Man On A Tightrope [HD]

Five stars for the movies themselves, BUT...
There's no question that many of the films in this collection are among the greatest movies of all time, but there is a major quality control issue in the release of this set. I just received a new, sealed copy, and while the packaging itself is very handsome, I was stunned when I took the discs out to examine them. In the set I received, EVERY one of the 18 discs had scuffs, scratches and what appeared to be flecks of adhesive on the playing surface. The DVD of PINKY in particular looked liked it had been scraped against a rough piece of metal. I can only assume this was the result of careless handling somewhere in the production process. My advice to anyone thinking of purchasing this pricey set is: if you really want to add the rarer films like VIVA ZAPATA! and WILD RIVER to your collection right now, you might take a chance and get it. Otherwise, I would hold off until these titles are (hopefully) released individually in the future.

Great films marred by 20th Century Fox's disregard for customers.
From a motion picture standpoint most of the films in this collection are "must sees" for any one who loves movies, or are a serious student of film. Unfortunately if you bought this box set your chances of enjoying these movies have been compromised by the cheap and shoddy way that 20th Century Fox has chosen to release it. Instead of providing individual DVD cases for the DVDs, the discs are packed into a booklet. However the glue that has been used to keep the booklet's pages together have gotten on to the discs rendering them defective. In the first set that I received of this collection, more than a half dozen of the discs had multiple globs of the glue on them and could not be played. Additionally almost all of the discs in the collection had scratches, scuff marks and some even had finger prints on them. Apparently 20th Century Fox has no quality control or regard for the consumer otherwise the disgraceful packaging of this set wouldnt have occured. The second...

Wish Tree Grows in Brooklyn Would be Issued Separately
I think this is great for collectors who don't have many of the films but many of us have many in this collection.
TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN is absolutely wonderful and deserves to be issued separately. I can imagine how many high
schools alone would buy it. They could do it in their CliffsNotes series like they did with JANE EYRE and ANNA
KARENINA. I am greatful to TCM for showing TREE often and they have a terrific print. Another great film, SUNRISE,
was never issued separately but at least it was in its own case and many copies turn up on e-bay. For me, the greatest child performance is still Peggy Ann Garner's in this film and there are terrific performances by Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell and James Dunn. Please, 20th Fox, put this out as a separate entity.

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Heaven Can Wait [HD]

"A passport to Hell is not issued on generalities."
At last, this timeless romantic comedy has gotten the Criterion "treatment" and is being released on dvd. Don Ameche stars as Henry Van Cleve, an over-the-hill former playboy who has died and gone to Hell. But Satan, or "His Excellency" (Laird Cregar, giving one of his very best performances!) isn't convinced that Van Cleeve belongs there, so Henry tells him the story of his life (through flashbacks of course).

Growing up a Van Cleeve wasn't easy, and young Henry had no one to turn to for help (both his parents are somewhat out of touch with reality!) except his wild grandfather (Charles Coburn), who is obviously not a very good role model for Henry. As Henry becomes a man, he starts pursuing young and beautiful women, and finally meets a respectable young lady, Martha (Gene Tierney). The problem is that Martha is already engaged to a relative of Henry's! But, he wins her over and they elope and begin their life together.

After ten years of marriage, Martha walks...

A witty, humane, thoughtful movie directed by Ernst Lubitsch and written by Samson Raphaelson
"As Henry Van Cleve's soul passed over The Great Divide, he realized that it was extremely unlikely that his next stop could be Heaven. And so, philosophically, he presented himself where innumerable people had so often told him to go."

Henry (Don Ameche) is greeted courteously by His Excellency (Laird Cregar). "I presume your funeral was satisfactory?" the devil asks. "Well...there was a lot of crying," Henry says, "so I believe everybody had a good time." His Excellency explains that while he will consider Henry's request, there must be good reasons to avoid going Up There. "If you meet our requirements, we'll be only too glad to accommodate you. Would you be kind enough to mention, for instance, some outstanding crime you've committed " "Crime...crime...I'm afraid I can't think of any," Henry says. "But I can safely say my whole life was one continuous misdemeanor."

Heaven Can Wait is the witty, nostalgic, gentle and surprisingly thoughtful tale of Henry Van...

Perfectly made, brilliant script
This was Don Ameche's finest film. For once, he had a first rate director and script and a chance to take the centre stage in a comedy. He plays a lifelong flirt who, in spite of his love for his wife, can't help himself when he encounters a pretty woman. Whether it be due to the Production Code or otherwise, his actions are very genteel and neither the audience nor his wife take him very seriously but his charm and humour create a warm and funny character.

All the other actors shine in their roles. Gene Tierney is subtle, versatile and graceful as Ameche's wife. It is a mystery to me why she is sometimes singled out as mediocre. She has some very complex dialogue which she delivers faultlessly, her timing is excellent and she ages very convincingly. Charles Coburn as grandpa has the best lines, Signe Hasso as a French maid steals every scene in which she appears and Eugene Pallete as Tierney's father-in-law, Mr Strable, is very funny. There is a memorable scene between...

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Housefull 2 (2 Disc Blu Ray Set) (Bollywood Blu Ray With English Subttitles) [Blu-ray]

Housefull 2
I would have to say that Housefull 2 is not as funny as Housefull but it had it's funny moments. I really enjoyed seeing ShreyasTalpade make his debut in this film. He is one of my new favorite Bollywood actors. Akshay Kumar and Ritesh Deshmukh are always funny whenever you put those two actors together.





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Essex Boys [HD]

A First-Rate Gangster Flick
Essex Boys is a 1999 "gangster" film that takes the viewer into the gritty, dangerous domain of Essex's drug-dealing underworld. The story is narrated in part by a lad named Billy, a lowly (but fairly quick-witted) driver for the self-important kingpins, and though we don't see everything from Billy's vantage point, it is an effective and engaging means of presenting the story. Though the characters and the story are pure fiction, the inspiration for the film came from the murder of three suspected drug dealers whose bodies were found in a Range Rover in Essex in 1995. The story created around this real-life event is highly imaginative, plausible, gripping, and suspenseful.

Sean Bean (Sharpe, Extremely Dangerous, Bravo Two Zero, The Fifteen Streets, Golden Eye), donning a cockney-flavoured Essex accent, is simply superb as the jealous, arrogant, mean-spirited, foul-mouthed Jason Locke, a drug-dealing thug who's just been released from prison (and who thinks he's God's gift to...

Smart, tough Brit crime bites and stings
After the flash and fire of Lock, Stock..., there were a whole spate of Brit crime flicks (including its empty-headed sequel Snatch). It's a credit to the genre (or sub-genre) that Essex Boys is one of the better entries.

That can be attributed to a very intelligent script, terrific acting (since when have British actors failed to deliver the goods?), and fast-paced directing--all of which speak of a keen understanding of exactly how to craft a thriller that moves the way it should.

Sean Bean is outstanding here as Jason, an ugly-minded thug who's just been let out of the pen. He finds his old mates, after settling a score in an especially violent scene, and together they set about raking in the pounds, primarily from drug dealing. What they don't count on is Jason's wife Lisa who's the toughest and smartest of all. Her plots and counterplots land her squarely in the femme fatale arena and it's a lot of fun to watch Alex Kingston, the actress who portrays her, strut her...

Another excellent performance by Bean
I don't feel the need to spell out the plot of the film, since you probably already know it if you're reading this, so I'll keep this short. If you're American and not used to watching British films you may have to watch it a couple times or try it with subtitles to catch everything, but the movie itself is still wonderful. Sean Bean is (as usual) the bad guy, and he plays it beautifully. If you're a fan of his or just into action-packed gangster flicks, I highly recommend Essex Boys.

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Youngblood Hawke

Enjoyable, but should have been better (i.e., trashier) - 3 & 1/2 stars
Yes, "trashier" -- a failure to go completely over the top makes this film at best moderately enjoyable, rather than gloriously entertaining in the way only a full-blown Hollywood melodrama can be. Filming in B&W was a mistake, as this sort of story absolutely needs that wonderfully oversaturated Technicholor of the late 1950s, making everything look both larger than life & waxily artificial. It feels as if the film doesn't quite know which way it wants to go: a gritty portrait of a dog-eat-dog social world, or a shameless wallow in shallow excess. Because, let's face it, the latter is what makes this sort of movie so much fun!

Still, there's good work to recommend here. James Franciscus isn't afraid to make his character a hard-edged, self-involved cad, perhaps not quite as naive as everyone else around him seems to think. He knows what he wants (or thinks he does) & goes after it relentlessly. And you can't go wrong with a dependable character actor like Edward Andrews,...

Good DVD quality
I love the book "Youngblood Hawke", and have always wanted to see the film. When it became available on DVD on Amazon I decided to order it, despite a tad of nervousness about the recording being made on DVD-R recordable media, as I just hoped it would play on my DVD player.

However, my concerns were all for naught. The DVD played beautifully, and I was finally able to see this old film in its entirety with great picture and sound quality.

The film itself was a bit disappointing as Hollywood took a lot of liberties with the story, and they also ruined the ending. It certainly would make a good mini-series for TV, and I hope someone will do that at some point in the future.

James Franciscus
The movie is simple but yet the actor's are not...they shine and with a hot stud like James you can't go wrong....so sad he died at such an early age...he could have done so much more...

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Moondance [HD]

Not to be missed, a delightful film
This recently released film is a beautiful story about Patrick and Dominic, two brothers living an unusually independent life on a delapidated country estate in western Ireland. Their lives are changed when Anya comes to stay, propelling both of them into a new understanding of themselves, their world and one another.

The cinematography in this film is outstanding and the acting sensitive and evocative. Ruaidhri Conroy, who has appeared in a number of Irish films, gives a particularly touching performance in the role of Patrick's younger brother Dominic, who undergoes a right of passage as the story unfolds.

Marrianne Faithful puts in a rare appearance as the boys' estranged mother.

All in all an outstanding film, with an outstanding cast. I highly recommend it! END

Moondance .
I have to confess to buying this DVD as a result of my interest in the music of Van Morrison. I was delighted and enthralled not knowing what to expect. The music is beautiful many of Vans famous songs sung by an equally talented Brian Kennedy. But the acting and story line was simply fabulous. The appeaance of Marianne Faithful is a treasure and the blend of story acting and music make this film unmissable. Buy it and enjoy!

ACADEMY AWARD WINNING
As a fan of Marianne Faithfull you too will be beleiving that Marianne has adopted you into her family. The "MOONDANCE" is truly a treasure and a magical reality check. Marianne's perormance left me unable to determine if she is acting or truly a genius, the second is an obvious. This film is too "cool" to be mainstream in the "good "old" U.S." The masses wouldn't get it.... I did... Thank you again Marianne Faithfull

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Bride and Prejudice [HD]

When Bollywood meets Hollywood
When Bollywood meets Hollywood

There’s bound to be some sparks

And for this take on Jane Austen

I give almost full marks

The story line is much the same

Except a little shorter

The noisy Bakshi family

Is short a Bennet daughter

Henderson’s no Colin Firth

He’s just a little bland

They could have found a better bloke

To take Lalita’s hand

The Bingley siblings caught my eye

I’ve seen them both before

He was her Kama Sutra guy

And now he’s “Lost” no more

The ending’s changed up quite a bit

This version’s changed the terms

Singing, dancing, Indian style

And riding pachyderms

A lively, funny musical

Though not for everyone

It’s almost Pride and Prejudice

But a hundred times...

Absolutely Loved it!
Rented this the other night and was completely blown away. I knew the general idea of the movie-Pride & Prejudice + 21st Century India + Bollywood--but had not seen either any other Bollywood style movie or Gurinder Chadha's big hit, Bend it Like Beckham.

I absolutely loved this movie, nearly everything about it from the music and dancing in the musical numbers (which break out at random intervals) to the acting to the intertwining stories of romance and heartbreak. Standout actors were the incredible Aishwarya Rai (Lalita) and the comic relief of Nitin Ganatra as Mr. Kholi, the gauche returnee from America shopping for a bride.

It was also lovely to see Naveen Andrews outside of "Lost" and just wish there could have been a bit more of him and his storyline with Lalita's sister.

The movie is in English but sometimes when the speech gets rolling quickly, the accents can make a scene a bit hard to follow, but since I want to watch this movie again and...

Jane Austen meets Bollywood and it's a gem of a film!!
What drew me to "Bride and Prejudice", first and foremost, was that this promised to be a modern day, Bollywood version of Jane Austen's beloved novel "Pride and Prejudice." As a fervent Austen fan, I knew I just couldn't pass this movie up. Secondly, it is directed by Gurinder Chadha whose previous film "Bend It Like Beckham" is one of my favorite feel-good movies ever.

I had never been exposed to Bollywood filmmaking before this movie. The closest thing I ever got to Indian culture is the food (which I love), Chadha's "Bend It..." film and an earlier viewing of "Monsoon Wedding." I had no idea what to expect. The lively and vibrant songs and dances, beautiful and colorful costumes, memorable and endearing characters, and faithful re-telling of Austen's novel that makes up "Bride and Prejudice" just caught me by surprise.

And what a ride it has been! Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges did an excellent job of following Jane Austen's storyline; that of a...

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