Devil Girl From Mars - 1954

Nice British 1950's SciFi Flick


A fun movie and decent presentation
With a title like DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS you're not expecting much, so when you get a movie with at least a little bit of substance you're inevitably pleased. Almost a quiet, character ensemble movie buoyed considerably by its rural English setting and its well-defined (if somewhat broadly drawn) characters. Sure, it's a B-movie, but it's not nearly as campy as some would describe - in fact, it's played rather seriously. Overall, not a bad way to pass a Saturday afternoon; great home matinee material.

The DVD presentation is sparse - there's a trailer, and chapter selections, but nothing else. It's tough to justify the list price on this, but it IS a very nice print overall and shows excellent tone and definition. Sound is excellent as well. It goes without saying that it blows away those VHS EP copies out there.

Interesting And Well Acted British Sci Fi Story With A Memorable Lead female Character
Being a 1950's sci fi buff I've long wanted to see this British film produced by "Spartan Productions", but not being your typical, splashy, colour filled production overwhelmed with special effects it has always been hard to find. Despite it's decidely "B", movie title that screams "forgettable cheapie!" this production is in actual fact well done and takes a distinctly different approach to your standard 1950's space saga story telling. Most importantly it has a strong and memorable female lead in the "Devil Girl", of the title played here by a most alluring Patricia Laffan who I have always enjoyed for her playing of the evil Roman Empress Poppea in MGM's collosal production of "Quo Vadis?" in 1951. Unlike many low budget sci fi's from this period this film takes a far less sensational slant in its telling relying more on some interesting character work while of course incorporating the standard element of romance for good measure. Despite the film's obviously limited budget it is...

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Crucible of Terror - Color -1971

Curious oddity grows with repeated viewing -- get the DVD
Victor Clare (former BBC DJ, Mike Raven) is an artist. He "worships" beauty. He wants to "preserve" and "possess" beauty. That's why he never sells his work. It's not his job, it's his devotion. Fortunately, his workload is manageable because his taste in beauty is narrow. No trees or sunsets or daffodils. No landscapes, or still lives, or abstracts. He only paints women. Young women. Young nekkid women. And nothing but.

Hey, he's an artist.

Actually, Victor doesn't just paint. He also sculpts. If you've seen House of Wax (1953), you've got a rough idea of his technique. It's one reason the film is called Crucible of Terror. A crucible is "a vessel used for melting or calcining materials at high temperatures." It's also "the bottom of an ore furnace in which the molten metal collects." Victor owns one of each.

A crucible is also "a severe test or trial." People trapped in a tense, suffocating social setting are said to be in a...

This New Release Does The Film Justice!
A psychotronic gem and a rather original tale in the "mad artist" subgenre of horror film, this is the first version of "Crucible of Terror" not to suffer from ghastly editing and bad prints that have so far been the norm. Having seen the entire film while vacationing in London, I can say that this is 99% intact but I am not complaining about the missing 1%. The print is clear and some of the more erotic and disturbing scenes have not been hacked out. Character actor Ronald Lacey is a hoot as the embittered toad of a son to an equally piggish and megalomaniacal reclusive artist played by former BBC DJ Mike Raven. Raven definitely looks the part and a whole slew of other British character actors round out this macabre tale of art, obsession, and murder most foul. Recommended for lovers of bizarre low-budget cinema!

Bad treatment of a classic psychotronic film.
A good bad film is a thing to treasure, as with this dark gem that shows character actor Ronald Lacey years before he stalked the screen as the Nazi interrogator in Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, this has ten minutes of the original footage edited out and it spoils the whole thing. To discuss it further is pointless. I have heard similar treatment has struck some classic Hammer films as they made their way here. I am very disappointed.

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MINDS OF TERROR

Osvaldo picks-
A breath of fresh air on low budget American horror, 26 October 2008
7/10
Author: osvaldobneto from Brazil

I'm beginning to get tired of movies with the same tired script that was used in a lot of other movies. The only thing that changes is the character names. MINDS OF TERROR is a example of what is possible to do something original and different enough with such a low budget. It's very good to know there is people trying to make the difference on the genre.

Really good editing, camera work and some quality acting, specially Randy Allen (who look as a less ugly Michael Berryman) and Joe Estevez. The "farm story" is a great little short feature to this great little horror movie. I was only a bit disappointed because i read a plot summary talking this was a anthology horror movie, something i think this isn't. The other two stories are way too short, even if they feature people like Conrad Brooks (clearly enjoying himself and having fun with the bit...





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Il Bidone

A.K.A. The Swindle - Overlooked Minor Fellini Classic
Il Bidone aka The Swindle is one of Fellini's least known films and part of his trilogy of loneliness (La Strada and Nights of Cabiria) Nights. .. recently received a complete restoration, limited theatrical release and Criterion DVD release. Il Bidone is available on DVD now, but without a single solitary extra. It's still worth getting though.

I recently revisted Il Bidone (The Swindle) and was mesmerized by it's restrained style, story, and acting. I had forgotten how Fellini had somehow managed to get a superb performance out of Broderick Crawford (who's raging alcoholism in real life caused Fellini to have to make script changes during it's filming -changes Fellini later believed helped the over-all film).

The film begins by introducing us to it's main trio of con men. They perform a masterful swindle where they dress up as priests, to swindle hardworking peasants and farmers. I won't spoil the mechanics of the con, since it's fascinating to watch it unfold and ponder...

Simple and elegant
Il Bidone is a stark, gritty, unyielding portrait of the life of small time con men in Rome. Augusto sees those who've escaped the rounds about him, at forty eight he is far past his prime and just beginning to realize that he has no idea to escape the rut. The movie is very spare, the cons not particularly interesting as cons, but very weighty in symbolism. The script is playful, sly and heartless, until Augusto bumps into his estranged daughter and begins to work his way back towards humanity. That it will cost him dearly is rarely in doubt, but the passage is fascinating to watch.

If you've heard comparisons to The Sting, forget about them. That would be like calling the South Pacific and Lord of the Flies similar since they're both set on islands. Il Bidone does not function as a story of revenge, or as an example of the grand old life of con men. As a piece of neorealism, we can expect a somber mood and only passing happiness, but it is well worth watching the awakening...

I liked it
My friends hassled me for starting off my Fellini collection with Il Bidone but I've seen the classics and have pretty easy access to seeing them any time. Something a little bit more obscure like this one is harder to track down, so I figured that I'd buy it based on the reviews here. I wasn't disappointed. people were pretty accurate in their impressions. The story is told well, the acting is good and it's something that I lok forward to watching many more times.

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El Bulli

Not What You Expected
If you are a real foodie, chef, and someone involved in the business of food you might like this. If you are expecting a Gordon Ramsey or Bourdain style documentary then you will be disappointed. You will not learn how to cook any of what legendary chef, Ferran Adrià, makes at the now retired El Bulli restaurant. The documentary starts with the closing of his restaurant for the season then turns into a dialogue between chefs on the creativity and science of the creation of new dishes. You are like a fly on the wall. Jose Andres operates arguably the most advanced kitchen in the world, very interesting to see how everything comes together, but this film won't be for everyone

Pretty boring.
I really enjoyed Bourdain's documentary about El Bulli,Decoding Ferran Adria: Hosted by Anthony Bourdain (and the episode of No Reservations with Ferran Adria), and in those you really got to see what cooking and eating at El Bulli was like. I also enjoyed Lisa Abend's book The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli. This movie, however, was much less interesting to watch.

The movie is 1hr 50mins long, and all dialogue is in Catalan, Spanish, or French, with English subtitles. The first half of the movie is almost all video of Ferran's sous-chefs working in the lab. There is no narration at all, very little cooking, and it is somewhat tedious to watch. Yes, it is interesting to see what they do, but most of the time it is unclear exactly what they are doing and what ingredients they are...

Ultimate for foodies
If you classify yourself as a foodie, you have got to see this movie. This is where food preparation is takes to almost a scientific level. I do not believe anyone else in the entire world has done this approach to food preparation.
Too bad if you never got to el Bulli, it closed in 2011. The brothers opened Tickets and 41degrees in Barcelona while the featured chefs opened Compartir north of Barcelona, with Faran's blessings to continue along the same path, and not too far from the el Bulli original site.

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The Long Autumn

Very very good short loved it!
I enjoyed the story. It had a very good meaning behind it. The actors were amazing and it moved nicely.





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She Demons

Quintessential B-flick looks better than ever
First off, I'll admit that this is one of my long-time favorite cheesey movies. It's got just about everything you could want in a B-movie: a shipwreck on an uncharted island, spunky heroine (Irish "Sheena" McCalla), stiff-as-cardboard hero, nubile native dancing girls, papier-mache cave walls, lecherous evil scientist, whip-cracking Nazis, embarrassing racial stereotypes, pasty-faced monsters, heart-touching sentimentality, low-key humor, volcanoes, lava, and a Hideously Disfigured Wife, whose face the scientist is trying to restore, natch. This heady mix of numerous beloved B-genres remains probably Richard Cunha's most technically accomplished work, and the most thought-provoking in his oeuvre. ...not as dizzyingly awful as an Ed Wood film, or as leaden as a Herbert L. Strock movie, but campy, enjoyable, rainy-Saturday-afternoon fare nonetheless. Bad film junkies cannot possibly be disappointed. As for the DVD, this has got to be the best presentation yet for this film...

Everything a cult B movie should be
She Demons turned out to be a much better film that I expected it to be. While there is absolutely nothing original about the plot, the film manages to retain one's interest from start to finish. Native girls, a mad Nazi scientist, atavistic she demons, bombs, volcanic eruptions -- what's not to like?

The film opens sort of strangely, with a news report about a recent hurricane followed by a plea for information from some rich guy whose daughter's boat is missing. Then we cut to our shipwreck survivors: poor little spoiled rich girl Jerrie Turner (stalwart blonde Irish McCalla, whom some may recognize as Sheena, Queen of the Jungle), scientist Tod Maklin (Tod Griffin), comic-relief sidekick Sammy Ching (Victor Sen Yung), and a native captain who doesn't even survive long enough to witness the big native girl dance scene. And what a native girl dance scene it is. These aren't your run-of-the-mill natives; these girls, made up of the Diana Nellis Dancers, include some real...

Ricard Cunha's Lasting Memorial to Cheese
First off, let me say that "She Demons" is a favorite Z picture of mine. As a kid I always looked forward to the times it played on "Chiller Theater." I mean, where else could you get mad scientists, Nazis, disfigured go-go dancers (with the phoniest make-up), paper mache scenery, AND Irish McCalla?

To be fair, the film has a few scares at the end, especially when the mad scientist's wife discloses all too clearly her reason for not leaving with the heroes and the death of Mr. Nazi Mad Scientist himself. The DVD transfer is excellent, and though this is not the sort of picture in Ed Wood's league, it is still enough fun for inviting a few friends over and doing your own version of "Mystery Science Theater 3000."

And the best reason for owning it? Where can you get such sublime awfulness...

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Ninja 2: 4-Film Collection

check it out.
Can not go wrong yeah the realm or film I should say is a little out of date but what the heck check this collection out.Old school flicks when Ninja movies were cool.Ninja Condors, Ninja in Action, Ninja in ancient China, Challenge of the Lady Ninja 4 films in Action. Assassins.Warriors.Demons.The Ninja 2 Collection brings four outstanding classics that leap into action from start to finish!





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Bloody Pit of Horror (Special Edition)

EURO-HORROR CLASSIC on DVD !
This is definitely a MUST PURCHASE DVD for any die-hard euro-horror fan! This ridiculous and extremely entertaining 1965 Italian horror-romp stars Mickey Hargitay (Jayne Mansfield's husband) as "The Crimson Executioner". He struts around bare-chested wearing red tights and admiring his muscular body in the mirror as he rubs it all over with oil. When a film crew comes to his castle, he starts torturing and killing them off one by one, overacting all the way! Mickey is a true ham and jumps around the screen like a lunatic throughout. One great highlight is a room with a giant spiderweb and a hungry spider. And then, of course, there's the torture chamber. There's a rotating torture device that Mickey ties bikini-clad women up to and as it turns a sharp blade rips and tears at their skimpy brassieres and lightly scrapes their flesh! And with Mickey running around half-naked throughout in his red tights, were they also going for a gay audience? It's all quite tame by today's...

Bloody Pit of Fun!
STORY: Seeking a gothic background for a horror photo shoot, five sexy cover girls and a handful of photographers break into what they assume is an uninhabited castle and are soon taking a series of macabre stills in its dungeon. But--surprise!--residing in the castle is demented actor Travis Anderson (Mickey Hargitay) who thinks he's the reincarnation of The Crimson Executioner, a 17th century madman whose body is entombed in the castle's iron maiden. When Travis recognizes one of the models as his former fiancee, his already unhinged mind completely snaps. He gleefully subjects the trespassers to a variety of bizarre and elaborately-conceived tortures: "The Crimson Executioner cries out for blood!"

PICTURE: 4/5 Where did Something Weird Video get this print? It looks great! Bloody Pit of Horror is shown here in PsychoVision (1.85:1) and like i said looks great. The picture is sharp with nice stong colors and deep blacks. I only saw two scenes that had print damage and...

"You'd have to be a creep to live in a place like this."
Back in the day it wasn't uncommon for producers to take foreign made films and change the names of the cast and crew, apparently to assist in passing them off to xenophobic American audiences...subsequently, Bloody Pit of Horror (1965), originally titled Il Boia scarlatto, directed by Max Hunter aka Massimo Pupillo (Django Kills Softly), co-written by Robert McLoren aka Romano Migliorini (Kill, Baby... Kill!) and Robert Christmas aka Roberto Natale (Vengeance Is My Forgiveness), features Walter Brandt aka Walter Brandi (Curse of the Blood Ghouls), Louise Barret aka Luisa Baratto (Two Pistols and a Coward), Alfred Rice aka Alfredo Rizzo (Go with God, Gringo), Barbara Nelly aka Barbara Nelli (The Amazing Doctor G), Nick Angel aka Nando Angelini (The War of the Planets), Femi Martin aka Femi Benussi (Finders Killers ), along with those whose names didn't need changing like Rita Klein (Tarzak Against the Leopard Men), Moa Tahi (Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs), Ralph Zucker (King of Kong...

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Young Hercules

Simply Fantastic!
This is a really great movie! Ian Bohen's performance as the serious, yet fun teenage Hercules is truly award worthy! He seemed to capure the escence of the part that Kevin Sorbo recently made famous a bit more than Ryan Gosling, who played Young Hercules in the T.V. series. And, he's increadably cute! Dean O'Gorman played Iolas to a "T". Chris Conrad did not disappoint with his portrayal of the always serious, and determined, Young Jason. The chemistry between the actors makes the film even more enjoyable. It really looks like they're having fun working together! Another key character is Ares, played by Kevin Smith. He, as always, gives a truly inspired performance as the deliciously evil God of War. The director should really be accredited for casting such a talented group of actors, and using thier abilities to thier full potential. The breath-taking scenery of the New Zealand countryside is the backdrop of this innovative film. It was only fitting that the "Young...

Before the Legendary Journeys...
Considering they used pretty much the same production team as they did with H:TLJ, it was okay. No it wasn't the same, but it was close. This is before Hercules had his legendary journeys. It shows young Herc trying to impress his father and forging an unlikely friendship with Ioalus to help their new friend Jason, heir to the throne of Corinth. With the same crew that brought us "HTLJ" & "XWP" it's perfect.

Kevin Smith as Ares, Michael Hurst as a jeweler, & Meighan Desmond as Discord make appearances.

A truly great movie!
I thought that this movie was absolutely fantastic! It is one of the best that I've ever seen. I believe that Ian Bohen's performance was truly award-worthy. The film's stars, plot, and storyline go beautifully with the breath-taking New Zealand backdrop. A definite must see!

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The Twilight Zone - Vol. 37

Comme-ci, Comme-ca
This is not one of the better volumes in the Twilight Zone collections, but I still enjoyed it. In the first story, "Hocus-Pocus And Frisby"(good title), Andy Devine plays Frisby, a big blowhard whose boasts force aliens to kidnap him. In the second story, "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville", Albert Salmi plays William Feathersmith, a financier who the Devil(a very fetching Julie Newmar) sends back in time to 1910 to start over. In the final story, "Mr. Garrity and the Graves", John Dehner plays Mr. Garrity, a con man who claims he can bring back the dead. But the townspeople pay him, not to resurrect the dead, but to unresurrect them. There was only one episode I didn't like here: "Of Late..." wasn't a good story; it was predictable and I didn't like the age makeup, it wasn't convincing enough. However, I enjoyed the two other stories. "Hocus Pocus and Frisby" was a comedy/fantasy that had a good ending, similar to "the boy that cried wolf". "Mr. Garrity and the Graves" was funny,...

"Of Late..." is a gem...
..."Of Late I Think of Cliffordville" is the reason for this DVD to be sought after...Julie Newmar of course steals the show, though Albert Salmi is not without interest (but it is his weakest TZ episode...see "A Quality of Mercy" for his best TZ performance [there were three total]). Unfortunately "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby" and fifth season "Mr. Garrity and the Graves" are not as commendable. However, like almost all TZ episodes, they are of great merit in comparison to the vast majority of things being aired on television then or now. The hour long episode DVD's are especially valuable because these fourth season episodes are rarely shown at all in syndication (and of course TZ is always cut in syndication anyway).

One of the best of the Twilight Zone discs.
HOCUS-POCUS AND FRISBY is a science fiction story starring Andy Devine. Howard Near, famous for his roll of Floyd the Barber in the Andy Griffith show, has a minor part in this story. The story is a fine one. It is not a great story, but it is fun watching over and over, in view of the abundantly likeable Andy Devine. In a nutshell, Mr.Devine is the owner of a small shop in a country village, some time in the present era (early 1960s). Some aliens drive up in an automobile, and they request a fill up. The aliens look like ordinary businessmen, but they are really aliens. Their goal is to confirm that the man they met is really Andy Devine. This goal arose from their intelligence sources who informed the aliens that Mr.Devine is the smartest human being on earth. This information arose from the fact that Mr.Devine had a habit of bragging of his remarkable accomplisments in the fields of science, politics, and the humanities. At any rate, the aliens make a mistake in thinking...

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The Adventures Of Brer Rabbit [HD]

Delightfully unique!
I loved the story of Brer Rabbit and the Briar Patch when I was a kid. (I had the...(gulp)...album of the story...boy am I old!!) It's great to be able to share these stories with my kids. It's not perfect, but it is enjoyable. Upon repeated viewing, a few things started irritating me, especially considering that my very young children are watching: the party episode, where the song playing in the background says over and over (and over) "Work that body, work, work that body..." The siblings in the skit at the beginning are also pretty rude to each other. This is a movie that doesn't feature cute and cuddly wilderness critters hopping along in friendship...these guys are constantly trying to eat each other. I'm glad we rented it, and we all definitely enjoyed it, but we won't be buying it.

This is a rip off don't buy it!
I was introduced to Brer Rabbit via Uncle Remus' stories in Song of the South. This DVD does not remotely come close to the stories told by the lovable Uncle Remus. They are watered down political correct inaccurate bla bla mindless pap. Uncle Remus' original stories had substance and wisdom I didn't find in this DVD.

Excellent Family Movie
While this movie may not be the same as Disney's classic "Song Of The

South", this direct-to-video film is a beautifully animated, clean,

wholesome, entertaining family film. This movie is filled with very

memorable characters, plenty of adventure, a lot of captivating

stories, great moral lessons, and superb animation. This film also has

a lot of clean humor without any of the sexual innuendo, lame puns, or

gross-out humor that's found in many animated T.V. shows and films

nowadays. Even though this film is aimed at small children, you can

enjoy this movie whether you're 4 or 40, and it's great for the whole

family to watch together (or by yourself). On a scale of 1 to 10, I

give this film a 10 all the way! You will not be disappointed.

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El Beso Del Sueno/Dream Kiss

What is wrong, people?
El Beso del Sueno

I thought the acting persuasive - enough so that the ending caught me very much off guard. Juan Diego is very good looking - for those who are interested in older, more complicated males, and Maribel Verdu does a first rate job of acting and shows LOTS of skin - lots and lots and lots of it, but not gratuitously.

Good movie. You should remember Verdu from "Belle Epoque" and "Y tu mama tambien" which involved different roles - film noir, romantic comedy, tragedy. And as film noir this is the blackest I've seen since "Chinatown"

Deja vu
While watching this movie I was struck by a feeling of deja vu. The movie felt very familar only this time different actors and language were involved. The story was very predictable but the credible performances of the lead actors made it tolerable; both Verdu and Mr. Diego were engaging in their assigned roles. This movie certainly won't inspire you to any great action but it is something you can watch if you have spare time.

Like a bad telenovela
As soon as one realizes this movie is shot on videotape and not film one's heart sinks. Like a bad telenovelo, scenes go on and on and all one wants to do is yell "Cut" to the director. The story is familiar: a prostitute who works johns on a train, drugs them and steals their money, one night hits the jackpot -- two suitcases crammed with money being transported by a courier out of Spain. Tracked down by an agent hired by a crooked banker, a relationship evolves between the hooker and the agent, who double crosses her, then backtracks -- only to be double crossed in return. A tired story that appears to have been lifted from countless other, better written scripts, this flick has the look and feel of an el-cheapo Mexican outing. Good Spanish actors wasted in a movie that looks like a hastily thrown together production.

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The Little Shop Of Horrors [Blu-ray]

GoodTimes' Little Shop DVD is the one to beat
Unfortunately, Little Shop of Horrors and every other Roger Corman Filmgroup production lapsed into public domain years ago and have generally been available on VHS and DVD only in poor-quality editions ranging from merely bad to atrocious. (The only Filmgroup features to get a decent official or semi-official release so far are Bucket of Blood, Beast from Haunted Cave, and Night Tide.) After researching every DVD version of Little Shop of Horrors available (there are at least eight!) I played a hunch and went with GoodTimes to replace my VHS copy, and I'm very pleasantly surprised at the overall excellent quality of the source print. When I saw the "preserved using the best available elements" line at the beginning of this disc I thought 'yeah, right,' but I have to admit that this is the brightest, cleanest, sharpest (if not exactly razor-sharp) print of this film I've ever seen. The black level, contrast, gray values, and shadow/highlight detail are fine, and physical damage is...

Best-Looking Restoration Of A Legendary Cult Classic Comedy !
Roger Corman's Original 1960 version of "The Little Shop Of Horrors" is considered by many as a true cult classic comedy of B-Movies,even the most respected of film critics.Unfortunately depending on the tastes and opinions of film fans that were used to seeing this legendary film comedy through the public domain since there was a lack of copyright in the titles,(same thing had happen to "Night Of The Living Dead") and for many years since the dawn of the videocassette and late late movie shows,those versions were vastly inferior and often poor-looking in terms of presentation and contrast.Now the great folks at Legend Films have finally put out a brand-new definitive and excellent restored presentation of this cult hit on DVD in both the original black & white version as well as the disc's main presentation of showcasing a brand-new restored digitally colorized version too.As with previous selected Legend releases of classic horror/B-movies in their DVD series,the disc features a...

good movie: badly transfered
I had origanlly seen this movie on a late night horror movie host and loved it having already seen the musical version. I bought the DVD expecting DVD quality. The transfer to DVD is bad. It's proably one of the worse ones I own. It's a little choppy, very grainy and somewhat blurry. There's also a spotlight effect once in awhile that I don't remember being there before (where the egdes of the movie are a little darker then the center). If you look carefully you can see waves going though the picture during the first part of chapter 2. The sound is a little muffled. I rate the transfer at 2 (I'm sure there's a worse one) and only gave it a 3 becasue of the movie it's self.

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London River

Two well apart worlds united by a common destiny!
After the crude aftermath of 07/07/05 in London, Elzabeth (Brenda Bleythin)who works as farmer in Guernsey, devout Christian decides to go London after failing to hear from her daughter. On the other hand Ousmane (Sotigui Kouyate) is a West African Muslim who has come from France to find his missing son.

Both parents are unknowingly inextricably linked by the traps of destiny and will face more call the tragedy of racial prejudice or religious beliefs.

A concise and memorable film, where nothing is reiterative, which had a flawless script, masterful performances and superb direction both behind the scenes of Bouhareb Rachid.

A bold, stark and bleak movie that takes a tiny portion of this collective tragedy that rocked the city of London in that fateful year.

You can not ignore one of the thirty best films of this decade for the world. I recommend it widely.

P.D. This film deserved to Sotigui Konyaté the Silver Bear Prize...

Allow These Two Lonely Travelers To Fill Your Heart...
Directed by Rachid Bouchareb, this movie is set in England during and following the bus bombings of July seventh, 2005. A long widowed mother, Elisabeth (Brenda Blethyn) has been watching the happenings on her television during the day, leaving messages for her daughter, Jane, to call her back.

Elisabeth lives in the lush countryside by the river on a small farm, and spends her days active with her animals and her church activity. She frequents the cemetery where her husband, William, has been laid to rest after his service in the war. She talks to him as if they were carrying on a conversation and also sees her brother Edward at the farm.

A lone man, Ousmane (Sotigui Kouyate) has traveled from Africa fifteen years prior, now residing in France although has journeyed to London. He has come to look for his son Ali, after the bombing has caused him to go missing. Ousmane has promised his wife that he will find and return him to his family in Africa...

Brenda Blethyn Shines Bright!
This a wonderful and touching movie and Brenda Blethyn is the reason! Although a difficult and painful story to watch, it is filled with emotion, warmth and love. Truly a must see!

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The Giant Gila Monster

Best DVD transfer yet of guilty-pleasure monster cheapie
Everything about this movie says "stinker," yet I just can't help but like it; I've watched it at least half-a-dozen times since my early teens and just don't get tired of it. As every Giant Gila fan must know, it was produced by Ken Curtis (deputy Festus Haggen on TV's Gunsmoke) and directed by Ray Kellogg (The Green Berets, My Dog Buddy) back-to-back with The Killer Shrews. The pedestrian script is by Jay Simms, who did much better with Shrews, Panic in Year Zero, and Creation of the Humanoids, and the repetitious 'eerie' soundtrack is courtesy of Jack Marshall (who penned the memorable Munsters' TV theme). While all the kids tool around in custom "slingshots" and mouth some nifty jive talk, Giant Gila is just too NICE to qualify as a (typically sleazy) JD/monster flick. Don Sullivan (Teenage Zombies, Monster of Piedras Blancas) stars as keen teen Chase Winstead, who's so virtuous and upstanding that he ought to be canonized. He's working in a garage to support his family, keeps his...

Best lousy movie I've ever seen!
This movie is LOUSY! That's what makes it so much fun to watch! The gila monster is never shown in the same shot with the people he is supposedly attacking, the sheriff is a whiny, ineffective fool who couldn't solve a jaywalking case, and the main character, Chase, is so annoying with his "goody-goodness" and horrendously bad musical numbers,that you will relish the prospect of watching him get torn limb from limb by the gila monster (which unfortunately does not happen!). Having stated all that, let me say that if you like campy sci-fi you couldn't find a better movie if you raided Ed Wood's own personal movie vault! You'll savor every agonizing minute! Buy it now!

It's great, but not worth $35
It's a very good (not excellent) episode of the show, and was substituted for GODZILLA VS. MEGALON in Rhino's "10.2" release of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 COLLECTION VOL. 10. (Due to legal reasons. Sandy Frank, he's the source of all our pain...)

And there's a special bonus: Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy and Frank Conniff have created a brief new sequence, explaining how to insert your DVD without upsetting copyright lawyers.

But most importantly, don't pay $35 for it. It's available directly from Rhino's web site for $7.95 + S&H.

Take it away, Cambot...

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Berlin - Intimate

Audio Quality is criminally bad. Nunn deserved better.
Others have written full reviews so I will just add one warning to potential buyers-- the quality of the sound engineering work is absolutely shameful. Unforgivable. Nunn's voice is muffled and horribly compressed and, unfortunatley, the better your system the WORST it will sound. Trust me. This beautiful performer, and her bandmates, deserved so much more. Go ahead and purchase if, like myself, you are a big fan-- I am certainly going to keep my copy unless a well-recorded Berlin concert DVD comes out.... just know what you are getting. Good Luck!

For fans
I love Berlin - and have done since I heard No More Words when it was first released.

I love Terri Nunn - she is STILL sexy, and has a great rock voice.

The quality of this DVD, however, is APPALLING!

Playing in DTS doesn't make the slightest of difference. The mixing sounds like its been done by an amateur, and the video looks like its been shot on a series of home video cameras.

I have many music DVD's, and honestly, this is the worst quality in my collection - lucky I'm a fan otherwise I would send it back!

Another annoying thing is they seem to have resorted to a technique a lot of older music videos used - an interview between tracks. The beauty of a DVD is you can skip to menus and sub-menus to CHOOSE what you want to watch. Mind you, Terri's words were quite interesting,, but not in the middle of the songs PLEASE!
Overall, the production of this DVD is AMATEURISH at best. Very, very unfortunate as Terri Nunn and Berlin are a great band this DVD does not do them...

Decent DVD of a great band...
I'm not sure why everyone seems to be giving this such poor reviews... I didn't have any problems with the audio or picture quality. The dvd is a lot more stripped down and basic feeling then the releases of more well known acts that are flooding the market today but it is hardly "amateurish."

I saw Berlin for the first time this past October and was totally blown away by Terri's stage presence. There seem to be less and less performers out there today who truly seem to love what they do and have the massive talent to back up their efforts. Terri is one of those talented (wow, can she sing!) and charismatic few who can truly and honestly connect with her audience.

This dvd did a fairly good job of capturing what the band sounds like live. The only performance here I didn't truly enjoy was their cover of Marilyn Manson's "The Dope Show" which I thought disrupted the flow and feel of the performance that was captured for this particular show --I have no idea why there were...

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Total Body Slimdown

An excellent value for the price!
I happened to learn about the release of this DVD collection and I immediately preordered it. It is a 4 DVD set consisting of 2 workouts each from Shelly McDonald and Stephanie Vitorino.

Bikini Body and Workout on the Go are by Shelly McDonald. She is best known for the Caribbean Workout TV show which I have been a long time fan of. These 2 workout DVDs were released a few years back and then quickly went out of print. I was ecstatic to find out they were going to be released as part of this collection.

Unfortunately these do not appear to be the same workouts that were on those original DVDs. I rented Bikini Body at one time from Netflix and I distinctly remember that those were different episodes than these, I don't know about Workout on the Go but I suspect the same. This isn't a huge deal but I am slightly disappointed. While they are not labelled Caribbean Workout these appear to be later episodes of that program. They are filmed in Barbados and the...

This DVD is an incredible deal
This DVD has four full-length workouts on it give a lot of workout options. One of Stephanie Vitorino's exercise DVDs alone would be $12 or more. So, if you want to try any of these workouts, it is worth getting this DVD.

Great Workouts!
I love this DVD, it has so much on it and its awesome! It will be viewed over and over!

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Plan 9 From Outer Space [Blu-ray]

GET THE CORRECT VERSION OF THIS DVD!
After reading many of the other Amazon.com reviews of the "Plan 9 From Outer Space" DVD, the consumer MUST be aware there are two different companies that are distributing this movie on DVD. The first is PASSPORT which, from all the other reviews seem to say, should be avoided. Apparently the company has their logo visible on screen the ENTIRE movie and featurette which follows. And they also don't even include a chapter index. The other company which distributes this movie is IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT. This is the version I have and THIS is the DVD to get of "Plan 9". (The cover of my version is the one Amazon.com has displayed in the picture above.) The picture quality is near perfect and the Dolby Digital Mono sound is excellent. And. . . .no annoying logo in the bottom corner of your screen. While the (seemingly) inferior PASSPORT version supposedly has a few interviews cobbled together from Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" press junket, the IMAGE...

be sure that you buy the better of 2 DVDs of this film
Plan 9 is just as bad as everyone says it is (buy it buy it buy it!), so this review is just a reminder for you to purchase the better of the two DVDs that Amazon offers of this title.

Do NOT buy the Passport Video edition...it has horrible sound and the picture lighting throbs between dark and bright through the entire film. Passport Video also included a watermark of their logo in the bottom right hand corner of the screen that lasts throughout the film. In addition to all of this, what is advertised on the package as "Show 2: THE ED WOOD STORY" is in fact 40 mins. of cobbled together interviews with Vampira, Johnny Depp, Ed Wood's wife, and one of Tor Johnson's neighbors. Sounds okay, but they are actually mind-bogglingly uninsightful and focus mostly upon Tim Burton's Ed Wood film.

The edition of this DVD that you will want to buy is the Image Entertainment version that includes the 111 min. documentary "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood" (which is a...

Fun, classic "worst ever" movie plus Mike Nelson humor make a great DVD.
Plan 9 From Outer Space is often called the worst movie ever made, but its entertainment value elevates it above many other films, even some of better quality. The plot moves along nicely and has little to no padding in it and the dialog and special effects are hilarious even if that was not the intent of the director, Ed Wood. Everyone who loves cinema should see this movie! The wobbly flying saucers on single strings, Swedish wrestler turned actor Tor Johnson, Bela Lugosi in his last role, Vampira and more make this an unforgettable film. It's so bad it's great. Sadly, the great Bela Lugosi died during filming, so look for Bela Lugosi's replacement in some scenes. He's not hard to spot as he is taller and looks nothing like Mr. Lugosi, hence he holds a cape in front of his face in every scene in which he appears!

The original black and white (b&w) version of the film is nicely restored on this DVD and the colorized version is of good quality and interesting as well. The...

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The Passion Of The Christ Definitive Edition [HD]

'they've seized him'
One of the most talked about films in decades; thought I would add my 2 cents as a late entry.

I think the root controversy about the film has to do with the question of whether or not it has artistic merit for a viewer without faith. I think this is a fair question, as I never really understood the idea that religion offers, so to speak, an excuse for ugly artwork. Arguably there is no such excuse, unless one of the points of religious art is to repel people who don't already share the faith.

The film has been labeled violent, which it is; but unfair here has been the label that it is in some sense unusually violent. It is not. There are hundreds of films that are far more violent. Perhaps this film is even less violent than average. It is perhaps even less violent than the blockbuster version of Gandhi of some years back, billing Candice Bergen and Ben Kingsley, of which the Passion has reminded me somewhat; at any rate they are at least in the same ball park...

The reflection
When you start the movie you have the hype that has surrounded it. At the end you have the feeling that this individual loved, believed, and gave everything for his beliefs. You understand that the Jews of that society show they were like us today where a few acted as if they were the voice of the many. It is a movie that pulls at the fabric of your understanding of this horrible and painful death allowing you to understand it and what it must have been like.

In summary it is a movie that made me reflect. It made me sad, and based on my beliefs made me proud that this individual cared for me and gave his life to set me free. It was a well done and flowed well from beginning to end. It built on itself the way a great movie should. The editing and story through the lens was exceptional. It was a great technical movie regardless of beliefs.

Review for the Definitive Edition
I purchased this version after I saw it in the store the week it came out. I already owned the original DVD release, but I heard this had lots of special features and the re-cut version. Therefore I purchased this edition. However, I was a bit disappointed.

I really enjoyed the movie in the theater. It tells the story of the last 12 hours of the life of christ. It was very gory and I wouldn't want to show it to children. However, for older people (12 yrs. and up)this does a good job of depicting the trials and tribulations of Christ's crucifiction.

My biggest complaint about this movie was the subtitles. However, if you are familiar with the Biblical story, you can pretty much ignore the dialogue and focus on the picture.

Now for this "Definitive Edition" Special feature wise this is a great edition to have. It has loads of extra features.

My biggest complaint about this edition was that if you are a person like me who sometimes has...

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