#Willpower

will.i.steal
absolute rubbish. aside from the clip "highlights" themselves being completely unimaginative and dull with lyrics that could be best described as Peter Griffin would say "shallow and pedantic" even for modern commercial pop music standards, will.i.am has been caught stealing tracks from multiple artists and using them regardless of permission on his own for profit albums much less sampling it for mixtape purposes.

I fully understand the borrowing of other artists' music creatively, but this is straight ridiculous. The track "Let Go" is complete plagiarism from Mat Zo and Arty's "Rebound" and he has the audacity to say they should be GRATEFUL that he did. If you don't believe me..

read: http://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2013/04/24/will-i-am-admits-stealing-song-accidentally/

listen: http://soundisstyle.com/2013/04/will-i-steal-a-timeline-of-tracks-stolen-by-will-i-am.html

compare: sample of track 5 "Let Go" to...

One star is too high for this garbage
To paraphrase Robert Ebert's (RIP) review of the movie Battlefield Earth, listening to will.i.am's album is "like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time. It's not merely bad; it's unpleasant in a hostile way."

Trash
After stupidly purchasing this album, I must say that I've given it a few listens and have to come to the conclusion that it is completely and utter garbage. Every song sounds ripped off from someone way more talented. Don't waste your $5 as I did.

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Masterpiece Classic: Mr. Selfridge (UK Edition)

Lightweight Charm And Over-The-Top Performances Highlight This 10-Part British Soap Opera
The new British soap opera "Mr. Selfridge" has a certain frothy charm that will likely appeal to many viewers looking for something a bit more lighthearted from the Masterpiece Classic mantle. Ironically (or strangely) enough, "Mr. Selfridge" is the second series set in the world of retail to arrive on British airwaves this season following the popular "The Paradise." The show, which runs for 10 episodes (not 8 as are currently listed in the product description), is centered around the formation of Selfridge's Department Store in London after the turn of the century. Although the idea of the show is based in fact, I'm not entirely sure I would even call this a historical drama. It adheres more to the lines of a classic soap opera, with an ensemble of characters engaging in the expected romantic subplots and looking resplendent in period finery. The hat budget alone must surely be frightening (as are some of Mrs. Selfridge's hats)! It never digs particularly deep into complex...

Why expect Downton Abby?That would be boring!
Well,I happen to like Mr. Selfridge. The acting is stupendous and the characters are exquisitely dressed.
The sets are top notched. To try and compare this drama to Downton Abby is like trying to compare Are you being served? to Mr. Bean.
Both are delightful alone but use completely different type of Britsh humor.
Even-though the time-frame of Mr.Selfridge and Downton overlap,their stories are completely different.
One can enjoy both,differently.

Historical Drama
I stumbled across this series by accident one Sunday night on ITV and became fascinated. As the reviewers above have discussed in detail there is some unevenness in the story and character development and to be expected the acting and it's hard to know why but despite these flaws - or maybe because of them - since the series is based on a real character and events which are by definition flawed - you are captivated and just want to see and learn more about Mr. Selfridge and his time in London. I became fascinated by his story through this series and desperately wanted to learn more about him. I've now ordered the book the series is based on as well as the book Mr. Selfridge wrote himself in the '30s - "The Romance of Capitalism". I learnt that many things we consider 'normal' in retail today were introduced by Mr. Selfridge - "There are only 'x' more shopping Days 'till Christmas"; the customer is always right; special events to get people into a store; getting shoppers into a store...

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The Fighting Seabees [Blu-ray]

Where did the Construction Batallion (SeaBees) come from?
This movie provides one telling of their story. During WWII, there was a serious need for men in the military who had the know how and the determination to carry out essential construction work, particularly in the Pacific Theatre of operations.

In this movie we learn a bit about the plan and recruitment of men to serve as hybrid construction workers/soldiers. John Wayne was a natural choice to serve as the prototypical SeaBee -- an undisciplined individual, but determined, willing and able.

Join JW and his colleagues as they work and fight their way across the Pacific, building runways and roads, and anything else that needed to be made. During their spare time, they did some fighting, and JW finds time for some romancing (doesn't he usually?).

A good telling, and an interesting movie, but not quite 5-star material. Well worth a watch though!

Navy Heritage - US Navy Seabees
This movie has become a part of lore among the men and women of the finest combat contstruction organizations of the US military. It is a nice Hollywood adaptation of the creation of the US Navy Seabees. And who can forget the best character in the movie -- Natasha! It's not often that you see JW's character make the ultimate sacrifice. I watch this and see the beginning of some traditions and attitudes still in practice today. "With Compassion for Others, We Build - We Fight, for Peace with Freedom," from the Seabee Museum. Remember their montra: Seabee Can-Do.

Shows the Seabees Doing It To It
The Navy Seabees did a whole lot to win the war in the Pacific. This movie shows how civilian contractors failed in combat situations, and how the Navy created a new kind of builder-warrior. And who better to illustrate the metamorphasis than The Duke?

The Duke puts on a uniform, accepts rank and begans growling for reports the Navy way. In exchange, he and the crew have become people who can fight as well as build.

While it's kind of a low budget film, many people will relate to the scene where The Duke sends the bulldozer into the machine gun nest.

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Alien Abduction-Odyssey of Betty & Barney Hill

Didn't like
This movie sucks, it all talking about the movie, not worth your money! I regret buying it, going to throw away

isnt what I thought it would be
thought it was a movie about this subject so its not there fault that I dont like it. you couldnt hardly hear some of the stuff they said on the dvd.not that good

Compelling evidence, what do you think?
Having studied this case somewhat I was eager to get more details and this video did not disappoint. I'm not sure we'll ever know the truth about this incident but the evidence is certainly compelling.

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Break Away

Heart touching movie
* Disclaimer / Disclosure: I received a free sample from Word Films to facilitate my review. This post reflects my honest, personal opinion and experience with the product which may differ from yours. Product information courtesy of the sponsor. No monetary compensation was provided for this post.

My Thoughts-
What excited me to first agree to review "Break Away" was the fact it had cycling in it and was a Christian movie. Now after watching it, I'm even more excited to share about this DVD with you.

Francois is a family man and a business man. But with the recession he loosing his job, along with his co-workers. He doesn't share this information with his family right away, he tries very hard to fix the problem and make money some other way. But things just weren't working out and soon he found himself riding his bike making deliveries for other companies. His wife is upset with him at first for not sharing this problem with her but soon through prayer, she...

What is Your One Thing?
I've been asked by Word Films to write a review on a new Christian movie released yesterday titled, Break Away.

This movie is not about a rider and his bike, but is a movie about perseverance and hope-about taking whatever we have (even as simple as a bike) and then allowing God to multiply how we choose to daily serve Him through that one thing.

If you plan to compare this movie with your Hollywood favorites, then don't bother watching it. The contrast will only serve to get in your way. But if you choose to hang tight through accents, somewhat corny music, and mediocre acting, you will soon find yourself engrossed and forgetting (about halfway through) that this flick doesn't have Warner Brothers in the credits.

In fact, it's far from a big name label! This movie was shot on a $55,000 budget (typically requires close to $1 million to produce) and a crew of only seven professional members (plus fifteen students/volunteers). The production itself...

What do you do with only five loaves and two fish?
What do you do with only five loaves and two fish?

You give them to Jesus and watch what HE will do with them.

Break Away is an inspirational story of how God can use a hard situation for His good and glory.

Set in South Africa, the movie opens with Francois, who is a husband, father and business man, loosing his job along with his entire department.

Though he makes a gallant effort to take care of his now unemployed co-workers, it is the recession and jobs are scarce.

Through another misgiving, Francois discovers how God can turn what little he has left into a blessing that literally changes his life - and those around him. Namely his ex-con brother and humorous bicycle shop owner.

This is definitely an all ages, family-friendly film. My kids really enjoyed the accents and scenery. My husband noted that there were a few parts that moved a bit slow for his taste. Though some of my ultra conservative friends...

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Night of the Hunted

Is this Cronenberg or Lynch?
Jean Rollin's film will definetly appeal to fans of the above named directors. It has a surreal, dreamlike quality that consistently keeps the viewer guessing as to what is going on. The story is one of lost identity, paranioa and inescapable fate, that one will remember long after viewing. The DVD is thankfully subtitled rather than dubbed and the actors voice inflections during crucial scenes help attain the atmosphere of dread. Be warned that the film contains graphic, probably x-rated sex scenes and strong violence. If you are looking for something different, give it a try.

A poem of the pulp imagination
Set in the near future and taking place in an eerily desolate Paris, Night of the Hunted centers on Elisabeth (hauntingly played by Brigitte Lahaie), a young woman who is suffering from a bizarre form of amnesia; she can only remember the present and once an experience ends, it leaves her mind as well. As she herself explains it early on, Elisabeth is doomed to live eternally in the moment. However, she is not alone in her affliction. She lives in a "Black Tower" with several others also cursed to live continually in the moment. Though she is supposedly under the treatment of a coldly impersonal Doctor and his sinister aide, Solange, Elisabeth is really more of a prisoner than a patient. When Elisabeth finally manages to escape the tower, she is picked up by a young man named Robert and promptly forgets just where and from what she escaped. After spending the night with Robert, she is recaptured by the doctor and Solange and taken back to the tower. She promptly forgets Robert...

Brigitte Lahaie in an unexpectedly compassionate role.
Most fans know Brigitte Lahaie as the French adult films actress who earned a cult following through her work for director Jean Rollin in erotic horror films like "Fascination." But in "Night of the Hunted" she gives an unexpectedly compassionate performance in a film with the requisite gore and nudity, but also real emotional impact. For a free catalog of Ms. Lahaie's rare French horror and adult films, send your full mailing address to videoeuropa@hotmail.com

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The Wiggles: Surfer Jeff

Family Friendly and has great songs and dances!
The Wiggles are a group of Wacky Australians who love to sing and dance along with their three mascots: Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the dog and Pirate Captain Feather Sword.

The Show starts out with the guys waking up on the beach in their colorful sleeping bags and starting off their fun ocean side adventure. My kids followed along through tons of songs and even though this was their first viewing of the movie they were able to follow along and particularly enjoyed the songs that included dances. My youngest at two loves to follow along with the wiggles and touch her head, shoulders then clap.

While the movie included over 20 individual songs there was one definite stand out for us. It turns out that during lunch time in the movie we find out that one of our wiggles pals has a food allergy! The Wiggles are kind enough to even ask everyone before making lunch if there are any allergies. When we find out about the peanut allergy they go in as much detail as to...

Harmony returns to the Wiggles World
Nothing proves a good part of The Wiggles success is personality driven than having six of them on screen. It feels like Greg never left. Simon Pryce, Ringo the Ringmaster and now the new red Wiggle, is Gino the Genie who fits in so well with The Wiggles and Captain Feathersword it feels like he's always been with them. Picnic: The Musical! Opens with a daring stunt, Greg sits up quickly, and the horrors of his and Murray's pasty white legs in shorts. While frolicking on the beach Anthony's dogs discover an interesting bottle and legend has it there's a genie inside who grants wishes! But Greg is back so what more could a Wiggle wish for? How about footage of Jeff really surfing!

This is good old fashioned Wiggles fun, they're free from the studio to fool around making a simple grass hill look like the most fun thing in the world. You'll want to dress up like a mango and doing a silly walk too. Everyone looks like they're enjoying themselves and they want to be there. The...

Surfer Jeff
My three year old can't get enough of the Wiggles in their latest production. The hair on their heads may be a little whiter but they still have the "moves" and lots of energy! My daughter loved dancing to the Puppy song and copying the hand motions in the Hands on Your Head song. The Banana song was the one that she requested we replay again and again. I really liked the lesson and the song about allergies. We know several families with food allergies and we are always looking for ways to reinforce that we need to ask the parents of our little friends before we offer to share snacks. The Wiggles will always have a special place in my heart. They have entertained my three children on many a road trip. I love the smile it brings to my daughter's face when I dance along with her to her favorite Wiggle songs.

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City That Never Sleeps [Blu-ray]

Brilliant Police Drama, Superb Final Twist
Gig Young was a highly talented film actor who suffered the misfortune of being type cast all too often as the "other man" rather than handling the lead, which he was more than capable of doing. When he won a well-deserved Oscar for the Depression mood piece "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" it was in the Best Supporting Actor category.

In the brilliantly conceived and beautifully done 1953 Republic police drama "City That Never Sleeps" Young is the lead performer, and one with a challenging role of wearing his dissatisfaction as a Chicago policeman on his sleeve as he juggles two beautiful women, a loving wife at home and a nightclub exotic dancer with whom he considers fulfilling a dream of moving to California and starting a new life.

Mala Powers plays the role of the dancer. She has two men interested in marrying her and after Young initially fails to go the extra mile she tells him that she will instead go off with a co-worker who plays the role of a...

Limited Drama-Great Noir Photography
Young,a cynical,burned-out cop, wants to dump his small-time life and become a big shot like crooked lawyer Arnold. The hard-bitten desperation of the little guys, and the callous swankness of the well-healed feel alot like Asphalt Jungle. But the characterization isn't nearly as dimensional or powerful, and the actual dialogue is 'B' all the way.

But... don't go away... This is,camera-wise, a dynamite noir. Chicago lurks darkly, massively in the cold night with human faces illuminated from below with knife-edged clarity. The essential backdrops are there in spades; threatening stairwells and fire escapes, fancy nightclubs with sweaty backstage dressing rooms, fat cat penthouses with tastlessly bulbous furniture, and above all the empty, trash-strewn city streets and alleys.

If you go for Film Noir visually, this is a must-see ( the last chase is genuine 'A' quality.) Just remember- I warned ya about the script.

Chicago After Midnight
Film noir fans will positively delight in this sophisticated police drama with its gritty cityscapes and glaring depictions of graveyard-shift patrolling and lurid nightlife. Location photography and adept chiarscuro provide a palpable realism as fully fleshed-out characters cross paths through the nocturnal gloom, in a busy precinct station, cacophonous cabaret, swank evildoers' digs, and cavernous office building. Several less-developed, but colorful portrayals add to the texture of authenticity as they weave in and out of the action. The most intriguing of these is a model cum mechanical man who lures the curious to a nightclub. Whether he is real or not is a knottily noirish question....

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In The Beginning: The Trey Canard Story

Great motox video!
Great video about an awesome motocross rider. He is an inspiration to all who face tough challenges in life. Can't wait until the next Trey Canard video comes out!





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Attack of the Moon Beasts

Attack of the Moon Beasts
Attack of the Moon Beasts is pretty good if you like 2d animation, the story has familiar elements weaved into a unique tale, with constant action throughout, its definitely a fun watch! More for kids.





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Stripper Dance - Professional Exotic Dance Routines & Striptease Technique from Elite Clubs

Good to get ideas of dance routines etc.
I bought this to spice up our love life a little, and it did just that. She teaches well and if you have any experience club dancing then the moves are not hard to do. But if you are rhythmically challenged then maybe start off with one of her earlier dvd's where she breaks down the dance moves more. But if you already know how to "salt shake it" etc., then you should be pleased with the video. I'm bad about dancing for a few seconds and then not knowing what to do next, this video helped me find a routine to go by and fun moves to use. Definitely recommend it.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Stripping - But Were Too Afraid To Ask
This is a colorful and very professionally made instructional video that teaches one to become a classy, high-end stripper (or "exotic performer"). Our instructor, Lady Morrighan is very helpful and personable and her attire and presentation are always tastefully done.

Lady Morrighan first takes the basic moves and links them all together into workable dance routines that are easy to follow along. She performs on a seductively lit mock stage with two giant teddy bears as her audience. How cute.

She also includes a special section on the "art of uncovering" which is probably the video's most practical; and the portion that men will want to watch most. She wears two bras, a skin colored one underneath, to demonstrate fun ways for going topless. And fully disrobing can be accomplished, going over the head or off-of-the-toes, and Lady Morrighan shows us both.

Lastly, my favorite portion deals with what she calls, "floor boffing" which, in its most...



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Painted Skin: The Resurrection [HD]

"Painted Skin: The Resurrection" is one of the most gorgeous fantasy films to be released on Blu-ray in 2012
In 2008, "Painted Skin", a Chinese supernatural film directed by Gordon Chan would become one of the biggest films in Asia.

Featuring a talented cast which included Donnie Yen, Xhou Xun and Zhao Wei, "Painted Skin" which takes place in the late Qin Dynasty, would introduce us to a white fox spirit name Xiaowei (portrayed by Zhou Xun), a demon who sacrificed her power to save a human.

The white fox would be punished for trying to assist a human and is sentenced to be punished by a curse in which ice will follow her eternally and keep her imprisoned unless she feeds on human hearts. And the only way to escape the curse and become human is if a human man gives up his heart for her.

The sequel to "Painted Skin" is "Painted Skin: The Resurrection" which is directed by Wuershan ("The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman") and stars Xun Zhou ("Flying Swords of Dragon Gate", "Suzhou River", "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress"), Zhao Wei ("Warriors of...

stunning dreamscape of myth
Absolutely beautiful production defied all expectations and desires. Hypnotic and a bit erotic. Classical Chinese myths of the fox spirit make a romantic and mystical triangle in one of the best Chinese fantasy films I ever saw. Blu-ray is fantastic and a great way to hear the awesome music score. Lavish production detailed well in the extras documentary.

A poetic, Chinese romantic tragedy with a dash of stylistic anime-esque action in a fantasy setting...? Okay, I'm interested!
A poetic, Chinese romantic fantasy tragedy with a dash of stylistic anime-esque action.

This mythology-flavored story begins when a fox demon in the form of a beautiful woman (Xun Zhou; Cloud Atlas, Painted Skin) is freed from an icy prison by her bird demon sister (Mini Yang; Wu Dang). They are called demons. But they're not your typical satanic, drooling, toothy-mawed monster demons. They're more like evil immortal beings.

The obscure story is driven by our two female leads. The millennia-old Fox seeks the willing heart of a mortal man in order to become human and a warrior Princess (Wei Zhao; Red Cliff, Painted Skin) who hides a facial battle wound behind a mask seeks her one past love (Kun Chen; Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, Painted Skin). They meet and the Fox offers to help the princess--a favor which comes with a price. The rest of the story is hard to explain without giving too much away...I won't even try. All I'll say is that this is a romantic...

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Just Like Being There

Cool Art And Cool Music: A Specialized Documentary Feature Showcasing Gig Posters As Pop Art
I think that it's fair to say that the documentary "Just Like Being There" is a rather specialized feature. I always like to consider how much universal appeal a documentary might have outside of its core audience. In the case of Scout Shannon's study on the art of gig posters, I'm not sure it's a subject that will necessarily be widely embraced. That doesn't mean that the experience isn't entertaining or worthwhile, it just isn't for everyone. Of particular interest to musicians and artists, "Just Like Being There" showcases some cool graphic art and some great concert footage (mostly by indie artists that I'd never heard of). Here's the breakdown. If you know what gig posters are, this will likely appeal to you. If you don't, this probably wouldn't be among your first choices of film.

The movie opens in the world of music as one might expect. This is the arena that kicked off the gig poster phenomenon and made it as noteworthy as it is. We meet several leading...





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The Roman Holidays Complete Series (MOD)

i seen some but then could never find it again
i love the cartoons like adam ant and inch high and popeye and casper they were fun to watch and i would watch them every saturday and godzia and wendy the 80 cartoons they were fun





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Scott Cole: Discover Tai Chi for Fitness

Good work out
I like this video but I prefer the one he did for senior citizens. The other one has most of the exercises this one has, but condensed into 1/2 hour.

Very well done and enjoyable
I enjoyed all the different Tai Chi moves. This dvd coverred a lot and was easy to follow. I like the mirror image presentation. This is the best of Scott Cole's dvd's that I have seen.

Love it!
I'm lucky enough to be able to practice Tai Chi with Scott here in Palm Springs. This video is a great, relaxing way to practice and enjoy Scott's calm yet fun teaching style. Doing this video is like a moving meditation for me. I love the way we can do the movements without taking ourselves too seriously. Thanks Scott!

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Maverick: The Complete Second Season (Black & White)

...and Maverick is still the name...
Not a moment too soon we are blessed with the second season of "Maverick", the full 26 episodes presented in glorious black and white.

Starring James Garner as the always affable, sometimes scheming Bret Maverick in the role that made him famous. He appears even more comfortable this season and with the support of his trusting brother Bart, played with great aplomb by Jack Kelly, we get to enjoy some of the best episodes this vaunted series has to offer.

Certainly one of my favorites and arguably a signature episode of the series is "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" that features many of the series regulars who helped make "Maverick" so special. "Shady Deal" features a great set-up that is executed to perfection which would be mimicked by future TV shows and movies like "The Sting".

Other highlights include a young pre-Rawhide Clint Eastwood in "Duel at Sundown" who keeps calling our hero mister "Mav-er-AAACK", "The Day They Hanged Bret Maverick" and "The...

Thje greatest episode ever?
There about fifty legitimate candidates for the list of greatest television episodes of all time: "Abysinnia, Henry",(MASH) {"Opie The Birdman",(The Andy Griffith Show) "Sweet Prince of Delancy Street",(Naked City) "Arrival" ( LOST), "Postmodern Prometheus"( The X-files) " Who Do You Kill?", (East Side West -Side), "Fall-Out" (The Prisoner), "Women Do Not Weep" ( Upstairs Downstairs)five or six Twilight Zones, three or four Alfred Hitchcock's, "They're Tearing Down Pete Reilly's Bar,(Night Gallery) and more obscure candidates such as, "Rally Around Your Own Flag, Mister", And "Question: Do you Remember The Dark Sins of Youth?"(Slattery's People) "The Last Testament Of Buddy Crown" and "A Bang And A Whimper"(Channing),and "Incident With An Executioner",(Rawhide) "Noon Wine" ( Sam Peckinpah directed this dazzling episode of an ABC anthology Series whose name I forget.and a about two dozen others.
Undoubtedly, this episode -and three or four other Mavericks- must be on ANY...

Two down, one to go
James Garner appeared on MAVERICK for three of the five seasons. The fourth and fifth season are average when compared to other Warner Westerns but the first three seasons of MAVERICK are worth owning and watching. Garner had his choice of scripts so the ones with Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) are weaker than the others. Still, the boys are in rare form and prime to cheat the gamblers who cheated innocent victims. The complete season is uncut in this box set from Warner Brothers and here's hoping they put out all five seasons (even though I might not buy seasons four and five).

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Sesame Street: Love the Earth!

Great, but where's Elmo?
In comparing both of Sesame Street's recent Elmo-Earth releases, while "Being Green" had a more humorous presentation, "Love The Earth" is more thoughtful and probably better because the messages stick. Most parents would agree that there are many helpful lessons on either video... in fact if you look hard enough you can find them packaged on the same disc.

Whether or not this 45-minute episode on its own is worth $10 is a little harder to answer. When my two-year-old watches Sesame Street, he pays close attention when the main characters are on the screen, but he loses interest during the interstitials... the format of the show is usually so fast-paced though that we come back to his friends often enough, and he keeps watching. With "Love The Earth" they basically filmed 15 minutes of new material of Elmo and the gang, then filled the other 30 minutes with old non-Elmo segments, which are totally educational but are played two or three in a row before we get back to the...

Someone please steal this from my car
Bought this one for car rides. It's pretty terrible. At least three of the characters have major speech impediments. I'm trying to teach my daughter to speak the right way, not with an impediment. When the character says "artistic" and it sounds like "autistic" I nearly lose it.

Some of the animation clips are terrible. Old stuff, colored pencil animations. The music is fairly terrible. I wish there was more Elmo or more of the regular Sesame Street characters, not these squirrels and bears.

Now here's where I'm nitpicky: The message is to "reuse or recycle." The video goes on to point out how a woman is very crafty because she reuses an old box and pot and makes a stove out of it. There's other examples. However, these aren't truly examples of people conserving. They're examples of poor people who have dug up enough garbage to create something that resembles a stovetop. It's not people "reusing" or "recycling." It's poor people using garbage for...

Beautiful
Only allowed one video per day, ... This was my child's favorite video for months at a time! (even though mommy would rotate the choices a bit, The child always asked for this video!)

She became my best recyle "helper" at a tender age of 2 or three yrs. .. Kids love to sort...

Wonderful amazing melodies and many many songs!!!! Kind of a short video, but it's so happy, who notices?

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The Red Pony [Blu-ray]

Beautiful and touching
Excellent screen version of John Steinbeck's short novel, with effective and renowned Aaron Copeland score to match. It's more than just a story about a boy and his love for his pony that gets sick and dies; it's about life and fitting in, about who we are and how we choose to be accepted. Everyone does a fine job on the screen. Best perhaps is Louis Calhern as Grandpa, who once led a wagon train across the plains. Robert Mitchum is the laconic ranch hand Billy Buck. Definitely worth a watch.

Unhappy family working out its issues through horses
I was told that this movie, unlike Steinbeck's original story, had a happy ending. Well... yes and no. At the very end of the film, everybody's laughing. (A little manaically, in my opinion.) But the movie is still about an unhappy family, and it's full of tense, strained scenes at the breakfast table. Nor does "happy ending" mean that we escape the bad things that happen in the book.

There were some nice wildlife and scenery shots of Steinbeck country, but I could have used more.

The children in the film, except for the main character, are horrible yelling little bullies. I took positive delight in their oppression by the very recognizable Wicked Witch of the West as their schoolteacher.

Robert Mitchum's character, who at first is presented as the hero who knows everything there is to know about horses, is gradually revealed as someone who promises more than he can deliver. The uncovering of his flaws and instability is very well done. In general, the...

Poor transfer
Even though the box claims a digital transfer, the source elements must be poor. Sections of the film are too dark, and it is noisy and grainy throughout. This film needs a more serious restoration than provided here.

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Ip Man 2 [HD]

IP Man - good, classic kung fu!!!
I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this new film starring Donnie Yen (You may remember him from "Hero") entirely in Cantonese with English subtitles which will be out in theaters in the U.S. and Canada on January 28th. Donnie Yen is reprising his role here as the real-life kung fu grandmaster Ip man in this martial arts film. I never saw the original but apparently in it, he escaped the Japanese occupation of his hometown and with his pregnant wife and family have moved to Hong Kong which is living under British colonial rule.

Ip Man begins his life in Hong Kong barely making ends meet renting an apartment and trying to start a martial arts school to teach his Wing Chun style. He is challenged by several neighborhood ruffians who eventually grudgingly give him respect and ask to serve under him as students. Being a kind-hearted man and pleased with the opportunity to teach, he does not push them very hard for their student fees knowing they are also struggling...

Not quite as fantastic as the original, but still incredibly entertaining.
Ip Man is still the only martial arts film I've ever given a perfect score. Similar films usually throw in those silly bits of humor that come off as lame rather than actually being humorous. It probably hits its target overseas audience well, but the difference in culture probably has something to do with how American audiences don't appreciate those bits as much. Either that or the storyline is usually fairly simple or borderline atrocious while the fighting scenes are spectacular. If you're a fan of martial arts films, you see these types of films for the action scenes. A good storyline and exceptional acting are usually just a bonus. Ip Man broke those boundaries. It had an intriguing storyline and a fantastic cast to compliment its jaw dropping action sequences. The only flaws the film seemed to have was that it eventually had to end and left the audience wanting more especially the way the film ended. The desire for a sequel was extremely high and, for the most part, the sequel...

Legend, Yes
Due to the limited release of this follow up to the original Ip Man movie I wasn't able to see this in the theater. So, I waited for this to come out on DVD and also on Amazon Video Streaming. The wait was well worth it.

This is a great martial arts film, and movies along at a very nice pace, with lots of tension as you cheer on Ip Man.

Though I really liked the film, I gave it four stars rather than five because I liked the first film much better. That's because the story in the first film was a bit more original, meaning this story was predicable (reminded me of Rocky), but still worth watching.

Viewers should know that this film isn't exactly a biopic, but loosely based on the life of Yip Man, who taught Wing Chung to Bruce Lee.

If you've seen the first Ip Man, you definitely need to see this film.

Donnie Yen is outstanding. Looking forward to seeing more of him in the future.

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Last Summer Won't Happen

Not enough Abbie and Phil!
For anyone interested in hearing something new from Phil Ochs, this is not a place to start. It is mostly point of views from various people from the movement. Not enough of Abbie Hoffman and Phil Ochs, but Abbie does have a couple interesting comments, especially his talk to the parent association. You can see he even surprised himself with what he had to say. This is an extremely dry video and should only be purchased if you need it for a class or a die hard from that period of time.





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Mixed Kebab

Overcoming prejudice and tradition for love.
Bram is a young man in Belgium whose life is pulled in several different directions. Raised Muslin in a Turkish family, he is taught to honor tradition and religious rules, although his own family rarely follows them completely. He is gay, but closeted and engaged to marry a cousin who will emigrate from Turkey. Has a good job, but deals drugs on the side, and has a rocky relationship with his younger brother, who joins a radical Muslim mosque. His life becomes even more complicated when he meets Kevin, a blonde young man who identifies as heterosexual but with whom he has a definite mutual chemistry. They take a trip together to Turkey, so Bram can make arrangements with his fiancé, and events occur there that eventually force him to make some tough decisions.

This is, first and foremost, a love story between two people, having to overcome homophobia as well as their own insecurities. Nicely photographed, directed and well-acted, although (in my opinion) it drags in...

enjoyable film
I have enjoyed repeated viewings of this film, which is maybe a little heavy on plot elements and a little light on character development. Here the gay son is headed for an arranged marriage similar to some other gay themed movies, but there are enough differences to keep things interesting. I felt fewer "issues" and more character interaction whould have made the film even better.

Cultures clash
This is a well written and acted film. All of the characters are extremely well drawn. Their cultural backgrounds are so well given that even the most unlikeable are understandable. Most viewers, I think, will find this film enjoyable and educational. Only the ending leaves one somewhat up in the air - perhaps a sequel?

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Sesame Street: Elmo's Magic Cookbook

A tad annoying, but what the heck... she's happy.
Our 18 month old daughter, who would happily watch Elmo talk for two hours about income tax returns, thinks this video is just great! It has music, kids, Elmo, food, Elmo . . . in short, she stares at the TV during the entire thing, with the awed silence of the true Elmophile. However, I find it a little tedious. This is definitely one of those "Okay, Mommy's going into the other room now . . ." tapes. So just for all you parents out there who care how YOU'LL like the video, here's my two cents.

For one thing, cooking is a subject that not all kids are going to take to. I suppose the idea behind the tape is that kids should learn that they CAN cook (with help). The treats Elmo and his friends prepare include kid favorites like pizza and ice cream. But some kids probably just want to eat these things, and couldn't care less about how to make them. They might find the tape a little dull.

Also, the kids on this tape are just adorable, but a little older than the...

Cooking made fun
I think one of the greatest joys in life is seeing things through children's minds. My older son loves watching Emeril cook and of course loves Elmo and my younger son loves Elmo as well. When this video came out, it was the perfect gift for both of them. This video has many songs that stick with the children because of it's catchy words and beats. Elmo and his Sesame Street friends really make cooking fun and enjoyable. They teach about ingredients, different cooking phrases, cooking utensils, how to follow directions, different foods and how to work together. The video is definitely beneficial and demonstrates positive attitudes in the kitchen and with friends. My son breaks out the pots and pans and makes believe he is cooking and he tells me what ingredients and how much he is going to put it. This proves to me that the video is educational, yet fun to look at because he really enjoys himself. Cooking doesn't have to be a chore. It can be a rewarding experience when your...

A winner.
My daughter absolutely ADORED this video at 18 months. And she still does a year later. Even though we no longer view it twice a day, it has leaked into our everyday life in several ways. For instance, she pretends to not want to try new foods so that I will sing the Pocket Queen song. It works-she'll try almost anything.

Yes, I find Genie a little annoying. But, the little girl in this video is destined for a career in the entertainment field. She is really good. Of course, Heather Headly is enchanting.

I think the only down side is that my daughter also tries to BAM her food sometimes at the dinner table!

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Sesame Street: Firefly Fun and Buggy Buddies

Pretty cute
I thought this was ok...nothing spectacular. Kept my son entertained cute storyline. Wish there were more selections like this to choose.





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Ghosthunters - Phantoms Of Chingle Hall

Paying a Price at Chingle Hall
Is Chingle Hall really the most haunted house in England? The home has been around since the 12th century, during the period of the Crusades. The locals believe it to be haunted by monks dressed in cowls, a former owner named Margaret, who is referred to as the 'Grey Lady'. Other entities are believed to haunt the location, including a young girl who was physically abused by her two uncles and gave birth to many children who were either murdered or burned to death by the uncles. The young girl is referred to as, 'Miss Singleton', and is reported to haunt the house with sadness and desolation.

Chingle Hall was built on ley-lines which are crossroads of magnetic lines running beneath the earth's surface. Scientists believe such fault lines produce electro-magnetic fields which attract supernatural phenomenon.

People pay to spend the night at Chingle Hall, and most are never disappointed. Apparitions, screams, footsteps and monks walking the property are all...

Interesting account of supernatural goings-on at Chingle Hall
Chingle Hall located in England, is reputed to be the scene of multiple hauntings. The documentary examines the various reputed haunting phenomena as witnessed by people from all walks of life, and the accounts as narrated by some of these eye-witnesses appear credible enough, especially considering that these people seem just like regular people who appear to have been genuinely affected by their supernatural experiences. A radio producer claims to have seen a cowled monk who appeared solid until he gradually disappeared into thin air, a boilerman recounts his strange experiences when he came to Chingle Hall to install a boiler, and a historian tells of her own experiences encountering the ghostly vision of a cowled monk. There's also a sad account of a young girl who happened to be one of the last in her family line to inherit the hall. This young girl, according to local accounts, was a victim of abuse at the hands of her two uncles and the girl was said to have delivered many...



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The Man From Nowhere

If you liked Taken, you'll love this movie
WATCH THIS MOVIE!
Won't ruin it for you, but the basic premise is that someone gets kidnapped and this bad a@@ guy saves her. AWESOME! But not for little kids to watch as there is ALOT of violence and a lot of profanity. Action, Action, Action!
One of the best Korean movies that I have EVER SEEN. Won Bin is great in this movie and I have found a new found respect for the guy.
The theme song for the movie is by a Korean band called Mad Soul Child and it's called Dream...awesome song as well.

Blu-ray: Riveting, pulse-pounding action and drama. "The Man From Nowhere" is simply magnificent!
Riveting, pulse-pounding action and drama. "The Man From Nowhere" is simply magnificent!

The winner of seven Korea Film Awards (the most awards ever received for a film in Korea) and multiple awards worldwide, the 2010 film "The Man From Nowhere" will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in the US on March 8th!

"The Man From Nowhere" was written and directed by Jeong-beom Lee ("Cruel Winter Blues") and stars popular Korean actor Won Bin ("Guns & Talks", "Mother", "Taegukgi", "My Brother").

VIDEO:

"The Man From Nowhere" is presented in 1080p High Definition and is presented in 16:9 widescreen. The picture quality of this film is absolutely wonderful as grime, blood and scars can be seen with detail on the characters. You can see the detail of the suit and clothing of various people, including the buttons on their clothing.

It's important to note that this is a bloody film known for its spectacular knife fight and its violence but by...

Random Acts of Kindness Make A "Good Action Picture" Into A "Great Action Picture" In THE MAN FROM NOWHERE
Random acts of kindness make a `good action picture' into a `great action picture' with THE MAN FROM NOWHERE

South Korea's mega-popular THE MAN FROM NOWHERE was successful for very good reasons, so many that there's no way I could touch upon all of them in a single review. Suffice it to say that it's an action picture whose formula is broad enough to appeal to men (once the action starts, there's never a dull moment), women (there's a strong through-line about caring for society's lost children), male teens (who wouldn't want to be as coolly quiet as the film's lead), and female `tweens' (I've been assured by ladies that star Bin Won is very `easy on the eyes'). If that winning combination isn't enough, then add to the mix the social messages and perhaps a metaphor on "random acts of kindness" and it's no wonder that the film was a huge hit overseas.

Bin Won stars as Tae-sik Cha, who, quite literally, is the film's "man from nowhere." As our story opens, he's...

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Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Country Songs

perfect for elmo and music loving kids
This is the cutest Elmo movie ever I have a 1 yr old and a 2 yr old that will watch it over and over. It is great at home or on the go for long trips. It also has some bonus songs after the video that you can watch-they are cute and my kids love to dance to it! Highly recommend it!

This DVD is Awesome!!! Elmo and his Cousin Elmer are great!
This Dvd is my daughters favorite and Jim Henson's Pajaminals. She will sit through this movie. She is 18 months old and it's pretty long too. Plus it has a lot of bonus songs. On the main feature it does shows Elmo and Elmer (Elmo's country cousin) who both talk to country instruments in between songs which she enjoys too. Its perfect amount of time in between music sets. She loves Elmo
ON main feature
1.Elmo and Elmer rootin tootin hollerin country gymboree
2.john mcClure live action with children "Oh Susanna"
3.John Barber live action(lead singer from blues traveler) & LE Miller "Home on The Range"
4.Allison Kraus live action with muppets"Seasame Jamboree"
5.Johhny Cash live action with muppets/cartoon "Tallest Tale"
6.Mouse /Frog animation/muppets "froggy went a courtin'"
7. Cookie Monster & muppets(train engineer Casey McFee got the Train through"
8.Tele Monster muppets "triangle dance"
9. Dixie Chickens Muppets "If your happy and...

best of them all
I have bought practically all of Sesame street cassettes. this one is my sons favourite. Also his grandmas favourite. The songs are catchy and my son hums along with it all the time.

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Sesame Street: Learning About Letters

Variety and simplicity
If you are looking for an introduction to letters for your child, this is a wonderful video. Through entertaining skits and a variety of visuals, the Sesame Street Gang go through the alphabet while coming up with words that begin with each letter. The sequence of photos of street signs and billboards which zero in on each letter in order is a real favorite with our 28-month old and has led to his interest in street signs and letter recognition in our own neighborhood. The pace is leisurely enough for toddlers who are just learning sounds, yet contains enough music and animated sequences to capture the attention of squirmy kids--if you happen to have one of those. Please note: There is no Elmo in this video, which to my mind is a plus but may be a disappointment to rabid Elmo fans.

A WONDERFUL video for teaching the alphabet!
My 24-month-old son has a speech delay. He knows only about 15 words, even though he's been receiving speech therapy. Imagine my surprise, then, when he started holding up his alphabet blocks this week and saying the names of several letters out loud! I've been playing this video for him every morning while he eats his breakfast, and he's obviously been learning. He can say the names of about eight letters, and can identify most of the rest by pointing if I ask him to. He's now pointing at letters everywhere ... on the box of diaper wipes, in his books, everywhere ... and saying the names of the letters out loud. He loves this video, and so do I. It reminds me of the Sesame Street shows I used to watch when I was a child. (Put it this way ... I like this video so much, I'm buying a second one in case the first one wears out!)

Best of the ABC bunch!
This is the oldest, and probably the best, Sesame Street ABC video currently available on DVD. Big Bird and Telly Monster take us on a tour of the alphabet, illustrating each letter with a word. Intercut with this material are a variety of classic filmed and animated pieces. These include...

* Leana Horne sings the alphabet song
* Cookie Monster sings "C is for Cookie"
* An animation in which a fairy illustrated words beginning with F
* Kermit shows us how to draw the letter M.
* Cookie and Herry sing an M song about all the tasty food that begins with M.
* Ernie and Bert sing the L song.
* An animation in which a wizard transforms himself into things that begin with the letter R
* Letters Everywhere ( where the individual letters of the alphabet are identified in street signs -- a definite highlight for most toddlers )
* An animation illustrating the letter V in which a villian tries to steal a vase.
* A sweet, low key...

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Sesame Street: The Great Numbers Game

Parents! Look no further!
My daughter, age 2, will tell you that this is Elmo and Telly's video, and that she loves it. As a parent, I will share with you that my little one has number recognition to 20 thanks to these classic counting cartoons. I was pleased to see that they had included such classics as the King of Eight.

We own several of Sesame Street's counting videos, but this one is by far the best. My daughter enjoys the "video game" - type format (Elmo and Telly are trapped inside a video game and have to work their way to 20 to get out), but I like that the number focus does not stop at 10, as is the case for many preschool videos.

As a teacher, this video would be good for students who need number recognition reinforcement or for English Language Learners.

A Great Numbers Video
This is the only numbers/counting video that has consistently held my 2 year old's attention. It's frequently requested and has helped her learn numbers. MUCH better than "1-2-3, count with me" or "learning about numbers" : both of these sesame street videos spend more time on "plot", and my 2 year old always loses interest well before the end. Not the case with "The Great Numbers Game", which is jam-packed with cool number cartoons and plenty of lively counting sequences.

No plot -- hastily thrown together skits
The 123 Count With Me video starring Ernie is much better done, with lots of muppet acting and takes the numbers to only 15, but with a personal touch. That video totals upto 45 minutes of enjoyment for parents and toddler. This video on the other hand features all of 2 minutes of Elmo, Telly, Gabi and another child. There is not coherent plot -- i.e. while they start off with a video game premise, they just throw together all of the skits on numbers, and never have the muppets appear to actually lead in each script. After a while of random skits on half the numbers, Elmo or Telly makes a brief aimless appearance. And even stranger, there is an unexplained scary cookie chasing them. This approach quickly turns off both the parents and the toddlers who wait for glimpses of their favorite characters. Pass on it. AND the DVD version is made without any extras, such as subtitles, or sing-alongs etc.

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Farewell Concert

great1
this was a wonderful concert video. I just wished it was longer. I just can't get enough of these guys.

Love it!!
I bought this for my Dad who has alzheimers and he watches it frequently. He loves all kinds of music videos

Purchased this for my mom
My mom said that this film far exceeded her expectations, she said it was a wonderful overview of the Statler Brothers years of making music.

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A Haunting - Season 5 - Aired 2012

Worth the wait
Although seasons 1 through 4 were excellent, Season 5 is just a little bit better. It's only a little different from the fist seasons. The music is almost 80% different, except here and there you can hear some of the same background music from the first seasons. It brings a connection of the gap between the first years and the fifth year of this show. Plus, there are some actors from the first seasons playing in the fifth.

It just seems a little more polished and energized more this time around. My only complaint, which is minor, is the special visual lighting effects. In the first seasons, the lighting was more shadows. In Season 5, it's more jerky camera and digital camera washes.

But you can't go wrong with this 10 story set. I just wish there was MORE!

The PERFECT buy!!!!
A Haunting season 5 brought back the thrilling scary excitement that I love. Based on eyewitness accounts this season revived the series to fully show that it is still loved by everyone. Long live A Haunting for future seasons!!!!!

Great Season
I have been waiting for the new season and I was not disappointed. I would recommend this to anyone who has purchased the other seasons.

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Sesame Street: Zoe's Dance Moves

Inspiring dance!
I highly recommend this is purchased for any little one who shows an interest in dance. We bought this DVD for our daughter when she turned 2; now almost three she has amazed us by the way she uses the dances Paula and Zoe demonstrate; particularly ballet. At her nursery they are convinvced she goes to dance classes as she performs what she's learnt so beautifully! It's all done in simple gradient steps and shows a good variety of types of dance as well as ethnic dance - well worth the import to Brighton, England.

Fun for all ages
I recently bought Zoe's Dance Moves for my niece's 3rd birthday. She LOVES it. The different dances keep her attention and up and moving the whole time. The nice surprize is that my 7 year old niece who thinks she is too old for Sesame Street is mesmerized by it too. She dance right along with Paula and Zoe. It nice to have a DVD they can both agree on and are up dancing to vs. sitting and watching. And as always with Sesame Street the multi-ethnicity is great.

Excellent for a 4yo dance & music enthusiast!
Some of the people who are rating this video low seem to have very young kids. I think this video is better for the older crowd - 4 and 5 year olds, perhaps. It's actually got a lot of variety and switches back & forth between showing Paula and Zoe and then showing kids from various countries dancing in costumes and music that reflect their culture. It's more of an entertainment video than an exercise video - and my daughter tends to watch more than dance. However, she likes it better every time she watches it, and dances more each time. I love it and I love Paula, too! :)

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Promised Land

ABSOLUTE MADNESS
This is a soft hitting environmental film. Steve Butler (Matt Damon) represents Global which wants to buy the gas drilling rights to a town. He is from a farming community, but can't drive a stick shift. He is also ill informed of the dangers of fracking. His partner is Sue (Frances McDormand) a working mom who tries to parent from Skype. In the town of Miller's Falls, they meet resistance from Frank (Hal Holbrook) the local science teacher and an environmental activist (John Krasinski).

Rob (Titus Welliver) who owns Rob's Guns and Groceries is sweet on Sue while flirty school teacher Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt) sparks Matt's love interest. The film uses stock cardboard characters to create a nice feel good tale. There is a twist at the end that wasn't too much of a shock. The farmer's have to decide if they want to sell the rights and risk losing their land to environmental poisoning, or wait and lose the land due to poverty as government subsidies dwindle and market prices...

Addressing Environmental Issues
Interesting to note all the negative reviews for PROMISED LAND. Perhaps that is because people expected some big explosion of a story when all that is here is a bit of everyday happenings that accompany this country's struggle with environmental issues. It is a quiet film, exceedingly well written based on a story from Dave Eggers, by Matt Damon and Jon Krasinski who happen to also star in their brainchild - an honest, funny, entertaining, and sensitive tale in the way it plays out the issues and comes up with a surprise ending.

Corporate salesman for Global Enterprises Steve Butler (Matt Damon) arrives in a rural Pennsylvania town with his sales partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand, in one of the finest performances in the film): the two enjoy a warmly written and quite unassuming relationship. Global is a company that drills (read `fracks') for natural gas as alternative fuel form to replace the degrading effects of oil and gasoline on the environment. With the town...

Promised Land Review
Promised Land (2012) - Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), John Krasinski (The Office), Frances McDormand, Rosemarie DeWitt, Titus Welliver, Hal Holbrook

This film was an Oscar contender and is the first time Matt Damon has written a script since his Oscar win for Good Will Hunting. It centers around a ladder climber at a company called Global Crosspower Solutions, an energy company which deals in natural gas. He goes to a small town with his partner (Frances McDormand) in order to get the town to sign over rights so that his company may begin fracking for natural gas. He is surprised when he encounters resistance from the townsfolk, who are aided by an environmentalist with an axe to grind (Krasinski).

Should you buy it? At times the film can be a bit preachy. It's a well told story, with a couple of nice twists and ultimately a nice little character study. There are political undertones both overt and subtle which astute viewers can pick up on but which aren't 100%...

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Sesame Street: Fiesta!

Mostly English
This video is fun to watch. My 13m really enjoys it. However, my purpose was to expose him to Spanish. Unfortunately, this video is about 90% Engish and 10% Spanish; so I was disappointed.

This is great for a family that speaks both Spanish and Eng.
I have twin girls that are 16mo old and they love the video ! My wife and I both speak both Spanish and English and the video teaches both of them ! This is a must have if you want to teach your kids Spanish or English !

Great intro to Spanish for kids
This tape is fun to watch with your children to introduce them to Spanish. The songs are upbeat and catchy, of course all the Muppets dance themselves silly so your kids will love imitating them, and the celebrity singers, i.e. Celia Cruz, Linda Rondstadt added to the fun. It was not as long as we'd like but for an intro to numbers and short phrases, it does the job well. I also purchased the accompanying CD and this is great for reinforcing the language in the car, house, play group, etc.

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Big Adventure! The Quest for the Fourth Hokage's Legacy Part 1 [HD]

In love with this show!
I was happy to discover that Amazon offered the video for the PS3. Now can watch it whenever I want.

6tails vs Pain
One of the best episodes with a good amount of violence and good ending when he meets his father Minato



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Pawn

A Deliciously Plotted Movie
Give an actor a good role and he'll do it for "nothing".

That axiom certainly applies to the cast of PAWN, a 2013 thriller, now available in a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack from Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Shot in fifteen days, primarily on a single set and location, PAWN is a low budget tense drama, filled with unexpected plot twists, that features not inexpensive actors like Michael Chiklis, Stephen Lang, Ray Liotta, Nikki Reed, Sean Faris and Forest Whitaker in memorable key roles.

To reveal much about the plot would lead to spoilers, so let's just say that it revolves around the hold-up of an all-night diner that goes terribly wrong. Indeed, just when you think that you've got everything figured out, the scene shifts backward or forward in time, and you are, once again, left wondering. PAWN, directed by David A. Armstrong from Jay Anthony White's well-crafted screenplay, is one of those deliciously plotted movies, like THE USUAL SUSPECTS, that demands a...

Entertaining, but not a classic
Nothing relaxes me more than curling up on the sofa with an interesting movie. It does not have to be a classic that I will watch over and over again, but it has to be entertaining. This movie definitely fits in the entertaining mode. Now if you want to pick it apart with things like character development etc as have been discussed by so many other reviewers, I will agree that it has some weak spots. However, if you take it for what it is...entertainment...it was very enjoyable.

It's a game with lots of moves still left on the board
I received 'Pawn' as an Amazon Vine reviewer and just watched it last night.

An action thriller that keeps you guessing all the way through, it's got a lot to like for those who enjoy the genre as I do. Great acting by some well known and not-so well known actors, with stories interwoven in such a way that it holds your interest the entire way through.

Good cops, bad cops, reformed thugs and in the moment predators all collide at an all-night diner. There's no doubt it's going to get bloody, but what's it really all for? Just a quick hold up for jewelry and cash? Nah... there's more at stake than that, and the innocents caught in the middle struggle to understand and survive.

I'd recommend this film based upon Michael Chiklis' Irish accent alone! (Maybe it was English? Whatever... liked it.) Ray Liotta is basically 'Good Fellas' gone gray, but hey, it's Ray. Forest Whitaker did a great job in his small role, and the supporting cast was...

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Sesame Street: Get Up and Dance

So much fun!
My daughter usually prefers Elmo videos, but I've been trying a variety. THIS video is EXCELLENT! My daughter (now 2) dances from start to finish. The songs are fun, from "I'm a little airplane" to "I've got a new way to walk" the kids dance with Big Bird at his dance party for Radar. We've worn out one copy already...my only wish is that this were available on dvd, like a few other Sesame Street titles (most of our favorites are not though). This video is fun for the kids and will give them something to DO, instead of sitting still and watching.

A very interactive workout for toddlers
My son was one always shy in private and public to dancing. He is 26 months now and can not stop dancing now thanks to the daily workout he gets with this video. He is tireless of this video, and the upbeat creativity shown with the variety of settings and characters make this a 5-star choice!

AN ENERGY RELEASER!
This video is great- my 3 yr old wanted to watch it and dance with it over and over again! It is not the best video for right before bed time, but great when your child has a lot of energy (which seems to be always!) and it is very cute and entertaining for parents too. My son watches this video more than the others we have at home!

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Kill 'Em All

Kill 'Em All
Gordon Liu (Chia Hui Liu) is a veteran and legendary Kung Fu master, whose career has included some 102 films as an actor. You have probably seen him on Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" movies. He is back in the exciting "Kill `Em All," a film with a second title that goes "I'm going to hell when I die." And let me tell you, this is one quite riveting ride that you will truly enjoy - martial arts at its best.

The story takes place in Bangkok, and it opens with four professional assassins - three men, one woman --, each one independently performing hits on different targets. Once their missions are completed and they are relaxing, they are in turn kidnapped and taken to an undisclosed location. When they wake up, they find out that they and other four are inside the "killing chamber," where "hit men are taken to die." Very soon they hear the voice of Snakehead (Liu), who informs them that they would be fighting with each other to death, with the last remaining one allowed to...

Gordon Lui
Gordon Lui legendary martial artist/actor proves he can still hold his own in this film. I like the concept, it's similiar to Saw I but with a twist a MMA action.

Tim man is..........THE MAN!
I found this movie recently on netflix while looking for an action movie, and was surprised that it was pretty good. The acting was kind of poor but i was solely in it for the fight scenes and not too much more. There are a lot of them and you really get to see everyone's style of fighting instead of just say only kung fu style. I have seen a few of the people in the film before but have never seen THE KID ( actor Tim Man ) and was glad he was in this. He's a BEAST! I would love to see him and Tony Jaa in a movie together side by side as lead roles. The action in that movie would be insane. Think about it! The Ong Bak movies along with the Protector are some of my favorite movies simply because they are so action packed, which is what i look for mostly because alot of the times the story line is weak. All in all if you want some action give it a shot.

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Wasted On The Young

YOU CAN STOP THIS
At a nice private High School rich kids are over indulgent. Darren (Oliver Ackland) is a computer robot junkie who lives in the shadow of his cooler step brother Zack (Alex Russell) who thinks very highly of himself. Xandrie (Adelaide Clemens) is a cutie who is "crushing on Darren." She attends a party filled with alcohol and drugs in hopes of spending some time with Darren. She passes out and spends time with everyone but Darren as our tale of innocent love becomes a tale of vengeance.

The film has some good scenes and a good ending. The characters didn't hook you as we got to know the bad guys better than the good guys. Darren was poorly written. The dialouge could have been better and the wanna-be relationship between our two main heroes is shown as a fleeting flashback and isn't well developed. It is drama/ thriller that could have been scripted better.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, male nudity. Deals with drugs and rape.

Fresh and provactive!
Was a great flick tying together a lot of current themes and casting some very striking talent. I highly recommend.

Beware - Dubbed Into German with no Subtitles
I saw this Australian film at a film festival and liked it enough to purchase a German import for home viewing. I was expecting the dialogue to be in English with German sub-titles or in German with English sub-titles. It had been dubbed into German with no subtitles. So unless you understand German really well, you don't want this.
I liked the actual film when I saw it - about rich high school kids who horribly abuse a girl in their throw-away society. Not especially original or well written, but worth a view.

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Flirt

A Hal Hartley masterpiece
Hal Hartley appears to be an acquired taste... I have only seen 3 of his films so far (this, the flat-out brilliant Trust, and the okay Henry Fool) but he's clearly one of the most underappreciated American directors working today. I think the delivery of his dialogue is what kills it for most people. It's very deliberate and generally not filled with an overkill of emotion. I find this approach allows me to listen to what the characters are actually saying (as opposed to just how they're saying it). That Hartley's one of the few screenwriters with something to actually say really seals the deal.
I don't want to suggest Flirt lacks emotion though. It manages to pack in more complex emotions that most more histrionic films. In one scene, a man threatens another with a gun, reconciles with him, embraces him, has a change of heart, and shoots him. A woman who witnesses this, hearing some music that begins to play, begins to dance, caught in the moment, slips to the ground, and...

Tour de Force in three acts and no special effects
I went to see this film at a cinema festival one thursday evening in 1997. I returned the next day, same theatre, same movie, same time. By the end of the second viewing I was still taken aback.

Flirt is filled with hazy tenderness. As in "Trust" or "Surviving Desire", Flirt is filled with Hartley's staple meaning-of-life questions, making the film a delicate three ring circus: NY, Berlin, Tokyo. The setting may change, but the questions are the same. Like most of Hartley's work, Flirt didn't get much mainstream attention. I find that rather adequate

If you love Hal Hartley this is for you
This film is built from a device Hal Hartley used in his early films: looped repeating conversations/actions. I have always been delighted by these moments- especially the clinic conversation in "Trust." Here we see the same storyline played out three times in three different locations by three different casts to varying conclusions. Several of the Hartley regulars are present which is always a plus and Hal himself makes an appearance. This is a lighter film than "Amateur", more of a throwback to his early work. If you loved "Simple Men" and "The Unbelievable Truth" this is the film for you.

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War of the Arrows [HD]

Exciting
Set during the second Manchu invasion of Korea, a lethal archer goes up against the Qing Dynasty to save his younger sister who was dragged away by invaders. Fans of kick-ass archery will be in heaven here. Both the protagonist and the antagonists use bows and arrows almost exclusively. The pacing is very fast, with the entire second half consisting of a footchase/shootout in a forest. Most of the action is grounded and realistic, with a few exceptions. Acting is solid too. Very exciting and totally entertaining.

For someone who is not a big fan of this genre this was excellent. Best movie like this since Hero. A must see. I say A.
"You're now Ja-in's father, you must take care of your sister until you die." After getting into an argument with his sisters fiancé Nam-Yi leaves his village before her wedding. When he returns he is told of the attack and kidnapping of his sister and sets out with his bow to get her back and exact revenge. As many of you may know I have never really been a big fan of these epic martial arts type movies. There have been a few I liked but not many. This one may be the best one I have seen since "Hero". This movie grabs you from the opening scene and is action packed and keeps you interested the entire time. The story and action are very well done and there is not a dull moment in this at all. There are some very brutal scenes in this but it's not over the top at all and it helps the story. For fans of this genre this is a must see. For those like me who can go either way this is still a movie that is very much worth watching. Overall, one of the best of this genre I have seen...

Great Movie!
This movie is very well done. The action is intense and riveting. From beginning to end, the movie will keep you glue to the screen. A rare telling of Manchurian attempted invasion of Korea.

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Sesame Street: Monster Hits!

Warm and Fuzzy (and blue and orange!)
Similar to "The Best of Kermit" this is arranged as an "award show" - but it contains a fabulous collection of clips with your favorite monsters, and some you've never seen before!

Herry and Elmo host the "Fuzzy Awards," and though Elmo can hardly wait to open the envelope, Herry manages to make him behave while they play the nominees - "Fur," just for fun, "Herry's Family Song," comparing Herry and his parents, "Frazzle," - who says "arrrgh!" no matter what he feels, "Two Heads Are Better than One", with the two-headed monster, "Fuzzy and Blue (and Orange!)" with the terrific trio of Grover, Herry, and Cookie (and Frazzle), "Comb Your Face," "Healthy Food," a Cookie Monster rap, "What Do I Do When I"m Alone" with Grover (what happened to Being Afraid?) and, of course "C is for Cookie."

My favorite moment in the show is the achievement award, which Herry gives to "That Furry Blue Mommy of Mine," a song remeniscent of "Dream a Little Dream" that makes me give my boy an extra...

Your favorite Sesame Street monster is in this video!
Sesame Street's monsters shine in this song-filled, 30-minute video. Highlights are Grover's "What Do I Do When I'm Alone?" and Cookie Monster's "C Is For Cookie", both from 1971. More obscure favorites are 1975's "Fur" and "Frazzle". For those Elmo fans out there, be forewarned: this video came out before Elmo became huge, and therefore, has minimal representation. If you love the monsters and if you love good songs, this video is for you! END

Nothing like the Street
My sister played this for my toddler when we were visiting her, and now that we're back home my son daily asks for "monters." This is great vintage and contemporary Sesame Street fare. Songs like "That Furry Blue Mommy of Mine" are musically sophisticated enough to please parents, and there's also good variety in the selections, which is a help to parents who will hear the songs OVER and OVER and OVER again.

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Legendary Amazons

A good remake of a Shaw Brothers classic
This is a very good remake of the Original made back during the dominant run Shaw Brothers had in the Martials Film making genre. This movie was produced by Jackie Chan and I must say that this is a epic big production, with no shortage of action sequences. It got to be a little long on the drama to the build up but over all a good movie. The main weapon of choice in this film is the sabre and the choreagraph is well done.

Pretty fighting ladies take names!
Very good I love fighting ladies and its much better than some reviews.It almost looks epic and does not look cheap really like the girls amour weapons and fighting!Good tranfer and story along with fast shipping!

Just awful
Don't buy this DVD. It's just awful and isn't worth your money. The acting is poor and the script is sometimes hard to follow. On the lighter side, the scenery is interesting and the costumes are pretty. The ladies seem to know martial arts, though they do have that fly-through-the-air thing going on even though they don't do it very well.

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Mistress Of The Apes

Video quailty is the worst of the worst
Anyone who is interested, stay far far away. The video quality is among the worst I have seen. Absolutely horrendous and quite frankly embarrassing for the company who released it.

Missing Link
More like missing logic. I like jungle girl movies so the cover of this one got me in. Duh. Fell for it again. Firstly, let me say that at no time during the film does our herioine dress like the girl on the cover.The story is about an anthropolgist who finds a tribe of prehistoric people. Her unusual reseaarch technique is to straight away have sex with one of them. Must be some sort of new scientific technique that I am not familiar with. Bunch of bad guys trying to exploit the locals, pretty girl takes the side of the natives and decides to move in with the noble savages. Overall a pretty lame movie. And that sex bit I mentioned - its lame too.

Wow, Baaaaaaaaaaaaaad movie.
Which makes it a good one. Couple of story lines revolving around our central character. Neanderthal creatures who just want to be left alone to hunt, eat & have sex a lot. A woman on a mission who ends up ___________________________. I'm not going to throw spoilers in here. Just bad all over which makes it good. Violence, nudity, cussing, natives & the missing link? Not what anyone could call a big budget flick with respected actors. **Note: I had to edit this because of 2 words so hopefully this passes muster this time.

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Defensive Series: Training for a High Speed Concealed Draw Process

novice
This guy knows his stuff, presents and addresses situations very well, hope he puts out more videos.
Enjoy these when the presenters ego doesn't stand out, too overwhelmingly..





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Sesame Street: Sing, Hoot & Howl with the Sesame Street Animals

100 viewings and still fun for us all.
Sing Hoot and Howl is a delightful collection of classic and new Sesame Street animal songs. There is a wide variety of musical styles including latin and early rock that captivated our seven month old from the first viewing. Now, he starts dancing at the mere mention of songs on this video. The best bit is that we love this video still after months of seeing it almost every day.

The songs include "Cow Dog Song" about a cattle dog, Baa Baa Bamba which is a variation of La Bamba, "Kids" which shows all sorts of animal babies and "Cluck around the Clock".

We like this video so much that we are thinking of giving it to all our under five friends.

This is my toddler's favorite video
My son has been watching this video since he was around 6 months old, and still loves it (he's now 15 months old). He watches it almost every day, and never seems to get tired of it. As soon as we put it in, and Old MacDonald comes on, he starts bouncing up and down and making excited noises. The songs are very catchy, the length is perfect (30 minutes, just enough time to make dinner), and it's educational. My son is learning all about the different sounds that animals make. Somehow, our tape got ruined, so we are buying a new one. We can't live without it!

Not our favorite Sesame Street video
Okay, usually I rate the S.S. videos high, but we bought this video last week and my daughter has watched it only a handful of times. Hosted by Big Bird and a barn full of animals, there are several songs that you will know. "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and "We are all Earthlings" are two that we knew right away. Some of the clips are really old and didn't hold my daughter's attention (or mine, for that matter). She walks out of the room five minutes after this video comes on...every time! I can't say that I think much of it either, as I usually pray for this video to be over with. A better choice would be one of the Elmo's world videos, Sing Along, or Let's Make Music.

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Wild In The Streets

On my bucket list!
I had never heard of Shrovetide before watching this but it's now on my bucket list. Well explained documentary and account of that year's match. Sean Bean does a fantastic job narrating.

OMG
This is a must see for sports fans and communities alike !!!!
you will be surprised at how a game can truly keep a town together.



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