Everyone probably already knows that this is a really really inaccurate telling of the story of William Wallace but... if viewed as a period action movie, it's brilliant.

There's supposedly a red car driving along the side of the valley in the opening battle but no matter how many times I watched it, I've never seen it.

Always worth a watch, even if Mel's Scots accent is wobbly most of the time.

They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!

7 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

This boxed set has been heavily edited from the original broadcast versions to remove some racial based gags. Weirdly, only some have been removed but not others. It seems it's OK to poke fun at English, Irish, Germans, Japanese etc but not at Arabs and Greeks (for example). Whilst it is fair to say that it's unlikely anything of this nature would be made in these enlightened times, the original programme was made in a different era and with pretentions and social quirks of the time. In any case, in comparison to other TV series of the era this one is mild and anyone who really takes offence at this needs to take a chill pill. Its gentle mocking humour is fairly all pervading. Crudities about sex, toilets, foreigners, relationships are all staples of British comedy and carried off with great aplomb in this programme. Masterly acting, direction and scripts from start to finish make this one of the best loved British TV sitcoms of all time. For those who wish to see the original unedited broadcast versions you'll have to seek out the US Region 1 DVD version, which has thankfully been left censor free.

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Other than Peter Coyote's narration, the sound quality couldn't be worse. Significant audio cleanup of the archive footage and the Laura Huxley segments, which are mired via her heavy Italian accent, could have changed the entirety of this doc. The lack of subtitles means you lose the majority of the text. Further, there is no excuse for a DVD released in 2009 to present a widescreen film in a non-anamorphic display (meaning black borders on all four sides of the screen). Shot on video, it comes off more like a home movie than a serious documentary.

The DVD menus are also quite flat and uninspired. For bonus content, we have a number of extended interview segments, John Densmore has the longest one, as well as the most interesting to watch. There's also some trailers for other Docurama releases (Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back, Air Guitar Nation, A Crude Awakening, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill).

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Great storyline - superb acting all round. What more can you say. This is one of my wif'e's favourite films. This has some light and some very dark moments, based on a tue story from Hells Ktchen in NYC.
When we went to New York in 2013, we visited the area that this was based.on and had a good walk around.

Well worth seeing.

I'm not a huge Kevin Bacon fan but he is superb in this as are all the other big name stars including Brad Pitt, Minne Driver, Jason Patric, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro.

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It seems they intended this to be the first in a series titled Unforgettable Performances, but I see no sign of any further release. Their Vol. 101-120 were basically bands, while these are mainly vocals.
Video quality is very good. These were musical shorts filmed for theaters or television in the 1930s to early 1950s. I don't see followup DVD releases but these films are available in many compilations.
Nat King Cole sings Mona Lisa with makeup to make him look less black on some of these Snader films. He objected to the look and and the rest were filmed without that.
Looking at the girls, we get a Connie, a Connee, a Bonnie, and a Ginny before we get to a Teresa. The Dinning Sisters had the brother named Mark Dinning who sang Teenangel in 1960. Connie Haines' song is Duke Ellington's It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing.
Ada Leonard and Rio Rita were females leading all-girl bands. Far be it from them to just stand and swing a baton. Ada holds one but dances elegantly before the camera throughout. Rita (Dona Drake) gets vocalist Alan Ladd to hold the baton while she stands and flirts with him, and does some dancing too. She is a great looker, but not quite a pro dancer.
This tape has been the only source for Teresa Brewer's 1951 Snader film of Music Music Music. The Snaders were all recorded live, while the earlier Soundies were often dubbed and lip-synced.

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All previous releases were missing the video of the pre-title sequence. Here it is finally restored. The packaging is not clear about the video shape. It turns out that they have used the entire picture area of the original 35 mm film, without cropping to the theatrical 1.66 shape. That means AR 1.37, leaving surplus image on top and bottom. The picture has been restored in high definition.
The nudity is still cut from the bathtub scene.
As for the movie, I don't call it "one of her best". Face it, it is her best.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

A curious blend of dark, gritty and tragic with the bizarrely comic and absurd.

Still is, and ever will be Paul Thomas Anderson's Masterpiece (better than the overdone and just plain bleak Crash,

An ensemble character study of a collection of people who are either closely related or more loosely so, but all bearing some relationship to the others by degrees, and how those relationships change when set against a surreal set of circumstances which act as a catalyst:

...A couple pretty offensive types who are broken down during the course of the movie to reveal their humanity, while other more genial ones are revealed to have the darkest undertones, and even a few weaker people discovering some real strength,

A must see. Very moving, well orchestrated, quirky, odd, and has Philip Seymour Hoffman's most devastatingly human role as a carer for the terminally ill, Tom Cruise doing the full obnoxious bit (initially), and a brilliant set of soundtrack songs by Aimee Mann.

(but the whole cast is excellent too).

Watch it... Watch it now! :)

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Of Benny Hill's 20-year run with Thames Television, the first half, in terms of overall quality, was infinitely better than the second half. When he started out with the company after an on-and-off run with the BBC dating back to the early 1950's, he was still offering some biting social commentary - his very first show for them contained a sketch about a newlywed couple whose bedroom of their honeymoon suite was split down the middle into American and Russian zones, and how the Cold War politics of the time ended up ruining what should have been a happy time. (By contrast, a new show starting out on the BBC called Monty Python's Flying Circus, on their second aired episode, had a sketch of the type that Benny would come to be accused of specializing in - a marriage guidance counselor who ogles the beautiful wife [Carol Cleveland, in her first appearance on that show] of a wimp.) His third special was the only instance of the show opening announcement: a) done on-camera, and b) handled by a woman (the lucky lass was Nicole Shelby). As the '70's unfolded, he would produce a bevy of sketches that were equal parts Carol Burnett, SCTV, The Electric Company (especially those with Rita Moreno as the short-fused director), Chevy Chase-era Saturday Night Live, Jackie Gleason and Red Skelton. Those sketches in the three B&W shows made during the 1970-71 ITV "colour strike" were definitely a laugh riot - and a vast improvement over the later '80's remakes. But when the decade ended, a storm cloud entered the horizon - Dennis Kirkland became the producer and director, and the show, especially in his earliest years on the job, became a de facto Playboy magazine of the air to the point where Hill would end up being perhaps the first victim of the "cancel culture" - especially in his home country of Britain.

Network Video's indexing practices are very peculiar indeed. Many of their titles have little or nothing to do with anything resembling cohesion, and seemed to have been done solely for the purpose of having ten "chapters" in each episode. U.S. A&E Video was more organized in that respect. But yet, the earliest editions in this set (to 1975) have the VTR slates for each show, and all have the various adcaps which are missing from A&E's Complete & Unadulterated sets.

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Woody's Curve Ball. He had Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment in his mind at the time (although not just this time), the gnawing eating pain of guilt paired with an obsession he was having with the Theme of Luck, and how it can change outcome in an instant. Depending on how the wind blows you may get away with just about anything. He had Scarlett Johansson as his muse at the time and nothing but one of his most superb thrillers came out as a result. If you haven't yet, when people tell you to watch it, they mean it!

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I now have a sample vol.19 tape. The "shows" are half-hour each so each tape is one hour. The base video material is excellent quality. The videotape recording is miserable. It was obviously done with high-speed duplication, and does not track perfectly anywhere on the tape. The DVD series would avoid this problem if you could find it. Tape speed is SP and audio is linear mono, and the tape is not bent.
This volume includes Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Gale Storm singing Isn't It Romantic in a nice setting with a male. In each show there is a movie preview, like The Gang's All Here. I'm not sure but think these were half-hour short films shown in theaters in those days before TV, and in the 1950s were made into TV shows by Al Gannaway.
My copy was a release that used the cover for his Great Country Legends series and pasted a label saying The Big Band Years. Found on ebay.

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Bought this on a whim,and glad i did,good stuff!.Not so much of a nostalgia trip as The Force Awakens,although there are the obligatory cameo's from C3PO/R2D2 and a brief one-liner from a CG recreation of a young princess Leia,and Peter Cushing is resurrected with some clever CGI ,which although quite clever,is a bit strange,and,is it right?.A new droid K-2SO has a refreshingly dry wit.Stunning visuals as you would expect,along with plenty of action/aliens/planet hopping.The type of film that needs a few viewings to fully appreciate.(After a second watch,i've changed the rating to 8.5/10)

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This concert for me represents all the Yes members represented at the top of their game. From the very start of the concert you are welcomed by Benjamin Brittens Young Persons Guide To The Orchestra followed by a walk down through the auditorium by Jon Anderson showcasing his unique vocal talents with a compilation of his songs. This carries on in the same vein with the other band members, Rick Wakemans set is just awesome and this DVD is worth it just for that alone. They then proceed to play YES material to absolute perfection. This concert is an absolute joy to own as I always get it on the player whenever I need to feel that good music has never _really_ died. If you like YES and AWBH you absolutely need to own this along with the second disc (Big Generator) which is available seperately. As Stan Unwin would've said " Absolutely Smashing Flaked He Was, Oh Dear What A Mind Blast"

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

This is quite a rare DVD...

(Not necessarily valuable though)

... and God knows it was hard enough to find when I originally bought it. And that's because it was a bit "niche", and arty.

I first saw it on T.V (might have been channel 4) in the early nineties, not long after it came out, and the T.V listings write-up got my interest (and there was nothing else on at the time as I recall)... and I was absolutely blown away by it.... It is a magical film.

Based on the book by Virginia Woolf, of a fictional biography of the titular Orlando, who moves through history, changing sex (gender, that is) as he (originally) goes, becoming a woman through some spontaneous supernatural means... this doesn't matter really how or why, as that's not the point... it's about gender politics at different points in history, from the unique perspective of one person who gets to see both perspectives.

...But then, at the same time, it's probably more accurate to say that it's not about gender specifically, but rather the simple pursuit of happiness and personal fulfilment, but set in the context of those issues, and how all that nonsense just complicates this humble aspiration. with both points of view having their own particular set of concerns, responsibilities, inhibitions, and against each set of bias and prejudices.

But for all that, it's just a beautifully shot, fantastically realised film that asts some kind of a spell on you when you watch it, that never lets go after you have.

It's also one of those rare instances where it's ten times better than the book it was adapted from too... this is concise, and poetic, whereas the book (at the risk of upsetting a pack of Virignia's Woolves :) is just dull, and boring... Of course, all the raw material is there in the book, the inventive and highly original idea, but it isn't an inspiring read I don't think.

As for this particular DVD issue itself, it's an early-ish issue on this format, and T.Vs were probably only half the size they are now, and this means that while this gives you a great picture on anything up to say, a 30" screen, I have found it gets a little bit misty and unresolved on a 40" screen... and the tracking of the movement in one or two scenes is a little juddery..

It has since been re-issued on DVD, and Blu-ray, and this very edition was given away with a newspaper not that long ago... in which case, I'd advise anyone who just wants the film on a smaller screen (less than 30") to go for this, or the newspaper freebie, but over that, get one of the re-issues instead.

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The story takes you from her infancy to her Olympic win in 1994. This filming seems very suited for females, being extremely sentimental. Monica Keena does a fine job representing Oksana, and at the end she morphs into the real Oksana who skates The Swan as a finale. Curiously Monica's name is not featured as a lead actor in promotional credits.
The TV movie and the 1990s cassette release did not get much attention, seemingly because of western bias. I see the DVD with limited availability at Amazon.
The top and bottom of the picture has been cropped to create the widescreen TV ratio. I suppose casual viewers will not notice a problem, but us videophiles might object to losing some of Oksana's legs during skates. The technical specifications embedded in the DVD are confused and state that the shape is 4:3, and some computer players might not render it correctly. Video and audio are fine. Length is 1:32.
We are waiting for this site to make accomodations for TV movies.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

And here in a nutshell is the evolution of The Benny Hill Show from the time he joined Thames Television in 1969 to when they ignominiously dumped him in 1989. The first half (dubbed "The Naughty Early Years" in the first three sets when issued individually) was infinitely better, quality-wise, than the second half ("The Hill's Angels Years"). It is very likely no coincidence that the show's quality - and its esteem, plus its UK ratings over the long term - fell into the toilet once Dennis Kirkland assumed the reins as producer/director in 1979. It was under his watch, after all, that Hill's Angels were created - and in their early years, were presented in such a way as to almost solely pander to the crowd that read "girlie" magazines like Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler and Mayfair, having almost nothing to do with comedy or making people laugh. Too, in the '80's as he got older (and heavier), the repetition factor in his gags began taking a rote, lifeless, by-the-numbers, phoning-it-in, "been there, done that" approach that is utterly deadly in terms of attracting audience interest. It is that type of approach that was most evident in the last years of Jackie Gleason's variety show (from his 1964 move to Miami Beach, FL until his show's final cancellation in 1970), Dean Martin's top-rated NBC variety show (after his second wife Jeannie divorced him that same year), Bob Hope's last years of NBC specials to the end in 1996, Lucille Ball's TV output from the second season of The Lucy Show onwards (culminating in her last-ever series, the very short-lived Life With Lucy), and other "legacy" entertainers who got especially long in the tooth (as, for example, prompted Johnny Carson, after 1992, to disappear from the limelight completely once his nearly 30-year run as host of The Tonight Show ended).

The real travesty in this otherwise complete set is the total absence of his 1977 made-in-Australia special (aired in Britain in 1978 as Benny Hill Down Under) with such local talent as Max Phipps, Barry Otto, Ron Shand, Dawn Cusack, Carmel Cullen and Lorna Lesley; there are apparently two versions, one as shown originally in Australia (with Chow Mein as Chinese Minister of Culture and Mr. Phipps as his straight man) and the other for UK airing which apparently replaced that with the "Love Will Find A Way" period sketch from one of the "Colour Strike Three" of 1970-71 (which contents are infinitely superior to the '80's remakes in every which way - and which are among the 58 shows on here). The Aussie show is also vastly superior to the later show he did after Thames canned him, where outdoor location scenes were shot entirely in New York City with a local cast while the studio segments were taped at Teddington with his usual cast of familiar faces. This show bore such classics as "Archie's Angels" (with Benny in the Farrah Fawcett role, natch'), "Hold Back The Wind" (with Benny as a Southern "Big Daddy" where the running gag is his catchphrase "Cut out the middleman! That's how I made my money - by cuttin' out the middleman!"), and a sketch of Benny and a stablemate (Otto) tending to Lady Godiva's horse on the day of her famous ride through Coventry.

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This is without doubt the worst movie in existence. It beggars belief that somebody can actually get away with this. You would think that somebody somewhere at sometime would say to the director that this is just a pile of dog crap that needs shoveled up and put into an incinerator. Don't waste time and energy watching this and worse still don't under any circumstances pay out hard earned money for it. Walk away from it, you're not missing anything believe me.

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The astonishing true story of Hitler's private secretary coming to terms with working alongside unspeakable evil after remaining silent for nearly sixty years. In 1942, Traudl Junge was an apolitical 22-year-old chosen from a clerical pool to work as one of Adolf Hitler's private secretaries. Working day-in, day-out for Hitler, Junge viewed him as a surrogate father figure, private and polite, nothing like the crazed rhetorician of his speeches. Shielded from the knowledge of Hitler's acts of atrocity and convinced she was in the center of information, she was actually in a blind spot. As the Nazi regime teetered on destruction and Hitler plunged further into madness, Junge witnessed everything up to the final chaotic days in the bunker. Completed just months before Traudl Junge's death,BLIND SPOT: HITLER'S SECRETARY is a riveting personal history which demands to be seen by all.

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The video quality is reasonable. A wide variety of early color cartoons. 3 complete Superman. Many Warner Brothers Looney Tunes including A Corny Concerto (1943). One Casper The Ghost, one Mighty Mouse, one Woody Woodpecker, one Betty Boop, four Paramount singalong.

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Slightly disappointed with this one, as a Sci-Fi fan, and would have to agree with this review... "It is a movie more for the critics and lovers of cinema art, and less for general public wanting some space sci-fi epic. It reminds me somewhat of "Gravity", a big build up, and a rather rushed/disappointing ending. Still, the cinematography is admittedly good, and a good soundtrack (Max Richter), so all is not lost, but if you are looking for aliens/other worlds, then look elsewhere.
personally, a 7/10 for me.

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The TV series 'Klown' ran from 2005-2009 and again in 2018, in which the actors used improvised comedy to portray ridiculous and often embarrassing family scenarios. The film is also improvised with one embarrassing scene after another, and is bawdy in the extreme so be careful who you watch it with. You have been warned!

rottentomatoes.com gives this spoiler-free synopsis:

Two wildly inappropriate friends run amok through the Danish countryside plowing through endless awkward confrontations and unspeakable debaucheries. Hopelessly wrongheaded Frank "kidnaps" the 12-year-old nephew of his pregnant girlfriend in an eager attempt to prove his fatherhood potential to join sex-crazed Casper on his secret adulterous weekend canoe trip. From exclusive brothels, hospitalizations, armed robberies and even prison, the three paddle downstream from one chaotic misadventure to the next culminating in a surprise sentimental portrait of friendship and a final shocking reveal that you won't soon unsee.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

A time existed when films were made of believable stories about implacable characters in real life’s unfortunate and grinding situations. Hoosiers is one of those films. It doesn’t ask the viewers for excuses, it makes you face along with players all the arduous decisions everyday people have to make despite all adversities crushing down on them. They couldn’t have paired better actors for those roles than Hackman and Hopper. If life gives you lemons go ahead and do what you gotta do. At a time when the Internet didn’t rule over anyone, this movie travelled fast by word of mouth throughout for good reason. The plot is well laid out on the cover of the DVD by Washington Post’s Leonard Martin; but your blood won’t start pumping until you click this masterpiece to play.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Being a Sci-Fi fan,i was looking forward to this one,and it didn't really disappoint,given that most sequels are never quite as good as the original work,this one does a fair job of living up to the reputation of the first.The only things i would criticise perhaps,is that it tries too hard/too often to reference the previous work,and thereby suffers by not being it's "own" film.Also,i understand the overall "dark and moody" approach,but sometimes,it's a bit too "dark and moody",and could maybe have done with some lighter moments thrown in,it's also a tad too long,other than that,it's a good sequel;) 8/10

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I can't believe it was 2001 when this was made. A very chilling account of what went on at Wannsee in January 1942. Kenneth Branagh's portrayal of Reinhard Heydrich is excellent and manages to convey the absolute coldness of the man who, in a matter of fact way, discusses the plans for the final solution. Stanley Tucci (Margin Call) playing Adolf Eichmann is just brilliant. This is a must-see film for anyone who doubts the callousness of the Nazi regime. 10/10

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If you didn't see Sir Paul and his mates in concert during the "Back In The U.S." tour - it's fine.

However, if you did (like I did in Tacoma, WA) this one DVD does NOT do it justice.

Along with my first concert in 1968 - Cream - this is No. 1.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

One of the worst quality DVD's I've ever seen. This is no more than a very poor transfer from VHS (or worse) to disc. It is completely unwatchable so I have no idea what the storyline is because after about 5 minutes it's only fit for ejecting. I'm afraid this is another one for the shredder. Stay away from this at all costs. Total rubbish

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Although Kraftwerk have never been the most animated of performers (they stand rooted to the spot mostly,with the occasional head-bob or foot-tap;)The screen behind them makes up for any lack of movement,and audibly,this is one of the few concerts in 5.1 that would make me reconsider getting a surround sound set-up again(although the girlfriend might not be too happy;),it sounds great,made for 5.1

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

The footage is rare, and for good reason - its terrible. What you get is a jam session/rehearsal but it appears that the cameraman has yet to learn the fundamentals of operating the camera and seems to have difficulty trying to get the thing fixed on a stand, and then he plays around with the zoom, continuously. The sound is barely audible on much of the soundtrack even though after about 50 minutes the cops arrive and cut the session after neighbours complain, the remaining footage is just people milling around the studio.
Tagged on afterwards is the short film Andy Warhols's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, which has been sourced from a video-taped copy. Images flicker sporadically on the screen and are only briefly sequenced, but you can make out the faces from the factory scene. The purpose of these films was to contribute to the light show projected onto the live band, so they are really just an element of a multi-media art experience. Many images are repeated, and the whole 22 minutes may have been looped several times, generally its fairly boring to watch without a band playing on stage.

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Have to say,as an "Alien" fan,that this was a big disappointment.Personally,i found only a couple of the characters believable,the plot really plods along,even where there is supposed to be tension,there isn't any (you know nowadays that any of the half-important characters are not going to be killed off,despite increasingly ridiculous odds;),and they've tried to reveal too much of the monster's early development,leaving none of the mystery anymore,and surely,it's the mystery that makes a true monster.
A cash-in :(

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Although not normally a fan of sequels,this one's not bad,and although the plot is rather tenuous,it's made up for by the stunning visuals,which,have surely raised the bench-mark for any further sequels in this series,which director James Gunn alludes to there possibly being many more in "The Making Of....",unsurprising perhaps,as this had a working budget of $200,000,000 ,and has already grossed over $389,000,000 (to date)(according to IMDB),the merchandising opportunites seem to be endless,especially with the ultra-cute Groot (or "Twiglet" as i named him;),kids,and bigger kids alike,will snap it up.At least there is some tongue-in-cheek humour here,like in the first film,and it doesn't take itself to seriously,just sit back,and enjoy the ride :)
(PS Another good soundtrack btw,courtesy of an "Awesome Mix Vol.2" cassette left to Peter by his mum,the inspired opening sequence using ELO'S "Mr.Blue Sky" is worth the price of admission alone:)

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LOVE IS ALL (DVD)
A film by Kim Longinotto, with music by Richard Hawley

A hundred years of love and courtship on the silver screen, from the acclaimed filmmaker Kim Longinotto with music by celebrated singer-songwriter-producer Richard Hawley

Love is All takes us on an exquisite journey through the twentieth century, exploring love and courtship in all of its shapes and sizes on the silver screen across decades of unprecedented social upheaval. From the first kisses caught on film, through the disruptions of war and on the birth of youth culture, free love and gay liberation we follow courting couples as they flirt at tea dances, kiss in the back row, shack up together and fight for their right to love whoever they choose.

This celluloid love letter is directed by Kim Longinotto (Divorce Iranian Style) and edited by Ollie Huddleston (From the Sea to the Land Beyond) using a selection of spellbinding footage from British archives, including the BFI National Archive and the Yorkshire Film Archive, all set to Richard Hawley's stunning soundtrack.

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