature directed by Guy Hamilton (Evil Under the Sun). (At least Miss Marple's nephew, the redoubtable Inspector Craddock, is played by Edward Fox.) The bad news: this is a curiously flat, monotonous film, with a mystery hook that, sad to say, is among Christie's more familiar and predictable. Hamilton doesn't demand much of his largely ornamental cast, and they don't volunteer much to fill the void. Still, fans of Miss Marple and Christie, especially those with a burning hunger to see every film or television program based on the books, will want to check it out. This DVD edition is presented in the film's original widescreen format, and it includes television spots that were part of the film's marketing at the time of its theatrical release. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

"What are you supposed to be, a birthday cake?".......2007-06-12

There are about five glorious minutes in this 1980 adaptation of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple whodunnit when Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak--all in purple and pink (respectively)--face off against one another as rival aging movie queens at a St. Mary's Mead function and try to outdo one another with great catty zingers. This must have been the only possible reason why these two came out of retirement to do this film (that and the chance to wear some great Tudor costumes as Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I in the film-within-a-film they're making), because otherwise there's not much point to this movie, which falls somewhat dully. Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis also appear in duller roles as a director and producer, and they don't get much spark going; even Taylor seems sort of benumbed through the whole thing except for her great scene whooping it up with Novak. Only Novak herself really seems to be having a good time. Angela Lansbury works hard as Miss Marple (it has even been suggested this performance cinched her job for many years as Jessica Fletcher in MURDER SHE WROTE), but she acts far too grandly for the part, and seems hampered by the aging make-up they used. While the period costumes fare a bit better (Taylor has a purple and white sprigged turban that must be seen to be believed), the sets are as terrible as the make-up: everything seems done by Laura Ashley and looks not in the least like 1950s Britain.

There's a great howler of a flashback at the end of the film where Taylor's character is doing a 1940's USO show and the director mericlessly cuts between closeups of her plump face and then of her body double's slim figure shown from the back that's about as technically sophisticated as THE PATTY DUKE SHOW. Other than that sequence and the catfight, there's not much else worth seeing.

"A bit of a bore. . . but you don't kill someone for that!".......2007-02-16

Well, I actually liked this version of Agatha Christie's murder mystery, because it swayed from the pretentious. It was like wanting to see a great "cop" movie and got stuck watching "Police Academy." Honestly, there is no way this movie could be taken seriously, it was a joyfest for the aging movie stars to give it one last rumble.
A young celebrity fan gets caught up as the victim, by the murderer who discovers a hidden secret from them, that destroyed their life. However, the victim is meant to appear as a mistaken murder, with the murderer posing as the actual intended victim. Not a bad plot in reality, but lost in muddled star cameos. I hate to say it, but I entirely looked at this movie as a comedy, and glad I did. It worked better that way, than real mystery drama.

Agatha Christie's he Mirror Cracked.......2007-01-12

This story is not one of Christie's best in my opinion, where Miss Marple becomes involved in the glamourous world of films. All star cast but not an all star script. Lansbury is fine as Miss Marple, but rather different from Joan Higdon who has made the character her own. A must for Christie fans, but not one of the best.

"Murder, She Droned".......2006-07-18

For anybody that is expecting production values similar to those of the best TV mysteries of the nineties and later (like the Marple series with Geraldine McEwan or David Suchet's Poirot) this production will be a big disappointment. Angela Lansbury makes a really awful Marple and the addition of various "big name" stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson ruin the mood even further since the director is apparently forced to linger and linger on meaningless scenes that give the "stars" extra screen time.

The sets look like somebody decided to save money by putting in the minimum effort to make them look like they came from 1953. You could barely tell the difference between the interiors from this film and what you would expect to see on Magnum P.I.

Although this is probably one of the less exciting Miss Marple stories the terrible production values, awful casting, and absurd cliches ruin whatever chances this had of being watchable.

The Mirror Crack'd.......2006-07-03

Movie arrived in excellent condition in the expected week.
Can't claim. I watched the movie and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Prizefighter: DVD Collector's Pack ('Body and Soul' & 'Champion')

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A Dark Look at Prizefighting

Prizefighter: DVD Collector's Pack ('Body and Soul' & 'Champion')
Starring: Kirk Douglas , Marilyn Maxwell , Arthur Kennedy , Paul Stewart , and Ruth Roman
Director: Mark Robson , and Robert Rossen
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0782011101
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Customer Reviews:

A Dark Look at Prizefighting.......2000-05-03

"Champion" is an extraordinarily grim and intense study of a man already corrupted by an insatiable need to dominate. Seldom has a Hollywood film from this period had so tortured a figure at its center. It is to Kirk Douglas' credit that, because of his performance as Midge, the viewer doesn't hate the character, and is able to feel compassion.

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Considered by many critics to be the finest in the series, Hammer's second Quatermass feature (adapted from the television serial by Nigel Kneale) is a subversive alien invasion story. Professor Quatermass (Brian Donlevy) stumbles onto a top-secret government base near a rural location that has been inundated by a steady stream of meteors. His investigations, which are met with distrust by suspicious townspeople and outright hostility by the base guards, uncover a conspiracy originating in the highest reaches of government. With few he can trust and fewer he can convince of his suspicions, Quatermass decides to meet the menace head-on. Director Val Guest, who cowrote the screenplay with Kneale, loads his film with fascinating detail (the whiz of the falling meteors--actually space pods--recalls the buzz bombs of the London blitz, and the antipathy of the high-strung locals adds a curious element of class conflict), but really brings the picture to life with its stark black-and-white look and overpowering mood of paranoia. The base, the very picture of industrial modernity in the midst of rural nothingness, is given a creepy emptiness as Quatermass wanders through, dwarfed in the giant maze of pipes and towers centered by enormous spherical containers and huge domes. You'll likely never forget the image of a government investigator covered in a smoking black substance, stumbling down the steps of the stark white container. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Great 1950's Sci Fi.......2007-01-10

Is Professor Quatermass a nice guy? No.
Are the effects great? No.
Is it a fun film? Absolutely, yes.

Brian Donlevy is great as the surly Quatermass. The story is classic 1950's Sci Fi / Horror. There are labs and scientists, space ships and aliens, and secret government plots.

If you like the genre, this is a really fun film.

A sequel better than the original!.......2006-08-30

The gothic horror films of Hammer generally trod a well worn route, with rules and conventions laid down not only by 19th century literature, but also by Hammer themselves. As a result a great number of these films now seem formulaic and unadventurous. The period directly proceeding THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN in hindsight now seems one of the most interesting in Hammer's history. The period 1955-7, produced three films that although owing a great deal too gothic conventions are more ostensibly science-fiction. The three films THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT, X THE UNKNOWN and QUATERMASS 2, are far richer and rewarding than their colour contemporaries. The latter film also has a viable claim to being Hammer's greatest film. Nigel Kneale's distrust of government and its various institutional strands reaches its apex here. Whereas the first Quatermass film had an alien intelligence inside a human being, in the sequel the alien intelligence is already here and has with unrealistic ease infiltrated the highest reaches of British government. The film also gets to grips with industrialisation, military brute force and working class uprisings. A lot of substance and weighty issues cultural issues of the day are explored. With its military law, the area surrounding the synthetic food factory (really a processing plant to feed the alien infiltrators) has the feel of a fascist state. There are a number of layers to this film which reward repeated views. But the most interesting is the use and rejection of the working classes, whose only useful purpose to the alien invaders is to block up the pipes to stop lethal oxygen entering their domes. Once again Val Guest creates some impressive tension which is aided by the monochrome look. QUATERMASS 2 is a film that proves that British Science Fiction can uniquely speak to the culture of Britain and work as a fine example of the genre, for me this film remains Hammer's finest achievement.

Effective and Better than the Original.......2006-05-31

This is a fantastic movie full of atmosphere and some real food for thought. In fact, it is extremely well done all around. The acting in particular by Brian Donlevy as Quatermass is very realistic and convincing. I particularly liked the mood setting cinematography by Gerald Gibbs and James Bernard's score. It goes without saying that the script by director Val Guest succeeded on many levels making it engaging to a wide audience. I found this film to be both entertaining and thought provoking. Val Guest really knows how to set the mood.

What happened to the original?.......2005-01-08

I am 57 years old...I saw the Quartermass movies growing up..I can barely remember this sequel that was called ENEMY FROM SPACE, but I do know it was well produced for its time. My question is..why not release Quartermass Experiment AKA THE CREEPING UNKNOWN with the other 2 in a triple scare package...
they were all ahead of there time in sci fi ideas and the FX weren't all that bad.

A Hit Not A Miss.......2004-11-12

If you're looking for a special efects masterpiece for the time like Forbidden Planet or The War Of The Worlds forget it. If on the other hand you're interested in a plot driven story like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers or Invaders From Mars then by all means buy it. You won't be disapointed.

The Last Seduction / The Last Seduction II ( 2 pack )

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The Last Seduction / The Last Seduction II ( 2 pack )

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Body Chemistry 3 - Point of Seduction

ASIN: B00027NWK6

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The Best of Roger Moore
More to Roge than meets the eye
Roger Moore's Best Film
Moore please!
Mildly entertaining

The Man Who Haunted Himself
Starring: Roger Moore , Hildegarde Neil , Alastair Mackenzie (II) , Hugh Mackenzie , and Kevork Malikyan
Director: Basil Dearden
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
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ASIN: B00005RYLJ
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Customer Reviews:

The Best of Roger Moore.......2007-05-05

Roger Moore is never recognised as a great, or even good actor. Sure he was an international superstar because of The Saint and then James Bond but in his career rarely did we ever get to see him put in a real acting performance - except in this film.

Made in 1970 after The Saint and a few years before Bond, this is a really good film, with genuine tension, an intriguing story and a brilliant performance from Roger Moore. He plays Harold Pelham a straight-laced business man who is a partner is a successful firm, has a lovely family and seems to have everything. However things start going wrong after a car accident. His life starts to unravel around him in a very strange way.

In this film we get more than the eyebrows being raised (although I spotted them once) Moore displays anger, frustration and ultimately fear and does the part as well as anybody could have done it. This film used to be on TV a lot, but these days it is rarely shown so its a worth buying.

The DVD is widescreen with an excellent commentary from Roger Moore, and its well worth getting.

More to Roge than meets the eye.......2007-04-26

The Man Who Haunted Himself isn't a particularly good film, but it is an interesting one and boasts a mostly impressive performance from Roger Moore. While he's not entirely successful, he does get to demonstrate that he had a lot more genuine talent than he's ever given credit for: one beautifully underplayed scene in particular where his uptight businessman who may or may not be having a nervous breakdown and his wife talk around his impotence is probably the best thing he's ever done. And he limits to the eyebrow lift trademark to a single arch usage, though there is a hint at things to come with a prescient joke about industrial espionage ("It's not all James Bond On Her Majesty's Secret Service" quips Moore three years before landing the part).

Previously filmed as an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, it's a classic doppelganger story, with Roge's bowler hatted city type having a nervous breakdown at the wheel of his car, crashing and briefly dying on the operating table only to become increasingly rattled that someone appears to be impersonating him in his absence. Not only that, but he seems to be doing a much better job of his life than he is. Is he going mad or is it part of a plot involving the takeover of his company? Or is he really haunting himself? For the first hour and some it works surprisingly well despite looking even more quaintly dated at times than most 70s films. Unfortunately things go downhill, as in so many other films, with the appearance of Freddie Jones in the last third, overacting to a degree unusual even for him as the kind of gurning, prop-fondling manic psychiatrist with an accent that stretches from Dublin to Fife who wears sunglasses in a darkened room (this may just have been down to then head of EMI Films Bryan Forbes, who also cast chronic overactor Aubrey Morris as a quack who wears sunglasses in a darkened room in the troubled Hammer film Blood from the Mummy's Tomb). Over enunciating and underlining every line several times and looking like a minor character from Monty Python's Flying Circus on day release, he tips the film over into unintentional comedy even more than the particularly ill-advised kipper tie that looks like it could feed a family of six that Moore wears in the last few scenes. The film does almost paint itself into a corner with its premise, with an ending that doesn't exactly disappoint but still isn't quite strong enough to entirely satisfy.

The has a pleasant audio commentary with Moore and Bryan Forbes, who as well as greenlighting the film did uncredited dialogue polish on the script. Among the facts thrown up is that in one of those truly horrible coincidences, director Basil Dearden died a few years later in a car crash at the exact spot they filmed the opening crash in the film. Haunting indeed...

Roger Moore's Best Film.......2007-02-20

Based on an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" called "The Strange Case of Mr. Pelham", "The Man Who Haunted Himself" is a superior British thriller with more than a dash of the supernatural. Between 1970 and 1973, Roger Moore was between iconic images (The Saint and James Bond), it seems appropriate then that he should make a film that explores the nature of identity, the splitting of the personality and the rather gothic notion of the double. Doubling becomes a well used motif; his twin sons, his wife and mistress, his cars and business partner and rival add to this layering. Producer Michael Relph and director Basil Dearden (famed for their social problem films of the 1950's produced by Ealing Studios) concoct a tense, exciting film which hinges on a towering performance by Moore. Never the most versatile of actors, Moore nevertheless creates two distinct characters and in the distinctive nature of each Pelham, the true concern of the film shines through. One Pelham represents the new permissive generation (active sex life, fast cars, gambling), whilst the other represents a more repressed age, articulated nicely in his penchant for starched white shirts and is sexless marriage. The ultimate denouement of the film (which takes the film totally into the arena of horror) has the two Pelham's realising only one can exist, the ultimate answer although progressive is ultimately filled with a lament for an altogether more innocent age. The film does sound pretty poor on paper, but this is a genuine surprise, an edge of your seat supernatural thriller and one of British cinema's best kept secrets.

Moore please!.......2002-07-10

If anyone had any doubts that Roger Moore could act, they were dispelled by this movie. The film was virtually ignored when it was first released, which now seems like a giant missed opportunity. The former Saint and future 007 is just brilliant in the role of a businessman on the verge of a major nervous breakdown. It is hugely refreshing to see him stop all the "man of action" nonsense and play a different kind of role. The other nice thing about the movie is that it is full of ensemble British actors doing what they do best -- acting bloody well! The script is well written and Basil Dearden's direction keeps the suspense brimming nicely. I remember this being shown on TV (the Monday night film on BBC1, a highlight of the week)in 1972 or so, just after Moore had finished with The Persuaders! and before he'd made Live and Let Die. It was a refreshing slice of entertainment and it has not lost its flavour -- if anything age has improved it. It's just a shame old Roger didn't do more work like this, but perhaps that makes it even more a thing to treasure. The DVD is worth the money for the commentry alone. My one criticism is about the R1 encoding. Why didn't the distributors negotiate for a Region 0 release? Currently this film is not available anywhere else but the US -- a nonsense as it is a piece of English film-making that now resides in a French-owned company's vaults! This movie should be accessible to fans wherever they live. The sooner the Region Encoding system is seen as the money-making Hollywood sham it is and is thoroughly discredited the better. That way some of the world's more precious artefacts, such as this film, will be more available to all.

Mildly entertaining.......2002-06-02

This is a movie based on an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" called 'The Strange Case Of Mr. Pelham'. The Hitchcock version is better, by far. The movie expands the story by an extra forty minutes or so with unnecessary and boring details, but the premise is still the same. If you haven't seen the Hitchcock version, then you'll probably be mildly entertained by the movie, which isn't bad at all but doesn't compare well to the other.

On the positive side, the acting in this film is uniformly good, and Moore turns in a good performance as Pelham, really giving it his all. The British locations are well filmed, and the movie has a comfortable late-sixties style aura. However, it's often slow-moving and a bit boring at times. The Hitchcock TV version presented everything you needed to know in about 50 minutes and was a fine story as filmed; quite chilling in fact. But the movie stretches minor, unimportant details out to film length. The ending of the film is different and somewhat metaphysical, which is good, but unfortunately it's way too literal and even unintentionally humorous, which is bad. So, the original version has it beaten on all counts. When you attempt to remake Hitchcock, you'd better be sure your script is superb if you want success, but this one is just average.

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