Trade

The Dirty Little Secret of International Sex Slave Trade: A Wake-up Call
Based on an article written by Peter Landesman, who also wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Jose Rivera ('The Motorcycle Diaries'), TRADE literally forces us to experience the cruel, vicious international market for sex slaves. It is brutally captured on film by director Marco Kreuzpaintner ('Summer Storm') in a manner that spares nothing to unveil the atrocities created by the many people form all countries who ply this trade. It is a tough film to watch, but it is also an important film to see: the public MUST be made aware of this criminal activity that robs the lives of children and adults around the globe.

The setting is Mexico City and in the poor sector lives a fatherless family supported by the oldest son Jorge (Cesar Ramos) whose 'occupation' is petty crime that allows him to bring in money for his mother and his beloved sister Adriana (Paulina Gaitan). We see the abduction of a beautiful young Polish girl Weronica (Alicja Bachleda-Curus) in the...

Very important film.
I saw this at the Passion '07 Conference in Atlanta, GA at a special advanced screening, and I have to say that it is one of the most powerful and important films that I have seen in a long while. It portrays the horrors of sex trafficking, and how it affects the victims. The story is of a young man whose young sister is kidnapped and sold into sex trafficking. He teams up with a cop, played by Kevin Kline in a really good performance, and they set off to find her.

There are times when it resorts to cliches, and there are times when the dialogue is less than perfect, but I believe that these are only minor problems, and they did not dilute the film's strong message. I believe that the filmmaker's set out to show us something which is extremely important, something that should be dealt with. I hope that people see this film, and are able to look past the minor criticisms in order to see the bigger picture.

This is a tragic story, but most importantly it is a story...

Very Moving Film
This is a film that is hard to watch. If you are human, and you have a heart, this experience will definitely not be pleasant. Do not take this as a bad thing however; after the viewing was over, I felt almost a sense of relief and happiness knowing that many viewers will get their lives changed, because of this important little tale.

I will not provide a synopsis of the film; everyone else has summed that up well. What I would like to comment on is the outstanding performances. Within the first ten minutes I was dropped into this story, and I felt like I was involved. You go on a journey from Mexico to New Jersey, and there is a sense like you are a fly on the wall, and all you want to do is help the victims escape. The performances are strong enough that you will inevitably feel a suspension of disbelief.

This is a story that needed to be told, and in my opinion it was done well. This is not an exploitation piece. It is a film however that shows you all...

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Monty Python's Life Of Brian - The Immaculate Edition

Double-dip is warranted
I suspect most fans of this film and Monty Python in general already own a copy on DVD. The bonus features in this new double-disc edition definitely make it worth the repeat buy. Most of the features from the Criterion edition (two commentary tracks, five deleted scenes, radio ads) are here. (The nice 1979 BBC documentary "The Pythons" is the only feature from the Criterion version missing from this new set.)

The new hour-long documentary included with this edition is worth the purchase alone. All five surviving Pythons are interviewed and offer a lot of insight into the film, from its conception, to the controversy surrounding its opening (in the US and in the UK), to its lasting standing as the Pythons' greatest work. (Yes, I know, many fans like "Grail" even more.) I'm always pleased to see up-to-date interviews with the team, now all in their sixties.

The other significant feature is an audio reading of the original script, recorded with all six members...

Blessed are the Cheesemakers!!!!
This is the 4th iteration of this movie that I have owned. My first was on VHS, then came the Criterion LaserDisc, which was followed by the Criterion DVD edition. I really wasn't expecting much of an improvement over the Criterion DVD since this is an older movie. Regardless of what version you own, if you are a Python fan, you are in for a HUGE surprise with this latest edition on Blu-ray. The picture is near perfection with only a couple of scenes where I noticed the tiniest bit of film grain. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was the remastered sound elements. After trying the different sound choices, I found the PCM soundtrack to be the best. I really wasn't expecting the sound to be that great for this movie, but BOY was I surprised. Sony has truly outdone themselves with this latest high def remastering of Life of Brian. This is the absolute best I have ever seen or heard of this zany film. There are details in the picture that I have NEVER seend before, and I have...

Monty Python's Life of Brian--Criterion Edition
You have to be a genius to be this silly. Monty Python has done a fantastic amount of research into Jewish history and the birth of Christianity to make a total mockery of the hypocrisy found in people who claim to practice these religions. As a deeply spiritual man, I found this film completely unoffensive. This film doesn't poke fun at those who are a part of their religion because of an informed, knowledgeable decision, but rather at those who believe what they believe despite all evidence to the contrary and can't offer any valid explanation for it. Most people have probably been embarassed by people of that sort even in there own religion. Anybody who thinks that Monty Python's sense of humor is stupid isn't smart enough to understand the vast amount of research they must have done to turn verifiable history into such a ridiculous commentary on unchanging human behaviour. From the political issue made out of Stan's irrational desire to be a woman so he could have...

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Damages: The Complete First Season

No One Remains An Innocent In This Decidedly Twisty, And Twisted, Legal Drama
One of the biggest treats of the 2007 television season was "Damages," a wicked and wonderful legal thriller from FX. Headlined by Glenn Close, I expected to enjoy this show--but I wasn't prepared for the level of sophistication, complexity, and intelligence it offered up from its first twisty, and twisted, moments. Made for adults, this drama demands attention and may not be for the casual viewer. With its intricate plotting and structure, the story is told from different time periods interwoven throughout each episode. Essentially, snippets of the story are presented in each time frame, so the audience is left to speculate about the full truth in any given instance. However, as the season progresses, the pieces start to connect in unexpected ways that can both surprise and frustrate. I'd compare the narrative flow of "Damages" to that of a fine novel--telling you just enough so that you are tantalized to stick around for the next chapter.

The plot of "Damages" is a...

Machiavellian characters dominate this complex legal drama featuring terrific performances
There aren't any eccentric characters that make you laugh like Denny Crane on "Boston Legal" nor are there any cases neatly tied up at the conclusion of each episode with a bow on them. "Damages" follows a single case and the follow out from that case from its beginning until its bitter end. "Damages" begins with Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne from "28 Weeks Later" and "Sunshine") bloodied and battered walking the streets of New York until she is discovered by the police. From there the series takes a trip back in time six months earlier a case that Ellen worked on as a new attorney at Patricia Hewes (Glenn Close) & Associates. It's a civil case where Hewes is suing multi-billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) for hollowing out his company and robbing 5000 employees of his company of their pension plans in the process. Having escaped the prosecution of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Frosbisher now must defend himself from claims that he benefited by selling his stocks before his company...

Machiavellian characters dominate legal drama "Damages" featuring terrific performances and a top notch Blu-ray transfer
There aren't any eccentric characters that make you laugh like Denny Crane on "Boston Legal" nor are there any cases neatly tied up at the conclusion of each episode with a bow on them. "Damages" follows a single case and the follow out from that case from its beginning until its bitter end. "Damages" begins with Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne from "28 Weeks Later" and "Sunshine") bloodied and battered walking the streets of New York until she is discovered by the police. From there the series takes a trip back in time six months earlier a case that Ellen worked on as a new attorney at Patricia Hewes (Glenn Close) & Associates. It's a civil case where Hewes is suing multi-billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) for hollowing out his company and robbing 5000 employees of his company of their pension plans in the process. Having escaped the prosecution of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Frosbisher now must defend himself from claims that he benefited by selling his stocks before his company...

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The Val Lewton Horror Collection (Cat People / The Curse of the Cat People / I Walked with a Zombie / The Body Snatcher / Isle of the Dead / Bedlam / The Leopard Man / The Ghost Ship / The Seventh Victim / Shadows in the Dark / Martin Scorsese Presents Val Lewton Documentary)

Classy Classic for the horror connoisseur
Oh, Wow! I just was doing a happy dance over Hammer's release of their films I have long wanted and now here is the ultimate Val Lewton Horror Collection. Jacques Tourneur and Lewton created very special horror films. They were thinking man's horror film. Film in glorious black and white where shadows were long and dark (never achieved in colour films because of the bright lights needed), these films are moody, sinister, dark tales that whisper from the shadows instead of screaming boo!

"The Cat People" is more familiar to most people. This deals with a female who is a marmaluke (in Scotland we call them Greymalkins or Cait Sidhe), a female who can turn into a cat. The sequel "Curse of the Cat People" was slightly oddball. A sequel and yet some of it seems off. In the first film, Kent Smith who plays Oliver Reed (joke there!!) falls for Simone Simon is Irena who is a marmaluke. Later, as her nature reveals itself Smith turns to Jane Randolf (Alice), sending Simone...

Excellent set -- but save the documentary for last!
All of the films in this set are excellent, for reasons described in numerous other reviews on Amazon. The new documentary hosted by Martin Scorsese also provides a nice, atmospheric recap of Lewton's life and career.

But be forewarned -- the documentary contains a LOT of very serious spoilers for almost all of the best films in this set! So, enjoy the documentary by all means, but do so *after* you watch all the films. Happy viewing!

Same titles as previous set with a documentary
This new set from Warner Home Video will contain the exact same titles as the currently sold Val Lewton Collection except there will be a documentary - "Martin Scorsese Presents Val Lewton Man in the Shadows". The documentary will be available separately for just under twenty dollars for people who already own the other five discs as part of original Val Lewton Collection.

Val Lewton is not a well known name in the horror genre for most people. Everyone knows about Universal's reputation in horror during the 1930's and 1940's even though, today, most of those early monster films have dated rather badly, though they still retain an atmosphere that makes them worth watching. Lewton came to RKO in the 1940's and had a very brief output of high quality films. He was pretty much given ready-made titles and his job was to turn a profit for the studio, not make art. Strangely enough, though, he managed to do both and came up with a series of films that retain an interesting...

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ER: The Complete Eighth Season

GREAT Season of ER
I'm quite surprised by some of the other reviews I have read for this 8th season of ER. I found it to be refreshing and surprising. We received a very well-rounded view of many characters we had come to know, both inside and outside of the hospital. I very much enjoyed the story lines that took place on both levels. Between Dr. Benton and his family situation, Abby and her neighbor troubles, and the deteriorating home life on Doctors Greene and Corday, the hospital wasn't the only place with action. One character that really stands out in this season is Dr. Weaver. She begins the season angry and vengeful, but suddenly heroic on a dark and stormy night inside a crashed ambulance. And it's on that night where we see her take a true turn, finally towards love, and we find her emerging onto a more personable level. And while every season has been like that to a point with its characters, I thought season 8 really shined with this balance. Not only that, but we also got to see...

Where are the extras?
We can, of course, argue endlessly over which seasons are 'best' and which episodes are 'best', and there is no right or wrong answer, since we all have different tastes. IMO, Season 8 wasn't one of the better of the 'middle' seasons. I found most of the Dr. Greene/Elizabeth/Rachel stuff to be tiresome in the extreme, Kerry's 'outing' very badly handled, the Nicole story pointless, and Benton's paternity story-line utterly tedious. On the other hand, the return of Dr. Lewis and the storylines with Carter's mom were very enjoyable. Still, I generally preferred Seasons 6,7 and 9.

Be that as it may -- the DVDs. It seems that as the series goes on the DVDs become more and more bare-bones, while the price remains about the same. The extras include the usual deleted scenes (some of which were not actually deleted ...), and a very short gag reel, (which took some hunting down -- it was on a different disc than the box claimed) about a quarter of which consists of scenes of...

Last of the good years...
I would say that season eight was the last of the good years. Dr. Green leaves the show and can never return and the story lines just aren't quite as engaging as they previously were. Most importantly, almost all of the visual integrity is gone. I loved the early shows and their long, uncut steady cam shots. It seems as the show progressed through the years this went away and i find it really takes away from the ER style. All in all though, season 8 is still worth the watch and it provides enough excitement, at least it did for me.

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Hilarious Saints of Comedy

Hilarious Saints of Comedy
Great movie for the adutl get together with children. Didn't need to bleep out all the words and ruin the atmosphere.

Comedy
I was excited to see a dvd without cussing, but I didn't think this video was very funny to me.



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Stanley Kramer Film Collection (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner / Ship of Fools / The Member of the Wedding / The Wild One / The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T)

Kramer vs Kramer
I ordered this Stanley Kramer collection because it had a copy of "The Member of the Wedding" on it--one of my favorite movies, and it is almost impossible to get a copy of this as a single. It is a fantastic collection and I have seen all of the movies before, but of course I had to view "Member" first and then "Ship of Fools." The actors that stand out in this collection are Tracy and Hepburn plus Poitier in "Guess," Marlon Brando in "Wild," Vivien Leigh in "Ship" with equally fine performances by Lee Marvin and Michael Dunne, and of course Julie Harris and Ethyl Waters in "Member." The most stellar performance of the whole pack is the young Brandon de Wilde in "Member." If it were re-windable, I could re-wind and watch this young man over and over and over. Too bad we lost this actor, although his skill seemed to disappate with maturity. The odd movie in this pack is the "1000 Fingers." It is a heroic undertaking, the making of this movie, but instead of being the...

Finally got "The Member of the Wedding"!
I have been looking for The Member of the Wedding for years after seeing it on TV and only saw the book until last week. I love this movie I am actually watching it right now. I think I got a great deal 5 movies for $18.26!!! You can't beat that. Even if the other movies aren't good to get The Member for that price is a steal!

Let's have a Member of the Wedding DVD
It's long overdue! Put out a single DVD of Julie Harris's great performance in this great story.

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Academy Awards Animation Collection: 15 Winners

Here's a description of each cartoon
Don't you just hate it when the description of one of these classic cartoon sets doesn't include a description of the cartoons? In this case, they are really worth mentioning, as some, such as Disc Two's "Peace on Earth," aren't exactly kiddie fare, and many others are true animation classics (I've starred the ones I think best earn that honor). With that in mind, here's a description of each cartoon, written as I watch them:

DISC ONE

Each of these was honored by the Academy as the Best Cartoon of the Year:

1. THE MILKY WAY* (MGM, 1940)
Clear color, great clarity and a nice period song highlight this restored cute classic. When three little kittens lose their mittens, they're sent straight to bed -- where they dream that they sail a hot air balloon up into the Milky Way, a land overflowing with milk geysers and springs. The cartoon was the first Oscar winner that wasn't produced by Disney.

2. YANKEE DOODLE MOUSE* (MGM, 1943)...

Here's a description of each cartoon
There's been a lot of vintage cartoon sets in the past year, but this one is one of the best for kids. Unlike the otherwise superb Chronological Donald Vol. 3 or Popeye the Sailor Vol. 1, this one features a wide variety of characters so it never starts to wear thin. And since it's only one disc, it doesn't require you to lay out big bucks in order to own some re-mastered classics. If you're a real animation buff, you may be happier with the expanded Warner Bros. Academy Awards Animation Collection - 15 Winners, 26 Nominees. It's this disc plus two more, with many other gems, all at a good price.

Here's a description of the cartoons on this DVD. I've starred my favorites:

1. THE MILKY WAY* (MGM, 1940)
Clear color, great clarity and a nice period...

Some new-to-DVD titles here, but mostly re-issues from the Tom & Jerry & Looney Tunes DVD sets.
This set will include the separately released Winners disc Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection - The 15 Winners, pluse two discs of nominees. Warner Brothers Home Video owns 38 nominated cartoons, but they have chosen to only release 26 of them. I don't know why 12 were omitted.

From the Warner Brothers Home Video press release:

Disc 1:

Academy Award

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 (Charlie Chan in Honolulu / Charlie Chan in Reno / Charlie Chan at Treasure Island / City in Darkness)

The Great Charlie Chan Series Contiues.
Warner Oland, not the first actor to play the great detective Charlie Chan on the silver screen but the man responsible for creating his look, demeaner and countenance in some sixteen Chan films, died in August of 1938. Mr. Oland's health had been slowly declining and he reportedly walked off the set of "Charlie Chan At The Ringside", (eventually completed as "Mr. Moto's Gamble" with Peter Lorre,) to eventually return to his native Sweden where he passed away in Stockholm. Meanwhile executives at 20th Century Fox had no intention of letting this most successful film series, (Chan movies reportedly earned over one million dollars each for the studio,) slip away and the great Charlie Chan casting call was announced. The man eventually selected to replace Warner Oland was the relatively obscure non oriental actor, Sidney Toler of Missouri. Fortunately with the release of Mr Toler's first Chan film in 1938, "Charlie Chan in Honolulu", it quickly became obvious that the film series was...

Four Memorable Titles In The Chan Series
Charlie Chan was originally created by novelist Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933), who very loosely based the character on Hawaii's legendary police officer Chang Apana (1887-1933.) Biggers wrote six novels in all, and after several false starts 20th Century Fox (then simply known as Fox) hit on the right combination of actors, mystery, and comedy. The result was perhaps the single most popular film series Hollywood ever created.

Between 1931 and 1938 Chan was played by noted character actor Warner Oland. When Oland died, 20th Century Fox scrambled to find a new actor for the role--and ultimately assigned the part to Sidney Toler, who was well-regarded on stage but little known through films. In Toler's hands the character became less formal and the films began to emphasize comedy to a degree not previously seen. Some fans rebelled at the change, and even today fans continue to argue the merits of Oland vs. Toler. Even so, most fans would agree they enjoy both actors in the...

TOLER TAKES OVER
After Warner Oland's untimely death, Sidney Toler took over the reigns of playing the uncanny oriental sleuth. Keye Luke was very close to Oland and did not resume his role as #1 son. Victor Sen Yun (of Hopsing fame on Bonanza) took over Luke's role. The first Toler outing, IN HONOLULU is one of the best. The pre-war Chan movies (featured here) are some of the best work. WWII brought a more cautious series of Chan outings and they were not very entertaining. They were filled with patriotism (too much at times) and followed a "set" formula (Chan working for the US government).

The flicks in this great box set filled with extra goodies, are terrific. Only one does not feature the energetic #1 son, THE CITY OF DARKNESS and is the weakest of the entries.

I won't go into plots, they have been adequately reviewed. The transition from Warner Oland to Sidney Toler, I found very easy assimilate thanks to great scripts. Toler is more acerbic in his role then Oland. But...

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The Land Before Time: Adventuring in the Mysterious Beyond

Happy to find this..
We had the VHS for Land before time and it finally broke..my grandchildren love all the Little Foot series.. so happy that I found it again..

One of the good ones
Some of the LBT DVDs fall flat with my kids but this is one they request over and over.

GREAT FOR SMALL KIDS
MY 4-YEAR OLD SON LOVES THE LAND BEFORE TIME SERIES. THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF ENJOYABLE, WHOLESOME FUN WITH LOVABLE CHARACTERS. THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCTION IS ALSO FIRST-RATE.

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