Kindred

A true love story!!!!
Amazing!!!!!! You will need lots of kleenex... But it's totally worth it! I've already watched it twice. Rent it today!

Loving Tribute
It really puts life in perspective watching the journey they both went through. A very sweet and touching film. I would have loved to meet her!

Interesting documentary - very sad
This is an interesting documentary of what it's like to go through the process of dealing with cancer as a young, vibrant woman and her husband.

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Tokyo Drifter

One of the most brilliantly edited films I have seen!
The only reason Seijun Suzuki's "Toky Drifter" is getting four stars instead of five is because the story gets hokey and hard to follow at times. But what a wallop the visual fireworks and rapid-fire, jump-cut editing pack! "Tokyo Drifter" is easy to understand after viewing it a few times, but initially the story takes a back seat to Suzuki's inventive, French-New-Wave style of creating the images, which are breathtaking. "Phoenix," a reformed killer for the Yakuza, dreamily walks around Tokyo after quitting the racket, expecting to be executed. But when he is called back into duty to help rid the city of a rival gang, the film "drifts" into a surreal mix of equal parts Luis Bunuel, Sam Fuller and Jean Luc Godard. The action never lets up, and the film is a wonderfully funny mix of comedy and violence. The performers even break out into song at unexpected times, although the film is certainly not a musical. You just never know what...

Stylish
A stylish gangsta piece of work by the great late Seijun Suzuki. If you've watched Kurosawa or Ozu then this is much different. More comparable to Kinju Fukasaki(BATTLE ROYALE). Not as good as BRANDED TO KILL but a fine Criterion piece none the less. A lonely soul gets pulled back into one last score to settle. Visually masterful and the score is brilliant. A little slow at times but the action is pretty much non stop throughout. Plus a big payoff at the end. I know you will be amazed with what you see. Quentin Tarantino may not admit this is one of his inspirations for RESOVOIR DOGS, but when you have the blue room, red room, white room, etc, it's hard not to believe there's some sort of connection there between Mr. White, Blond etc. A must see film if you're a lover of art and crime noir. One of Seijun's top 5 films.

another unusual gangster film
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film follows a retired killer named Tetsu who continues to receive threats from people and is asked to help take out a rival gang.

This film is shot in full color and has some interesting tricks done with that. There are parts where the color changes and 'differentials' of color from one side of the screen to the next. It is very difficult to describe but you know what they say. "a picture is worth a thousand words" I would suggest you see it for yourself if you are interested.

The film also has an excellent theme song which reminded me of the songs by Kyu Sakamoto, best known for his song "Ue O Muite Arouko" and known outside of Japan as "Sukiyaki."

There is also a 20 minute interview with director Seijun Suzuki on the DVD as a special feature.

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The Four Feathers

A Rousing British Adventure Comes To Criterion--A Sweeping And Beautiful Epic
To the modern eye, certain elements and attitudes on exhibit in Zoltan Korda's 1939 adaptation of "The Four Feathers" may appear dated. That's to be expected, really, and shouldn't discourage any real movie lover from appreciating this British epic of unlikely heroism. Once you get past a rather heavy handed beginning--there is much pointed discussion about what makes a man, bravery versus cowardice, and the supreme glory of British imperialism--a terrifically outlandish, but spectacularly entertaining, adventure starts to unfold. With sweeping desert vistas, gorgeous British estates, spectacular battle footage, and impressive location shooting--this is really a film begging for a Criterion restoration as the previous DVD presentations were relatively underwhelming. The film boasts Oscar nominated cinematography, and it deserves to be appreciated and admired for the spectacle that it truly is!

The story revolves around Harry Faversham (John Clements), a British officer...

A first rate, rip-roaring adventure story
Thank god I gave this movie another chance! A few years ago I watched this film on a local public television station. The print they showed, however, was old and worn, with hundreds of lines and specks marring every scene. Also, the color was so badly faded that it almost looked like it was filmmed in black and white.

But reviewing the film on a newly restored and enhanced print was nothing short of a revelation. It was frequently gorgeous to look at, and the high quality of the print allowed me to focus on the story. Many of the scenes were filmmed on location in the Middle East, which greatly added to the appeal of the movie (in American epics of the thirties, even the Crimea and India ended up looking like the Mojave Desert for obvious reasons--reminds me of the funny scene in the second Austin Powers movie, where Austin casually remarks while driving down a road that is clearly on the California coast, "Isn't it amazing how much the coast of England looks like...

RULE BRITANNIA
There are films that are classics since the day they are released. This film is one of those. Zoltan Korda shows his elegance and skills presenting us a typical adventure.

Based on the novel by A. W. E Mason, it is the story of young Harry Faversahn born and raised to follow the military life like all his ancestors. Pity that his father is an obssesed of the glories of the Empire, and that his friends bored the child telling stories about battles, slaughters and Baklava (the scene with C. Aubrey Smith explaining the battle with a pineaple and some walnuts is one of the best in the story of cinema).

But Harry is a good boy so he joins the army, trains all day and even has time to conquer beautiful Ethne. With that Harry decides to leave the army, but good things do not last forever, so in the evening of his engagement party his regiment is call to arms. To Egypt to fight against the wicked Egyptian rebels. But Harry refuses and so his former best friends send...

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Big Easy Express [HD]

3 1/2 stars for a joyful train ride
The corporate descriptor has it about right regarding this brief (67 minutes) documentary. "3 bands. 6 cities. 1 train, and thousands of miles of track..." The bands are the U. K.'s Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros from down under and the Old Crow Medicine Show from Tennessee. The train stops and concert venues are Oakland, San Pedro (L. A.), Phoenix, Austin and New Orleans. I know I'm missing one. Maybe L. A. and San Pedro are considered separately.

In any case don't expect a concert film. It isn't. Certainly there is plenty of music, especially the final joyful 3 band collaboration on "This Train." The unrated film is the Amtrak equivalent of a PG Jack Kerouac "On the Road" film. We see the various bands practice, write songs together, jam and generally have a good time with various family members along for the ride. For this viewer, I enjoyed the gig in Austin when the Mumfords invited the Austin H. S. marching band to perform with them with...

My Last Waltz
I have memories as a kid of my father showing me the classic documentary The Last Waltz. I have a feeling my son will have the same memories of me watching this documentary over and over again.

I was lucky enough to see Mumford and Sons just before they blew up at a little venue with 200 people in Phoenix and then less than a year later with over 10,000 people at the biggest venue of this Rail Road Revival Tour in Tempe. Being at the concert was an unforgettable experience, and this documentary captures that brilliantly.

I would have liked more interviews with the muscians, I would have liked to have learned more about them. That is my only criticism of this video. I watched it two times in the few hours since it arrived via UPS. The music, the bands, the train, it is musical nirvana.

Nothing will beat having been a part of the rail road revival tour, but this video captures it and I hope you will watch it and watch three brilliant bands, Mumford,...

Amazing!!! I didn't want it to end.
What a great documentary. All three bands are amazing. Alexander Ebert (Edward Sharpe) and his music is the 2nd coming of Jesus. Old Crow Medicine show needs to stop screwing around and do a Northwest tour....please. But seriously, this documentary was great. I loved it, my kids loved it and it's the closest thing you can get to experiencing this legendary tour outside of being there. Easy purchase.

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Stowaway [HD]

A Poignant Fox Farewell for Shirley Temple
"Young People" was Shirley Temple's final film under contract at Twentieth-Century Fox. Although she would go on to make some excellent movies as a teenager and young adult, "Young People" effectively marked the end of her reign as a child star.

In this picture Temple plays Wendy Ballentine, the adopted daughter of two vaudeville stars (Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood). She literally grows up onstage (just as Temple grew up before film audiences in the 1930s), stealing scenes from her parents and becoming an integral part of the act.

However, the Ballentines yearn for a more stable and "normal" existence, and, thus, retire from show business to take up residence in a hamlet in the countryside. It isn't an easy transition: the townsfolk seem to have a poor opinion of "show people" and shun the Ballentine family. Wendy also has trouble adjusting to life offstage: she reads "Variety" at home, teaches her entire class to do...

A sweet movie, you can watch with your kids
My six year old daughter and I watched this film together and enjoyed it very much. Shirley Temple as always, gave it her best, as well as the other actors. The story is touching and teaches children about the importance of being open to change. It teaches about caring for your fellow man, and being a good citizen. I would recommend this for parents and young children to watch together.

Temple's last Fox musical
YOUNG PEOPLE (1940) was, despite it's mix of the regular Temple movie trappings, an even bigger flop at the box office than THE BLUE BIRD, released earlier that same year. Back in black-and-white, and with the "child star" cuteness becoming a slightly uncomfortable fit for the rapidly maturing twelve-year-old Temple, it lacks a certain zest; although Temple gives a great performance and is matched every step of the way by her co-stars Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood.

The story follows vaudeville team Joe and Kitty Ballantine (Oakie and Greenwood) and their adopted daughter Wendy (Temple) as they attempt to retire on a farm in New England, only to find hostility and scorn from their old-fashioned, small-minded neighbours.

This was Shirley's last movie for Fox. After her two failures in 1940 (and with no scripts on the immediate horizon), it was decided, in an agreement between producer Darryl F. Zanuck and Temple's parents, to finally terminate her contract...

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Shining Secrets of the Stanley Hotel

A true look at the paranormal
This documentary truely captures the paranormal history of The Stanley Hotel. This is a real look at the hotel that inspired Stephen King to write "The Shining", without any spin from a reality show producer. I found this documentary to have a perfect blend of history of the hotel, paranormal experiences from guests & staff and unexplainable events captured on film during a true paranormal investigation. The hour goes by quickly while watching this film. If you can not make it out to The Stanley Hotel (where this documentary is also sold in their gift shop) for a stay or tour, this documentary is the next best thing!

Boring
I had hoped to see more than just a crew of people standing around waiting for something to happen. There were lots of close-ups of "ghost hunting equipment" doing nothing. People talking to the air with no responses, recounting of being poked while trying to sleep - typical. In the last few seconds, a door slammed. OK. The historical facts as told by the hotel staff were interesting, but other than that, nothing new was brought to light by this documentary. It would have been nice if they had included a bit about Stephen King's stay, but no. It wasn't scary or even fascinating, it was extremely dull and a total waste of money. The "Ghosthunters" TV show version was much better than this.

BLAHHHHHHH.......
I guess I expected more footage would be revealed with the all the ghost hunting/paranormal equipment. But the footage sucked- showed very minimal, if ANYTHING, for paranormal activity. The stories were neat, but thats it. I live 1/2 hour from Estes Park and I would have had a better experience going by myself. Waste of money.

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Children of the Stars

wow
This is a funny and surprisingly touching little film about some endearingly eccentric people and the sci-fi films that may or may not have warped their minds. How do I get a ride in the Space Caddy?

Far out!
Children of the Stars is a must see for those who want to get an insight of the history and beliefs of the Unarius intellect. The film maker did a fantastic job interpreting both current and historic footage in his film. Here, you'll discover great coverage with spectacular and informative interviews. Enjoy!

Somewhat lacking
I found this documentary lacking in a number of ways. While I would not describe it in any way as propaganda, it's really just a video about what Unarius's believes, teaches, and some of their history. There is little to no discussion about faith or how the organization has coped with it's failed prophecies or other demonstrably false claims that have been made. The description of this film says it is "a sympathetic look at faith and how people justify it in different ways", however, I found no exploration of how people justify faith in the eccentric beliefs taught by Unarius.

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