Foreign Film

Starring:Will Haven
Studio: Golf Records
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Forget any off-screen impressions you may have of Mel Gibson, and experience Apocalypto as the mad, bloody runaway train that it is. The story is set in the pre-Columbian Maya population: one village is brutally overrun, its residents either slaughtered or abducted, by a ruling tribe that needs slaves and human sacrifices. We focus on the capable warrior Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), although Gibson skillfully sketches a whole population of characters--many of whom don't survive the early reels. Most of the film is set in the dense jungle, but the middle section, in a grand Mayan city, is a dazzling triumph of design, costuming, and sheer decadent terror. The movie itself is a triumph of brutality, as Gibson lets loose his well-established fascination with bodily mortification in a litany of assaults including impalement, evisceration, snakebite, and bee stings. It's a dark, disgusted vision, but Gibson doesn't forget to apply some very canny moviemaking instincts to the violence--including the creation of a tremendous pair of villains (strikingly played by Raoul Trujillo and Rodolfo Palacias). The film is in a Maya dialect, subtitled in English, and shot on digital video (which occasionally betrays itself in some blurry quick pans). Amidst all the mayhem, nothing in the film is more devastating than a final wordless exchange of looks between captured villager Blunted (Jonathan Brewer) and his wife's mother (Maria Isabel Diaz), a superb change in tone from their early relationship. Yes, this is an obsessive, crazed movie, but Gibson knows what he's doing. --Robert Horton

Beyond Apocalypto

More films directed by Mel Gibson
Apocalypto soundtrack by James Horner

Stills from Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (click for larger image)

Description

From Mel Gibson, director of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST and the Academy Award®-winning BRAVEHEART (Best Director, Best Picture, 1995) comes the thrilling historical epic APOCALYPTO. This intense, nonstop action-adventure transports you to an ancient South American civilization, for an experience unlike anything you've ever known. In the twilight of the mysterious Mayan culture, young Jaguar Paw is captured and taken to the great Mayan city where he faces a harrowing end. Driven by the power of his love for his wife and son, he makes an adrenaline-soaked, heart-racing escape to rescue them and ultimately save his way of life. Filled with unrelenting action and stunning cinematography, APOCALYPTO is an enthralling and unforgettable film experience.'

Customer Reviews:

Support Mel Gibson.......2007-07-09

This is a great movie and was totally boycotted by racist Hollywood media moguls. It should have won an oscar. I bought two copies to support Mel Gibson and his works of art and to stick it to hollywood execs.

Whew, I'm tired.......2007-07-09

Apocalypto (DVD)

The Mel Gibson directed movie Apocalypto is something like you've never seen before. It gets you tired just watching it.

The movie is about a young Indio warrior Jaguar's
Paw who is captured by Mayan slavers, lead by El Jefe and
- has his pregnant wife abandoned in a pit,
- while Jaguar's Paw is taken to the great Mayan city to be sacrificed
- they pass a village that has apparently been ravaged by smallpox,
- and they pass an old fellow with some type of laughing sickness.

Note: Many scholars believe the Mayan Empire was devastated by some type of Biological hazard they just don't know which one.

Back to the human sacrifices:

-first they cut out the heart
-then they chop off the heads and throw them down the steps,
Then they throw the headless body down the steps.
Just as the Mayans are getting ready to cut Jaguar's Paw `s heart out there is a solar eclipse. This they interpret as the Sun God being satiated. And they take the prisoners to the gauntlet to run for their life. Fortunately Jaguar's
Paw gets to go in the second pair and quickly see that he needs to weave as he runs, thereby making himself a harder target.

Well wouldn't you know that he almost makes it. Jaguar

Paw manages to kill El Jefe's son, the finisher, and makes it to the

jungle. Jaguar's Paw successfully runs the gauntlet, escapes from a black

jaguar(I didn't know there was such an animal, jumps over a giant

cataract, throws a hornets nest at his enemies, his wife has a baby in

the flooded pit, and then just when he can't run any more and collapses...

You'll just have to watch the movie to see the ending.

Well worth watching ,but it is very bloody.

Gunner July, 2007

Kudos to Gibson.......2007-07-08

What an absolutely incredible film. Beautifully shot, seamless storyline, reality at its finest. Milder 'gore' than some cable fare, but definitely not for the squeamish. The native language added an immeasurable quality to the film and I didn't really notice the subtitles after the first few minutes once I was drawn into the story.

Pointless, Jack Bower without the cell phone.......2007-07-08

While visually satisfying the appetite and creative in that sense, I kept waiting for a point to be made. Like "24" you have to suspend disbelief--a man is tortured, forced to walk for miles and miles through jungle and rapids and hills, no food, no water (no cell phone), shot with a spear through the abdomen, meets up with a panther and outruns him, shot with an arrow through the shoulder, jumps down a massive waterfall, survives all and still outruns several healthy, well equipped (but really lousy shots) and well fed pursuers. The ending was pat and predictable. Enough gore and bloodshed to satisfy even the most hungry mass murderer watching. I kept wondering, what kind of sick mind keeps making the same movie over and over--all Gibson's movies seem to have no other point that to kill and gore and behead and sever as many limbs as possible under the guise of pretending to tell a story.

Don't know - don't care.......2007-07-08

The one star rating is meaningless - I had to give the film some rating to submit the review.
This film may be wonderful. I wouldn't know. I do my best not to buy or watch work from rabid racist anti-semites. I haven't seen Triumph of the Will or Olypiad. Most likely am missing some very important visual art. And I most likely have bought, used and seen all sorts of work by people who were/are racists.Just try my best not to support such people. There are enough film and other masterpieces out there that I will never have time to experience them all. I will never have the time - after all, starting all the wars - and he meant it - is a rather considerable undertaking.

Letters from Iwo Jima (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great historical WWII film
Excise the PC section...
Definitely Worth Watching
Good movie, not historicly correct
Worst I've seen by Clint Eastwood

Letters from Iwo Jima (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Ken Watanabe , Kazunari Ninomiya , Tsuyoshi Ihara , Ryo Kase , and Shido Nakamura
Director: Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)
Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (Widescreen Edition)
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ASIN: B00005JPKE
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

Critically hailed as an instant classic, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima is a masterwork of uncommon humanity and a harrowing, unforgettable indictment of the horrors of war. In an unprecedented demonstration of worldly citizenship, Eastwood (from a spare, tightly focused screenplay by first-time screenwriter Iris Yamashita) has crafted a truly Japanese film, with Japanese dialogue (with subtitles) and filmed in a contemplative Japanese style, serving as both complement and counterpoint to Eastwood's previously released companion film Flags of Our Fathers. Where the earlier film employed a complex non-linear structure and epic-scale production values to dramatize one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and its traumatic impact on American soldiers, Letters reveals the battle of Iwo Jima from the tunnel- and cave-dwelling perspective of the Japanese, hopelessly outnumbered, deprived of reinforcements, and doomed to die in inevitable defeat. While maintaining many of the traditions of the conventional war drama, Eastwood extends his sympathetic touch to humanize "the enemy," revealing the internal and external conflicts of soldiers and officers alike, forced by circumstance to sacrifice themselves or defend their honor against insurmountable odds. From the weary reluctance of a young recruit named Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) to the dignified yet desperately anguished strategy of Japanese commander Tadamichi Kuribayashi (played by Oscar-nominated The Last Samurai costar Ken Watanabe), whose letters home inspired the film's title and present-day framing device, Letters from Iwo Jima (which conveys the bleakness of battle through a near-total absence of color) steadfastly avoids the glorification of war while paying honorable tribute to ill-fated men who can only dream of the comforts of home. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
Like the film itself, the two-disc special edition of Letters from Iwo Jima is predominantly Japanese in content, and that's as it should be. Disc 1 presents the film in a flawless widescreen transfer, with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack that perfectly captures the film's wide dynamic range. The optional subtitles can be turned off for those wishing to immerse themselves in a completely Japanese viewing experience. Disc 2 opens with "Red Sun, Black Sand: The Making of Letters from Iwo Jima," a 20-minute behind-the-scenes documentary that concisely covers all aspects of production, from director Clint Eastwood's initial decision to create a companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers, to interview comments from principal cast and crew, the latter including Flags screenwriters Paul Haggis and Letters screenwriter Iris Yamashita, costume designer Deborah Hopper, editor Joel Cox, cinematographer Tom Stern, production designer James Murakami (taking over for the ailing Henry Bumstead), and coproducer Rob Lorenz. "The Faces of Combat" is an 18-minute featurette about selecting the Japanese (and Japanese-American) cast of Letters, and how they were chosen through the international collaboration of Eastwood's long-time casting director Phyllis Huffman (who turned over some of her duties to her son while struggling with terminal illness) and Japanese casting associate Yumi Takada, who filled important roles with Japanese celebrities (like pop star Kazunari Ninomiya, who plays "Saigo") and unknown actors alike.

"Images from the Frontlines" is a 3.5-minute montage of images from the film and behind-the-scenes, set to the sparse piano theme of Eastwood's original score. The remaining bonus features chronicle the world premiere of Letters in Tokyo on November 15, 2006. The premiere itself is covered in a 16-minute featurette taped at the famous Budokan arena, where we see the red-carpet procession, a full-capacity audience despite cold November weather, and introductory comments from the film's primary cast and crew, many of them quite moving with regard to the satisfaction of working on a film that helps Japanese viewers come to terms with a painful chapter of their history. The following day's press conference (at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo hotel) is a 24-minute Q&A session covering much of the same territory, with additional testimony from principal cast & crew. Throughout this two-day event, it's clear that Eastwood (referring to himself as "a Japanese director who doesn't speak the Japanese language") was warmly embraced by the Japanese, and that Letters from Iwo Jima had served its intended purpose, reminding us of the horrors of war while uniting both Japanese and Americans in somber reflection, 61 years after the battle of Iwo Jima. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima tells the untold story of the Japanese soldiers who defended their homeland against invading American forces during World War II. With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of Iwo Jima itself, the unprecedented tactics of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe, The Last Samurai) and his men transform what was predicted to be a swift defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic and resourceful combat. Their sacrifices, struggles, courage and compassion live on in the taut, gripping film Rolling Stone calls "unique and unforgettable." It is the powerful companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers.

Customer Reviews:

Great historical WWII film.......2007-07-07

Well I never learned any of this in history class!! An Amazing look into the hearts and minds of the Japanese. Really wonderful and lovingly done. My heart broke for them, for the way they fought even though it was a complete loss. A great companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers.

Excise the PC section..........2007-07-07

And you would have had a decent picture of the Japanese side of Iwo Jima. But, a thoroughly unneccesary section of the film where first a captured Marine is treated humanely by Baron Nishi, and then shortly thereafter, surrendered Japanese prisoners are executed by another Marine, sits in politically correct smugness smack in the middle of an otherwise decent film. It may make the "anti-war" message, but it rang false, and at that point the film faltered. True, earlier a Marine captive was shown beaten and bayoneted, but this was juxtaposed with another Japanese being burned to death, as if the Marine captive was being punished for that death. The reality of these battles was something else.

The historian William Manchester was a young Marine in the Pacific and in his book, Goodbye Darkness, about his experiences said that there was a tacit understanding between the Marines and Japanese in the island campaigns: neither side took many prisoners. At least while the battle was raging. That was just the way it was. Each campaign was a fight to the death. He also pointed out that the Marines always had help from native islanders against the Japanese, not because the islanders loved Marines or even knew what an American was, but because they hated the Japanese because of their brutality toward these conquered peoples.

Too bad, because otherwise this was a fine film pretty fairly showing the view from the other side of the cultural divide. It demonstrates the crazy waste and harshness of the Bushido code, most especially as it is sternly and unthinkingly applied to the average drafted Japanese soldier. It illustrates how these unyielding notions caused the needless sacrifice of their own troops in forced personal suicide and suicidal frontal assaults on fixed positions. It also showed the human dimension of these men left to do nothing else but die on that sulfurous rock. I had no problems with those elements of the film that depicted the common humanity of men with families and love of their country.

I liked the view of the unconventional General Kuribayashi's strategy, often undone by the willfully obtuse views of his own officers, and the equally effective view of life as lived by the common soldier, often starved and beaten by these same latter day samurai. The action scenes, as in Flags of Our Fathers, were well done and the production design I so admired in that film is, of course, still present here.

I liked the actors and the interplay between them. I admire the production values and this is often a quiet and interesting film. I certainly have no problem with seeing the flip side of the battle depicted in Flags of Our Fathers. I think the film was doing quite well in depicting the humanity of soldiers who, by and large, would rather be home or anywhere else. It didn't need any extra "message" slipped in, and while it might not bother others, I found it an unneccessary excess plea, and a bit disingenuous. At any rate, the film is worth seeing.

Definitely Worth Watching.......2007-07-05

Letters From Iwo Jima is dark. It is claustrophobic. It is gritty and painful and full of rocking explosions and the clatter of machine guns. It tells the story of Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima fighting for honor and to return home.

The characterizations were moving and original. The people in the film truly were human and showed the impact that war takes on the spirit. The atmosphere communicates completely the desperation and hopelessness of the soldiers and the numbing feeling of being so long in battle.

The script and the acting were both excellent and believable. I applaud the casting of Ninomiya Kazunari as Saigo, one of the main characters, a young soldier who just wants to return home to his wife and unborn child. Though the blurb on the back of the DVD case doesn't even mention Saigo, his story is part of the main focus of the story. I am very proud of Nino for being cast in this role. He is one of the reasons I saw this movie and I was not disappointed.

All in all, Letters is not a fun movie to watch. It's dark and bleak but it's a movie that most people, at least in the U.S. and Japan, should see. In the end, it is heart-wrenching and I was very glad that I'd seen it. It humanizes the war and makes you face the reality that our enemies of the time suffered as much as we did. As many have said, it tells the "other side of the story," and it's a story that we need to hear.

Good movie, not historicly correct.......2007-07-04

Not as good as Flags of Our Fathers, it doesn't show the true brutality of the Japanese. Its view is very sympithetic to the Japanese, but still a good movie.

Worst I've seen by Clint Eastwood.......2007-07-04

Watched for 1hour 14 minutes in disappointment. The script is terrible. Don't make the mistake of watching this movie. Why all the hype? How can this be a Clint Eastwood directed movie? Firstly, this movie makes fun of sacrifice. It makes fun of the Japanese commitment to Japan. For sure I do not know precisely what happened at Iwo Jima, all I know is that 22000 fought till only 216 remained. That is a victory. As big as the firefighters of 9/11. It is something, it seems that Clint Eastwood, that willingly directed this movie, will never understand. Having no choice in life but to die honorably.

Iwo Jima was a last-stand before the enemy reached Japan, much like the Alamo. Soldiers don't harbor anti-war sentiment when your home and family is threatened - you pull together. Fight and die together. I didn't get the idea that there were 22000 soldiers on the island. The American forces were realistically depicted. This is a clear anti-war movie - only problem is that it makes fun of the commitment of a die-hard enemy facing destruction.

Average customer rating:

Mel Gibson did again.
Wow
Apocalypto (Blu-ray) excellent
Take a Trip in a New World
I enjoyed watching this movie in hi-def

Mel Gibson's Apocalypto [Blu-ray]
Starring: Raoul Trujillo , Fernando Hernandez , Gerardo Taracena , Rudy Youngblood , and Dalia Hernandez
Director: Mel Gibson
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]

ASIN: B000NQQ4ME
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Product description

From Mel Gibson, director of The Passion Of The Christ and the Academy Award® winning Braveheart (Best Director, Best Picture, 1995) comes the thrilling historical epic Apocalypto. This intense, nonstop action-adventure transports you to an ancient South American civilization, for an experience unlike anything you've ever known. In the twilight of the mysterious Mayan culture, young Jaguar Paw is captured and taken to the great Mayan city where he faces a harrowing end. Driven by the power of his love for his wife and son, he makes an adrenaline-soaked, heart-racing escape to rescue them and ultimately save his way of life. Filled with unrelenting action and stunning cinematography, Apocalypto is an enthralling and unforgettable film experience.

Customer Reviews:

Mel Gibson did again........2007-07-09

Feel like living in the Maya world, though fictional, story is touching and real, great on blu-ray format.

Wow.......2007-07-07

Went into this movie blind, knew nothing about it, never read a review, I just bought it because I wanted to increase my blu ray library and may I say its has become one of my favourite movies I own. The picture and sound quality is up there with the best blu ray has to offer and as for the movie itself its a fantastic story that draws you in with lighthearted humor at the beginning then turns to an edge of your seat experience showcasing the brutality of ancient civilizations. One word of warning is that the entire film is in the mayan language with english subtitles.It didn't bother me and to be honest i was so into the story i didnt even notice it but if you cant be bothered reading something once in a while you might find it hard to follow the story.

Apocalypto (Blu-ray) excellent.......2007-07-05

Interesting movie. Great visuals. Captions not at all distracting. Good to show off HDTV. Great ending.

Take a Trip in a New World.......2007-07-03

That Movie gives you a New Experience in watching a Movie. Soon this Move brings you to a never seen before World. Everything seems to be real as you watching the Movie. Sound and Picture are how Blu-Ray should be...
Take the Trip....
But beware, if you don't like Movie's in Original Language(Maya) with English Subtitel...but give this Movie a try

I enjoyed watching this movie in hi-def.......2007-07-03

This was the first time I have seen this movie. It has a good story line, and the battles were realistic. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

Average customer rating:

THE Shaolin Temple movie
Gordon Liu Pre-Kill Bill 1+2
AKA Master Killer
One of the best kung fu movies I've seen...

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
Starring: Gordon Liu , and Lo Lieh
Director: Lau Kar Leung
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000MM0LEG
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Customer Reviews:

THE Shaolin Temple movie.......2007-06-27

Gordon Liu (also known as Lau Kar Fai) stars as a young man who's friends and family have been killed by the new government. He wakes up at the Shaolin Temple, a place he has only heard about a couple of times. When he realizes he is at the best place possible to learn kung fu, he begs and begs to learn so that he can revenge his family. He does finally get taught, but has to start with the basics. Every part of his body must become stronger before he can learn how to fight. After he finishes the first stages of training in record time, he is now highly respected and moves onto learning actual fighting styles. He breezes through this and becomes a great fighter in only 5 years or so. This is not one of those movies that has 1 or 2 training sequences. Gordon is shown in at least 13 of the chambers and half of the movie is spent at Shaolin. So after he has become a master fighter, he is given a high honor and told that he can become second in charge of any of the 35 chambers. A senior monk played by the great Lee Hoi San objects to this and says that he can't have this honor unless Gordon defeats him in a weapons duel. Lee Hoi San does not play a villain, but he does not think that Gordon is a good enough fighter to receive so much praise. His plan works better than he could have ever imagined. He ends up helping Gordon improve as a fighter and as a person. Gordon is told he can leave Shaolin now, and he goes to take revenge on the evil General who killed his family.

One thing that sets this movie apart is that it tries to be a real movie, and it succeeds. Watching Gordon grow up into a man is remarkable to see. The commentators didn't notice, but a lot of the stuff in this movie is very real. When Gordon has to use the pole with the wieght on the end to hit the bell over and over again, that is a real weight on the end of the pole! Gordon talks in the interview (included on this disc) about how the sabres that Lo Lieh uses in the final fight are real, and it just makes the movie that much better. Dont expect your average tale of revenge. I was touched deeply when I first saw this and there are not many kung fu movies that have as much meaning and feeling.

Rating- 5/5

Picture quality is remastered very well. It does get a bit darker and lighter in some scenes, but other than slight print damage once or twice, the picture quality is perfect. The Mandarin, Cantonese and English tracks all sound excellent. In fact, I have never heard the English dub sound this good. The subtitles should have been written better, and the English dub is actually a better translation. They are not horribly written, but could have been a lot better. I am not complaining though since this is the only fault on the DVD.

Special features include a great commentary from The RZA and this Andy Klein guy who does not know very much about the genre. Luckily RZA is there to help him point out actors like Lau Kar Wing, Wilson Tong and Hsiao Hou. I found the commmentary enjoyable. RZA talks about his experiences with this movie, and he is definitely a 36th Chamber expert. And I found it pretty funny that he seems to think Gordon Liu is a monk in real life.

The 17 minute interview with Gordon Liu is very interesting. He talks about many things such as training day and night and how great of an honor it was to work with a megastar like Lo Lieh. Gordon skips over the years like people should know what he is talking about, but just in case you don't, I will fill you in. In 1974 Lau Kar Leung was Chang Cheh's top action director and Gordon Liu was cast as a villain alongside Johnny Wang Lung Wei and Leung Kar Yan in movies like '7 Man Army'. When Lau Kar Leung split up with Chang Cheh he started directing his own movies for the Shaw Brothers, starting with 'Spiritual Boxer'. In his next movie 'Challenge of the Masters', Lau Kar Leung cast his younger adopted brother Gordon Liu as the lead. This is what led to Gordon becoming the star of 'The 36th Chamber of Shaolin', the greatest Shaolin Temple movie ever made.

There is a 17 minute documentary on Shaolin that is basically another 17 minutes of awesome info from Gordon Liu.

The 8 minute interview with film critic/scholars Andy Klein and David Shute is a very good description of how great of a movie this is.

The RZA gets a 10 minute interview where he talks about where he first started watching these movies and also gives his thoughts on the Shaw Brothers and explains why the Master Killer in his rap group took that name.

The trailers are the best special feature. The trailer for 'Shaolin Mantis' is very unique. Instead of showing clips from the movie, the actors introduce what kind of kung fu styles are going to be used (be sure to look for Lily Li!). Lau Kar Leung is the director of 'Shaolin Mantis' and doesn't even have a role in the movie, but he gets to show off his ultra awesome kung fu skills quite a bit in the trailer. I think I have watched this trailer about 50 times, and I will eventually master that Shadow style!

Also included are ORIGINAL trailers for 'The 36th Chamber', 'Return to the 36th Chamber', 'Disciples of the 36th Chamber', '8 Diagram Pole Fighter', 'My Young Auntie', 'One Armed Swordsman', 'Infernal Affairs 3' and the original Master Killer US TV commercial.

The last special feature is a gallery of original movie posters and movie stills.

Gordon Liu Pre-Kill Bill 1+2.......2007-06-21

Here he is in his most important role EVER!!!! OK well that's a matter of opinion but it is in this movie that gordon Liu cements his position in the martial arts movie lexicon by totally nailing this role. He would go on to play a mon many times after this but this is the best of those movies, hands down. For years it's only been available in the dubbed version that many of us probalby saw many years ago. but this beautifully restored and fully remastered version should be a part of every martial arts fans movie collection.

AKA Master Killer.......2007-06-21

This is an excellent martial arts classic. It is a must see flick. Typical of martial arts films, there is a training period, and the training this young monk endures is quite interesting and entertaining (don't want to give anything away).

It is one of the few martial arts films I can watch over and over. There are some moderately humorous parts that keep things moving along (not as funny as Jackie Chan, but still some fun).

If you haven't seen this one, you should.

One of the best kung fu movies I've seen..........2007-06-19

What can I say about this movie that hasn't been said before? A classic. Yes. Influential? Absolutely. Entertaining? Most definitely. This movie is as good a place to start as any if you're interested in the Kung Fu cinema. And if you're already into Kung Fu, you've probably heard of this in the least, and I can't imagine why you haven't seen it. As to this release, really the best I've seen. The picture and sound are great, and the language option is nice. Most of the features are nice as well. Though I don't know how useful the Wu-tang clan video was. Still...a worthy DVD to a great movie.

Average customer rating:

Adorable
The best Movie!
Rent it first
A great movie
Very French, very charming, very funny!

Amelie
Starring: Audrey Tautou , Mathieu Kassovitz , Rufus , Lorella Cravotta , and Serge Merlin
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000640VO
Release Date: 2002-07-16

Amazon.com

Perhaps the most charming movie of all time, Amélie is certainly one of the top 10. The title character (the bashful and impish Audrey Tautou) is a single waitress who decides to help other lonely people fix their lives. Her widowed father yearns to travel but won't, so to inspire the old man she sends his garden gnome on a tour of the world; with whispered gossip, she brings together two cranky regulars at her café; she reverses the doorknobs and reprograms the speed dial of a grocer who's mean to his assistant. Gradually she realizes her own life needs fixing, and a chance meeting leads to her most elaborate stratagem of all. This is a deeply wonderful movie, an illuminating mix of magic and pragmatism. Fans of the director's previous films (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children) will not be disappointed; newcomers will be delighted. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay, this magical comedy earned overwhelming acclaim nationwide! A painfully shy waitress working at a tiny Paris cafe, Amélie makes a surprising discovery and sees her life drastically changed for the better! From then on, Amélie dedicates herself to helping others find happiness ... in the most delightfully unexpected way! But will she have the courage to do for herself what she has done for others?

Customer Reviews:

Adorable.......2007-07-06

A film of unexpected joys, random kindnesses, serendipity, random beauty, and the occasional indulgence in well-deserved revenge (but in a sweet way). There's more depth here than you might expect coming into it, but what it comes right down to is a lighthearted look at the little things in life that make it sweet.

The best Movie!.......2007-06-28

This movie is a MUST watch and buy!! It is in my top 5 list of fav movies, and comes in 2nd place, after True Romance. My boyfriend and I watch it all the time and love seeing new things in it eachtime! It's SO AWESOME!!

Rent it first.......2007-06-10

This movie is good, but I don't see myself watching it again. I should have just rented it.

A great movie.......2007-06-06

I don't even like reading subtitles, but this movie is so awesome I don't mind it. Buy it!

Very French, very charming, very funny!.......2007-05-28

This movie is a definite must-not-miss. It's a very French, very feel-good, very colorful romantic comedy. The colors in this movie are so inviting and the characters are very quirky! Pop this movie in whenever you're feeling down...it'll definitely cheer you up :)

La Jetee/Sans Soleil (Criterion Collection)

Average customer rating:

Way overdue, indeed...
Stunning
One of the most moving, esoteric, and unique science fiction films ever made...
Way overdue

La Jetee/Sans Soleil (Criterion Collection)
Starring: Alexandra Stewart , Riyoko Ikeda , Florence Delay , Arielle Dombasle , and Charlotte Kerr
Director: Chris Marker
Manufacturer: Criterion Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000OPPADS
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Description

One of the most influential, radical science-fiction films ever made and a mind-bending free-form travelogue, La jetée (The Jetty) and Sans soleil (Sunless) couldn't seem more different—yet they're the twin pillars of one of the most daring and uncompromising careers in cinema history. Chris Marker, filmmaker, poet, novelist, photographer, editor, and now videographer and digital multimedia artist, has been challenging moviegoers, philosophers, and himself for years with his complex queries about time, memory, and the rapid advancement of life on this planet. These two films—a tale of time travel told in still images and a journey to Africa and Japan—remain his best-loved and most widely seen.

Customer Reviews:

Way overdue, indeed..........2007-06-27

...and it's a great package, tasteful and appropriate to the content, which is all new digital transfers of both image and sound. The pamphlet is over 40 pages of worthwhile essays, a couple of them by Chris Marker himself. There's also an interview with Marker displaying his rich and light personality--the fellow seems to like to talk, and says many true, wise and funny things.

Stunning.......2007-05-26

Sans Soleil has long been one of my favourite films. Superlatives barely begin to scratch the surface, but it is surreal, haunting, poignant, ethereal and unlike any other 'documentary' you have seen or are ever likely too. The film is ultimately about the heartbreaking beauty of the time and place in which we (do or do not) exist. Featuring Marker's central preoccupations of time, space and memory, Sans Soleil needs to be seen to be believed.

One of the most moving, esoteric, and unique science fiction films ever made..........2007-05-12

I am very happy that Chris Marker's La Jette (and Sans Soleil) are on DVD. La Jetee is a wonderful, incredibly haunting film. It can easily be classified as one of the greatest science fiction films ever made in my opinion. It only runs 28 minutes, and is composed of nothing but still images and narration (except for one shot), yet the universe is contained within it. It's that rare cerebral science fiction that hardly gets made these days, along the lines of 2001, Blade Runner, and Solaris (Tarkovsky's version). It was the inspiration for Twelve Monkeys, and while Monkeys is a great film in itself, La Jetee is much more haunting and moving. It's wonderful to be able to see La Jetee in a proper transfer.

Way overdue.......2007-05-09

Simply stated, this disc features two of the greatest films of the 20th Century. La Jetee is often called a "science fiction" film while Sans Soleil is labeled as a "documentary", however both films defy these simple descriptions. While very different in form, both La Jetee and Sans Soleil will challenge your ideas of memory and time and spacial relationships. These films are absolutely critical viewing for discerning film fans. Kudos to Criterion for finally bringing these films to the U.S. I only wish that other films such as "La Mystere Koumiko" by Marker will follow.

The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (Fando y Lis / El Topo / The Holy Mountain)

Average customer rating:

ahhhhhh
Complex Mexican Religious Allegory
Cool looking movies
save your money
El Topo changed my mind

The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (Fando y Lis / El Topo / The Holy Mountain)
Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NY1E9E
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Amazon.com

How can so much mysticism be contained in a simple DVD box set? The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky is a divine collection of the director's early films, restored and ready for repeated viewings. For it does take several viewings to imbue Jodorowky's invented archetypes with personal meaning and to familiarize oneself with his avant-garde approach to communicating artistic concepts. In this box, El Topo and Holy Mountain, Jodorowsky's stories of spiritual journeys through barren deserts, are paired with Fando Y Lis and La Cravate, a never before seen gem from the 1950s. This alone justifies the box set. La Cravate is a Technicolor tale of a man whose sadistic girfriend urges him to visit the head shop to shop for a new head. Miming his way through rows of living human heads, and trying several on with the help of a shop manager skilled in stitching skin, this Frankensteinian story establishes Jodorowsky's affinity for pitting effusive love against cruelty for maximum tension between involved characters. Fando Y Lis, on the other hand, is an early version of the later two masterpieces, about a couple whose quest for an imaginary land in the future, called Tar, introduces them to wizened forest masters, wild packs of women bowling, and enlightened drag queens. Filmed in black and white, Fando Y Lis proves that Jodorowsky's radical use of color in El Topo and Holy Mountain is no simple trope. Here, he relies more heavily on dramatic physical action, including miming and a paraplegic protagonist who is wheeled around in a wagon by her lover.

The box set contains the film soundtracks, director commentaries, and several interviews with Jodorowsky, including the documentary, La Constellation, in which he discusses his reliance on intuition, the notion of absurdism versus mystery, and his infamous usage of violence, which he eloquently explains as creative violence versus the destructive. Though this talented director refuses the claim that he is a mystic, it becomes clear in watching this body of work that he is achieving the sublime in a visually transcendental fashion. --Trinie Dalton

Description

Among the extras included in this collector's box is previously unseen footage, a feature on the restoration process, an exclusive interview with Jodorowsky, optional director commentary tracks, subtitles, two special CDs of the films' soundtracks and a separate DVD of the first film ever made by Jodorowsky, La Cravate.

EL TOPO:
-Original theatrical trailer- English V.O.
-2006 on camera interview with Jodorowsky (Language English/English subtitles)
-Photo Gallery/Original script excerpts
-Exclusive interview with Alejandro Jodorowsky

THE HOLY MOUNTAIN
- Deleted scenes with director commentary (Language: Spanish with optional EN, SP, FR & BR PORT subtitles)
- Original theatrical trailer -English V.O
- The Tarot short with director commentary (Language: Spanish with optional EN, SP, FR & BR PORT subtitles)
- Restoration process short (Original Language English)
- Photo Gallery / Original Script excerpts
- Restoration Credits

FANDO Y LIS
-La Constellation Jodorowsky documentary
-Original language French and English Stereo

TWO AUDIO CDS
- El Topo soundtrack
- The Holy Mountain soundtrack

Customer Reviews:

ahhhhhh .......2007-07-05

Goodbye to my crappy bootleg versions of Holy Mt and el Topo. The images and sound on the new DVD's are simply great........enjoy

Complex Mexican Religious Allegory.......2007-06-29

***This Review May Contain Spoilers***

El Topo is the classic Mexican film hailed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono enough that it was shown at midnight in many cinemas for years. It is often credited as starting the midnight movie countercultural that helped bring attention to, and build cult film audiences for movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and David Lynch's Eraserhead. In that respect it is far from a mainstream film but it got enough attention that it is celebrated even today. I feel that this is with good reason, as El Topo is one of best films ever made. Alejandro Jodorowsky directs and stars as the title character.

El Topo begins with its eponymous character in the desert with his son. He tells the boy to bury a picture of his mother and his toy in the sand as now it is time for him to become a man. The boy is vulnerable but El Topo leads him by example while protecting him in their various interactions with others. The film understands the western genre and the machismo that often accompanies it. El Topo is one bad cowboy who can guarantee protection for anyone he cares about. So it really sucks when he soon leaves his son behind with a bunch of monks after emasculating some evil banditos. He leaves with a girl he saved and he names her Mara. Mara loves El Topo for being the alpha male that he is, so she convinces him to kill the four best gunslingers so he can be baddest cowboy of them all. He manages to defeat them in various significant ways. These scenes are rich in biblical and other religious references and operate allegorically to show that being a bad cowboy isn't really all it's cracked up to be. Nevertheless, for better or worse, El Topo kills all four of them and begins to learn four specific lessons along the way. He begins to feel guilty and while he is caught off guard during the beginning stages of his enlightenment, he is defeated by the unknown woman who followed El Topo and Mara during their journey. Viewing El Topo as vulnerable, Mara betrays him and leaves with this unknown woman gunslinger. El Topo's battered and shot up body is taken away to a cave by a multitude of unseemly characters.

Macrocosmically, the journey for El Topo overall suggests that his travels represent the rise and trials of Judeo-Christian theologies, with the son representing new Judeo-Christianity and El Topo representing the old philosphies. The second half of the film seems to comment on more contemporary dealings and even anticipates what will happen in the future. How will El Topo's son grow? How will he react to the father who abandoned him but who has himself grown? How will the dominant faith evolve? How will it maintain its truth and purity with humanity at the wheel?

In the literal sense, the second half of El Topo forwards to a few years later after he is brought to a cave by this band of deformed pariahs. When he wakes up we soon realize that El Topo is a different man. He shaves off his beard and head and dresses as a monk. He makes a plan to free these people from their cave so they can join the community outside. He plans to fund the building of a tunnel to free these people. He does this by going to the town with his dwarven girlfriend to entertain them with comedy and dancing, among other small jobs. The town itself is by no means a utopia as it is wrought with slavery and violence. A new priest at the church in town is revealed to be El Topo's own son who he abandoned years earlier. El Topo's son plans to kill him but he decides not to do so until the tunnel is complete. The tunnel gets finished and El Topo's son decides not to kill him. Meanwhile, the deformed people are free and as they head to the town the villagers there begin to shoot and kill all of them, to El Topo's dismay. El Topo unleashes his vengeance on the villagers, killing them all and in the process freeing their slaves. El Topo then lights himself on fire, which was a timely parallel to the Buddhist monks who did the same in protest of the Vietnam War. During his death, El Topo's new son is born to his dwarven girlfriend. If the Buddhist references are consistent then this would suggest that El Topo is reincarnated as his own son and religious truth will continue to surface again.

I think it is important to note that the content in El Topo could be perceived as both perplexing and offensive to many movie-goers. Alejandro Jodorowsky kills real animals, uses real deformed and dwarfed people, and liberally applies nudity and violence throughout. It doesn't offend me at all but I knew my wife wouldn't like it and I understand why, so I mention it here just in case.

El Topo is a complex story with many odd details as well as many religious references and metaphors that comment on a larger scale as I noted earlier. I've seen it many times and in my first few viewings I didn't understand it and thought it was entertaining but pretentious. It is not pretentious. Microcosmically, El Topo is a film about a human being finding himself, and finding out all alone what it means to be alive. It is about independently becoming a good man as a good man is defined in the eyes of Alejandro Jodorowsky. It is obviously a deeply personal film for its director and it may not touch on elements personal to everyone in its audience, but it definitely did for me. Jodorowsky invokes religious references as a vehicle to express his own torments and challenges and how the enlightment experience for El Topo is merely mirroring his own experiences. It's commentary addresses oceans of issues in many layers. Conjuring up the imagination to produce this web of ideas so alive is indeed an ambitious undertaking. I find El Topo to be profoundly inspiring in a way that few films are. Its significance alone should at least justify one viewing for you and I hope you get the same satisfaction that I did. Perhaps you will like it enough to enjoy El Topo again and again.

Cool looking movies.......2007-06-15

These movies are cool. If oyu have like 50 bucks that you wouldnt mind parting with, spend it on this collection. You wont regret it as long as you like movies that dont necessarily make sense, but look pretty amazing.

save your money.......2007-06-13

........not woth the dough in my opinion............a few sequences of interesting imagery consting of about 15 minutes total time.......all art is open to interpretation but this slab of filmmaking did not do it for me....could not connect with any of the characters and the plot/non plot did not lead me in but a few interesting areas.

El Topo changed my mind.......2007-06-12

Through weird circumstances, I saw El Topo 3 times when I was 13 years old.
THIS IS NOT A FILM FOR 13 YEAR OLDS!. Unless you want to introduce them to
a way of thinking that is incredibly expansive, confusing(in a good way)
and ripe. It's violent, it's disturbing, it's mind blowing (and I don't
use that phrase easily). I am convinced that seeing it just when I was
starting to be a teenager, changed the way I think.
The director, Alejandro Jodorowsky said in an interview, that this film is like taking
acid, someone can give you the tab, but they can't give you the trip. Over
the years, I would see El Topo whenever it came to a revival house and
always I would get more out of it. I could never really say I understood
it better, but it would always set the gears running.
This is not to say that there is no story to follow. Ostensibly it's the story of a gun
slinger who wants to challenge the great master gunslingers to see if he is
the best. That's the first 1/2. The second 1/2 is almost like a different
film except it reflects a complete spiritual rebirth of the gunslinger. I
remember reading something that said the film was divided into Old
Testament and New Testament.
If you want to think, be surprised and fascinated, be disgusted and
delighted, be challenged and changed, see this film. It's definitely a film
worth owning because you will want to see it several times.

Jodorowsky has gone on to being a bit of a leader of a philosophical group
in Paris as well as one of the most respected writers of French Comics-
which is an entirely different, and in some ways more respected genre than
in the States

Average customer rating:

Undoubtedly the best movie I've ever seen.
Mom's under the bed
beautiful
It is the unexpected that makes the movie good ... but ....
terrific or horrific? - spoiler alert

Volver
Starring: Penélope Cruz , Carmen Maura , Lola Dueñas , Blanca Portillo , and Yohana Cobo
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000N3T0DW
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Amazon.com

Spanish for "Coming Back," Volver is a return to the all-female format of All About My Mother. Unlike Pedro Almodóvar's previous two pictures, the story revolves around a group of women in Madrid and his native La Mancha. (The cast received a collective best actress award at Cannes.) Raimunda (a zaftig Penélope Cruz) is the engine powering this heartfelt, yet humorous vehicle. When husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre) is murdered, Raimunda makes like Mildred Pierce to deflect attention away from daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). After telling everyone the lout has left, she struggles to conceal his body. The other women in her life all have secrets of their own. Her sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), for instance, has taken in their mother, Irene (a sprightly Carmen Maura). Since Irene perished in a fire, is this person a ghost or simply a woman who looks like her? Then there's their childhood friend, Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who is desperate to find out why her mother disappeared after the blaze. Was she responsible? Almodóvar deftly blends the ghost story with the murder mystery in his tribute to the Italian neo-realist films of the 1950s. The resilient Raimunda is a throwback to the earthy heroines of Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. The latter appears in Luchino Visconti's Bellissima, which shows up on Sole's television one night (thus confirming the link). If Almodóvar's 16th feature lacks the emotional punch of the more audacious Talk to Her, it's less heavy-handed than Bad Education and Cruz is a revelation. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Undoubtedly the best movie I've ever seen. .......2007-07-05

The beauty of life is magnificently captured in legendary director Pedro Almodóvar's latest international sensation, "Volver." Almodóvar is known for his quirky, fascinating and extremely moving films that appeal to all people of all cultures. "Volver" is his best film to date, and it is, without a doubt, the best movie I have ever seen in my life.

I was truly touched by "Volver." The cast is absolutely amazing; for those of you who are not of Hispanic or Spanish origin, it's important for me to stress how much of an icon both Almodóvar, Carmen Maura (Irene), Penélope Cruz (Raimunda) and Blanca Portillo (Augustina) are. This cast, and the director, are the best that Spain, and the international film scene, can offer.

The story is so moving, so adventurous, so captivating that, if I were to disclose even one small tid-bit of information about how the movie begins or how the plot develops, I would be revealing too much. You will have to trust me when I say that this is a powerful movie about the bonds that form between generations of women, women struggling with life's many trials and tribulations.

Seeing this movie released internationally has truly been an amazing experience for all people of Latin heritage, as the prowess of the Spanish film scene is finally being revealed.

If you ever had a doubt about watching "Volver," remove it from your mind, and watch "Volver" now!

Mom's under the bed.......2007-06-12

I was set on avoiding this one. I admired Almodovar's past few movies but found them fairly dreary to sit through, and this sounded like more of the same, and the "celebration of mothers" as I had heard this one was--blech! But a friend of mine wanted to see it on Christmas Day, so whatever, I thought I could sit through it. And surprise, not only did I love it, it went straight to the top of my own personal Best of 2006 list.

It's hard to describe the story, because it is so mundane and yet complicated at the same time. Penelope Cruz plays Raimunda, who has two daughters, one of whom is Paula, and a husband. At the beginning, she goes to see one of her aunts, the sister of her deceased mother. The girls don't want to see her, and certainly don't want to be close, and in these first few scenes there is a lot of comedy about the ritual of kissing both sides of the face; how uncomfortable it makes people who don't want to do it, and how ridiculous the whole thing is in the first place.

Now I have to decide whether I want to reveal crucial plot points, but you know what, I don't. I think it's a lot better for you to see it and let it unfold on your own.

Here are some observations, though. It's very well-written. There is a subplot involving Raimunda's daughter Paula that sets a lot of the action in motion, and later in the movie it is paralleled by a similar scenario that occurred in the past. One of them reflects and builds off the other. And there are a lot of parallels or contrasts like that in the script, and they all reflect and resonate with each other in a way that is very smart and literary.

It's also sweet and sentimental without being cloying. One really likes the Raimunda character from the start, even when she is imposing on friends or being a little selfish. In fact, some of the most memorable little scenes involve her asking neighbors to give them the groceries out of their refrigerators, and how willing they are to do exactly that. There's a nice, warm and moving vibe to the whole thing that only grows more affecting and emotional as the film wears on.

Cruz is a shot in such a way that is a little ludicrously glamorous [especially when she's working in a laundry or in the kitchen of a restaurant], but you forgive the movie for it because she is SO gorgeous. EVERYONE I know who has seen this movie says "Isn't Penelope Cruz gorgeous?" She is also complex and charming and delivers a wonderful performance--kind of a relief after seeing her poorly used in such things as Blow and Sahara.

There is also a variety of characters and their worries, each of which is portrayed in a sympathetic way that gives you that good, "troubles are part of what life is all about" feeling. The main action of the movie concerns a meeting that comes close to happening on several occasions, and a lot of the pleasant tension is waiting for that meeting to happen. I also like that when it finally does, and one of the characters freaks out and runs away, she soon realizes what she wants and turns back, instead of making the film waste our time while she goes home and thinks about it and calls her friends and writes in her journal or whatever a more Americanized movie might have her do.

I don't know what else to say. This, for me, was one of those movies where I was in love with it by 30 minutes in and it only kept getting better. It encompasses wonderful people and behavior and reprehensible people and behavior, but comes off with a warm and accepting vibe. I don't know, I keep finding myself stopping myself before using hideous professional-movie-critic language such as "humanistic vision," or whatnot, but this was something I was expecting to admire but be emotionally indifferent to, and I came out thinking it was one of the best things I had seen all year. If you like a movie that'll make you walk out happy, have a good and patient feeling about life, and show you a gorgeous woman [who sings a magical song, btw] you really should make an effort to get out to this.

beautiful.......2007-06-10

gorgeous film

great acting

penelope is great in the role and i love almodovar

It is the unexpected that makes the movie good ... but ...........2007-06-07

it's a dark dark film and the viewer doesn't really get to put the pieces together until the end of the film. I think if you read most of the reviews before seeing this film it will, for the most part, spoil it, since many of the reviews let the cat out of the bag.

terrific or horrific? - spoiler alert.......2007-06-01

I am amazed at the emotions that this movie has elicited from the viewers, considering the horror being portrayed. A young teenager has to kill her father in self-defense and later we learn that she is a product of incest, her mother's sister and daughter at once. Is it really a movie about love? or is it about the ordinariness of dispicable behavior and our ability not to see it when presented as a matter of fact. People, wake up from admiring Cruz's cleavage and consider what her character was through!

Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series)

Average customer rating:

Secondhand Lions Review
humor, pathos, heartwarming all the way.
the best
doverlady
FUN Movie

Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring: Michael Caine , Robert Duvall , Haley Joel Osment , Kyra Sedgwick , and Nicky Katt
Director: Tim McCanlies
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000YTP02
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Amazon.com

If you can get past its thick layer of syrup and molasses, Secondhand Lions reveals itself as a thoroughly decent family film that anyone can enjoy. It gets a little sappy sometimes, but there's something to be said for a movie in which Michael Caine and Robert Duvall play eccentric old brothers who take the easy approach to fishing: instead of a peaceful rod and reel, they use 12-gauge shotguns. When 14-year-old Walter (Haley Joel Osment, teetering on puberty) spends an eventful summer with his great-uncles on their vast Texas farmland (he's been dumped there by his delinquent mom, played by Kyra Sedgwick), he soon discovers they've lived lives full of adventure, excitement, passion, and mystery. Either that or they're old-time bank robbers with a long criminal record, and writer-director Tim McCanlies (who invested similar warmth into The Iron Giant) does a nice job of concealing the truth until the very end. Full of enriching lessons and homespun humor, Secondhand Lions has more substance than most family films. If you enjoyed Holes, you'll probably enjoy this movie, too. --Jeff Shannon

Description

This comedic and touching family film follows the adventures of a shy young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to spend the summer with his eccentric uncles (Michael Caine, Robert Duvall). At first shocked by his uncles' unconventional behavior that includes ordering African lions through the mail, the boy soon becomes enthralled with unraveling the mystery that has followed the uncles for years. Hearing tales of their exotic adventures involving kidnapped princesses, Arabian sheiks and lost treasure, not only brings him closer to his uncles but also teaches him what it means to believe in something... whether it's true or not.

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes
Audio Commentary
DVD ROM Features
Deleted Scenes
Documentaries
Easter Eggs
TV Spot
Theatrical Trailer:30 Minutes of Deleted / Alternate Scenes with Optional Filmmaker Commentary Secondhand Lions: One Screenplay's Wild Ride in Hollywood - (documentary) On The Set with "Secondhand Lions" (documentary) Haley Joel Osment: An Actor Comes of Age - (documentary) Filmmaker Commentary with Director Tim McCanlies Visual Effects Comparisons Theatrical Trailer 7 TV Spots

Customer Reviews:

Secondhand Lions Review.......2007-06-27

A thoroughly entertaining story. One that can be viewed over and over. Excellent acting and humorous in many respects. A good family film. I highly recommend this DVD.

humor, pathos, heartwarming all the way........2007-06-14

One of my all-time favorites.Are brothers Hub and Garth liars when they tell stories of adventure and daring to their distant relation, a pre-pubescent boy hurt by a lying mom who abandons him with these two old geezers. And where did they get all their money? The bond that grows between the aging men and the boy gives the boy the boost to manhood he needs, but is his belief in them misplaced? You won't know until the end of the movie. I love the tenderness and toughness of the two wild old characters as they show a wimpy boy what it means to be a real man.

the best.......2007-06-08

Movie can be watched again and again......wish there were movies made these well now.

doverlady.......2007-05-15

This is one of the best movies of all time as far as I am concerned. It never hit the major theaters and I happened upon it by accident. Good for all ages. I am buying this one for a gift for a family who did me a favor.

FUN Movie .......2007-05-14

I bought this movie after renting it because I enjoyed it so much! The curmudgeon uncles played by Michael Caine and Robert Duvall were spectacular, interesting, and always with enough believability to their stories that you wondered if they were true. A warm family story for all ages.

Frankenstein Conquers the World / Frankenstein Vs. Baragon

Average customer rating:

NICE TO SEE THIS ON DVD! KEEP THEM COMING!
Media Blasters does it again
You're kidding me right...?
frankenstein movie
Going to be Tokyo Shock's best release.

Frankenstein Conquers the World / Frankenstein Vs. Baragon
Starring: Tadao Takashima , Nick Adams , Kumi Mizuno , Yoshio Tsuchiya , and Koji Furuhata
Director: Ishirô Honda
Manufacturer: Tokyo Shock
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Godzilla Raids Again

ASIN: B000JU8H7E
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Description

During WWII, a human heart taken from a certain lab in Europe (Dr. Frankenstein's) is kept in a Japanese lab. When it gets exposed to the radiation of the bombing of Hiroshima, the heart grows in size, mutates and sprouts appendages, and eventually grows into a complete body and escapes. Later, a feral boy with a certain physical deformity (a large head with a flat top) is captured by scientists who refer to the boy as Frankenstein. The creature grows to the height of 20 feet, escapes again, fights police and army, and is practically indestructible. Later, a reptilian monster goes on a rampage. Eventually the Frankenstein creature and the reptile face off in a terrible battle.

Customer Reviews:

NICE TO SEE THIS ON DVD! KEEP THEM COMING!.......2007-06-28

I must admit that I liked these ToHo films as a kid,but they are mostly for laughs now.I guess a little for nostalgia too. These Japanese Monster movies are just hysterical! I had not seen this one for many years and I was doubled over with laughter watching it! It is great that they released this film and I would have given it 5 stars,but I remember some different scenes as a kid that ended up in the deleted scenes section of this release. Still all and all a great buy with 3 versions of the film and lots of extra goodies. I would love to see "War Of The Gargantuas", "The Green Slime" and " Yog Monster from Space" released!

Media Blasters does it again.......2007-06-28

Another terrific release from this company. I'm so glad that original Japanese features are finally getting what they deserve. Subtitles too.
Great menus and extras as well.

You're kidding me right...?.......2007-06-22

Yeah I saw this movie when I was about five or seven years old. I'm sure I liked it at the time, but I do not now. "Frankenstein" looks like a John Ratzenber look alike in bad make-up, The monster design for Baragon was better (why did it have to be wasted in this movie). I have never seen the alternate ending with the giant octopus, but it sounds stupid (even for a Toho Monster Movie). In the end, Tokyo Shock may as well be called Tokyo S&^&%.

frankenstein movie.......2007-06-16

i just want to mention that this movie is one of the best that toho productions has ever made as far as science fiction and i would reccomend it to anyone

Going to be Tokyo Shock's best release........2007-06-06

I've been waiting for this movie to come out for quite some time. This movie and War of the Gargantuas. You gotta love the beautiful Ms. Kumi Mizuno. Beside her, the movie is good, one of Toho's best. Add that with the features this DVD is packing. Both Japanese and American releases along with deleted scenes and commentary. A must have for all Toho and movie monster fans. This year has been a blessing for Toho fans with the rereleases of their movies on DVD in widescreen modes and with special features. Grab your friends and a six pack of beer and watch all these rereleased DVDs.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Dancin Thru the Dark

A Horseman Riding By: Parts 1 - 3 Box Set : Video

Deathtrap [P&S] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Sitcom

Crazy People