Gentlemen with Guns

"Buster Crabbe B-Western Series ... Gentlemen With Guns (1946) ... PRC"
Producers Releasing Corporation presents "GENTLEMEN WITH GUNS" (27 March 1946) (54 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- American actor Buster Crabbe graduated from the University of Southern California and won the 400 meter freestyle in which he medaled in the 1932 Olympics, went to work for Paramount in "King of the Jungle" (1933), next role was "Tarzan the Fearless (1933), Crabbe returned to Paramount Pictures was featured in Zane Grey Westerns which were well received, then came the roles that made him a household word "Flash Gordon" and "Buck Rogers" at Universal Picture Serials (1936-1940), meanwhile PRC Studios was looking for a leading hero "Billy the Kid" and "Billy Carson" in the 1940's B-Western series and ran its course for six years, later made several televison appearances and appeared in a series "Captain Gallant and the Foreign Legion" (1955-1957) --- relive those thrilling days when Buster Crabbe took us down the dusty trails with hard riding and straight...





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Notorious [HD]

Great Music Biopic For the Hip Hop Genre
Saw this when it was in theaters, and was pleasantly surprised it did not disappoint. What put this film over the top was the excellent casting; the characters of Biggie, Faith Evans, Lil Kim, and even Tupac and Voletta Wallace (played by Angela Bassett) made this a believable account of what happened between these intersecting lives that left such a mark on musical history, and ultimately, a tragedy. You really felt for young Christopher as he grew up in the 80's admiring the rising hip hop stars of the day, and perfecting his rhyming skills on the street, while trying to avoid the perils of drugs and crime. What I liked most about this film was the humanity they brought to his character, making him seem like more of a real person than a musical icon. He wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he was trying to be a good person, no matter what obstacles life threw in his way. Ultimately this is a tale of a flawed individual, as we all are, who was lucky enough to...

Well-cast, beautiful cinematography, very slick editing and simply an amazing release on Blu-ray!
The death of Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace in 1997 was a big shock to hip hop fans around the world.

The events preceding his death was well-known, well-documented in the media in regards to the major riff with the East Coast vs. West Coast hip hop feud.

Considered as one of the greatest hip hop artists ever, "Notorious" is a biopic that documents the life of Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace and grossing over $43 million worldwide.

The film was directed by George Tillman, Jr. ("Soul Food" and "Men of Honor") and a screenplay co-written by Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker (the author of "Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G.") which showcases and celebrates the rapper's life.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

The NOTORIOUS Unrated Director's Cut Collector's Edition Blu-ray Disc is presented in widescreen format (2.55:1 ration) with English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Audio with...

A disappointing portrayal of an amazing talent.
When this movie first came out, I was so excited to see a biography of such a talented artist. Boy, was I disappointed.
The movie was quite obviously engineered and manipulated by Puffy and Bad Boy Records. Throughout the film, Puffy was portrayed as a virtual saint--always "saving the day" with his words of wisdom and innocence. He was never shown doing drugs (despite nearly everyone else smoking blunts throughout the whole movie), participating in the sex-filled music scene, or doing anything that would shed even a hint of a shadow upon him. It was quite sickening how saintly he is portrayed, especially when we all know better.

Tupac's portrayal was also hard to believe. His character made odd appearances throughout the film, always appearing as a paranoid, hyper-acting, shallow punk. As a huge Tupac fan, I was quite offended by the way he is portrayed.

The east/west feud was knocked down to a simple misunderstanding fueled by Tupac's baseless...

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Woman In the Fifth

I EXIST AS MUCH AS YOU EXIST
Tom Ricks (Ethan Hawke) is an American novelist who goes to Paris in hopes of patching up his relationship with his ex-wife (Delphine Chuillot) and daughter (Julie Papillon). She wants nothing to do with him because of some event in their past, which is not fully explained. Through a series of bad luck he ends up working for a man named Sezer (Samir Guesmi) as a night time doorman, a job steeped with symbolism as he works on his second novel.

Meanwhile, Tom meets a mysterious older woman (Kristin Scott Thomas) who has taken a shine to him. She is the "Woman in the Fifth." He begins an affair with her about the same time he takes up with Sezer's girlfriend, his "Polish muse" (Joanna Kulig). We don't know how weird things really are until near the end of the tale.

If I told you I understood everything in this film, I would be lying. There is symbolism in his forest writing, the bugs, and the light which dims and goes bright, none of which I fully understood. Then...

A Labyrinth of Questions of Fantasy and Reality
Douglas Kennedy's perplexing novel THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH has been further contorted by writer/director Pawel Pawlikowski for the film of the same name (aka La femme du Vème). If the viewer has read the novel then the confusion of the story will not be as surprising as it is to the novice viewer. In many ways this is a brilliant cinematic exploration of the fragility of the human mind, how events of the past can influence the manner in which we attempt to reconstruct a viable present. But in other ways this is a film that refuses to tell a story that is logical and will leave many viewers with some serious head scratching by movie's end.

Academic professor of literature and writer Tom Hicks (Ethan Hawke) seems to be fleeing America in the wake of a scandal simply because he wants to see his six-year-old daughter Chloé (Julie Papillon): Tom's estranged wife Nathalie (Delphine Chuillot) refuses to let Tom see his daughter, has a restraining order in place and...

A dark side of the City of Light
There is a lot to like about this film. The mood--the style! Much of the film is set in a dreadfully depressing part of Paris that is almost painful to see. And yet there are moments that are almost lovely. There is a scene near the end in the Arab's cafe, with an old man sitting alone at a table, all in shades of deep blues and grays that reminded me of some of Picasso's painting in his blue period. Then the camera moves back to include the kitchen area where the pretty blond Polish girl is working, a square of light in the darkness that reminded me of Edward Hopper. There are some other strangely lovely scenes too --the writer and the Polish girl, lit up by the midday sun in the grass, making love. Then the camera again pulls back and we see that they are not in a sweet country meadow, but only a few feet from a train track in an ugly slum.

There's another great scene, too, of a rooftop apartment right near the base of the Eiffel Tower. I've seen the Eiffel Tower...

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Independence Day [HD]

A movie that ENTERTAINS from start to finish!
I am not one who usually writes online reviews, but after reading several that have trashed this movie for being something more that what it is, I feel compelled to defend this entertaining and funny work.
I will be the first to admit that although there are several unrealistic, gaping plot holes and the dialogue is corny at times, anyone who looked for REALITY in this film is taking themselves too seriously. The very nature of the story's premise would suggest to anyone who has an IQ above that of an amoeba that this film is FICTION. I saw this film in 1996 in the theater, and have watched it several times at home on my 27 inch screen. Regardless of the setting, it is still fun to watch because (take note you 2004 social activists)...IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY! Yes, you too can enjoy the comedy, cheesy banter, and bombastic explosions this 2-hour film has to offer if you check your critical ego with the "power" button of your surround-sound home theater system...

An Outstanding DVD Package!
Studios are finally getting the whole DVD thing! This is a truly worth-your-money deal with lots of extras including two versions of the film; the first version is the original theatrical release and the second version is a directors cut featuring about 9 minutes of added footage not released in theatres. What's really great about this is they list what new scenes have been included and some of them are really funny and some of them make the story a lot more heartfelt. Also included is a second disc that includes a really cool mockumentary called "The ID4 Invasion" which is truly a priceless gem in this great collection. Also, there is commentary, lots of interviews with cast and crew, a special effects documentary on the making of the film and the original biplane ending which unfortunately looks really hokey and what I felt after watching it was-THANK GOD THEY DIDN'T GO WITH THAT ENDING-THAT ENDING WOULD'VE MADE THIS MOVIE A "REAL" DISASTER! For a...

Good transfer, but still disappointing
I have to say that I'm a big fan of this film, and I already own the DVD. Most of those wanting to buy this film on Bluray are those who have already seen it and liked it, so I won't comment on the movie content itself, but rather the technical and supplemental aspects of this release.

I borrowed a friend's copy of the BD version of ID4 just a few weeks ago, as I was contemplating whether to add this to my small but growing blu-ray collection. The picture and audio are superb, and watching this on my new LCD at 1080p with the lossless DTS-MA audio track really transported me back to the July of '96, when I watched this on the big screen. This movie has certainly aged well these thirteen years, and the special effects are still terrific even today. While watching, I was pretty much set on adding this to my collection.

That is, until after I finished watching the movie and wanted to see the extras in HD.

The DVD version I have contains two discs and a...

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Marvel Animated Features: 8-Film Complete Collection

Love Marvel Animated
All eight movies were great, can't wait for more ! Never knew anything about Dr. Strange but after watching the movie I like him and can't wait for the live action film of him.

Good deal
Eight Blu-ray movies for one really good price. Can't beat that. Granted some of the movies aren't that great, but it doesn't really matter.

Okay but too agreessive for kids
I would not recommend this video for small children as it has many scenes that are not suitable for them. Adults ok or Mature Teens OK.

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Katt Williams: Kattpacalypse [HD]

Katt's Celebratory Return Grows Progressively More Maudlin As The Evening Wears On
After a significant break, Katt Williams returned to the stage in this gala event on New Year's Eve 2011 at the packed Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. "Kattpacalypse" is the one hour special that captures this set. It begins with Williams' triumphant entrance that sends the 7000 plus members of the audience into a frenzy and it ends with the ringing in of 2012. Williams starts out like a powerhouse, full of energy and swagger. But as the hour progresses, he seems to get increasingly introspective, angry, and intimate. Williams has certainly seen his share of hard times, and I'd love to hear his story, his views and his perspective on what he's been through. But perhaps this big celebration was not the place. I think that he wanted to be personal and thankful, but the apparent bitterness and the lack of humor at the end of this set made me a little uncomfortable. This may not be your reaction, but I found "Kattpacalypse" to be unexpectedly awkward.

I won't say that most of the...

Call him Preacher Man!
I am mad that I didn't hear about this being on HBO when it initially came out. worth renting/buying he spoke truth in this one.

Wasn't Very Funny
This performance just wasn't up to the standard that Williams has done in the past. I was disappointed because I think he is a great comedian.

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Adventures in Plymptoons

Film Festival Favorite
Being Bill Plympton fans, my husband and I were excited when we saw that this film was going to be playing at the Tri-State film festival. It exceeded our expectations. The interviews were fun and informative, and the clips from the films just added to our enjoyment. This is a must-see for any fan of Bill Plympton.

An amazing documentary!
I've shown this film to people who had never even seen Bill Plympton's cartoons. Everyone agrees, it's really entertaining. Not only was this film put together with style, the substance within it is very informative. There are no "dead spots". It moves along at a great pace and you learn something new about Bill's interesting life at each turn. This film is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for anyone interested in learning what goes on in the mind of a creative genius. If you are a filmmaker yourself, you really need to check it out. You'll find yourself refreshed and motivated watching Plympton's own "do it my way" independent attitude. Great stuff and a really funny piece of work (both the film AND Bill Plympton)!

A must see!

WELL DONE!
Just saw the doc on Netflix. What a wonderful job they've did with it.

Having first experienced Bill's stuff at the "Sick & Twisted Animation Festival" back in the late 80's, it was wonderful to see how far he's come thru the years. Great interviews and a great story thruline helped by the editing choices. Loved it!
M

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