Gong yi la ma

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Price: $493.67   

Gong yi la ma Review

This movie starts out pretty interesting with a speech about the Red and Yellow Lamas. The story is actually about Chi Kuan Chun looking for his father's murderer. Tommy Lee plays the evil lama he is looking for. Tommy Lee is looking for an ancient ginseng and a Jade Buddha. Chi Kuan Chun finds out Tommy Lee's plans after following Lung Fei around the whole movie and decides to fight Tommy Lee to the death before he can get the ginseng and the buddha. The end.

The story is actually not that bad. It is sad that the story ends up becoming pointless. This movie tries to be a mystery, but by the end it turns out to be your average revenge flick.

The fighting is good. Lung Fei has a few decent fights and Chi Kuan Chun looks great. Jimmy Lee has a good fight scene. The final fight with Tommy Lee is definitely the highlight. They go at it pretty hard, but I thought it could have been a lot better. Not one of Tommy Lee or Chi Kuan Chun's best fight scenes, but still worth watching. This is one of those movies where I will only revisit it to watch the last 15 minutes.

2/5

Picture quality on the Videoasia DVD is decent. I usually don't complain about movies that are presented in full screen, unless it affects the action. The full screen presentation on this DVD bugged me during the final fight, so I would advise seeking out a widescreen print if you really want to see this.

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Babylon 5 [VHS]

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Price: $473.34   

Babylon 5 [VHS] Review

Babylon Five (B5) was Science Fiction for adults---no small kids or cute robots in this show---and was a five-year novel for television about political change, which emphasized the choices individuals in difficult situations must make; the consequences of those decisions; and the ensuing responsibility and accountability that follow. It is also very much a show about war: the causes of war, the lead-up to war; the conduct of war; and the immediate and long-term aftermath of warfare.

Babylon 5 is a fictional space station that is gargantuan in size (five miles long), located in neutral space in another solar system, that houses 250,000 occupants, both human and alien. Built by the Earth government and funded by both human and alien governments, it is a combination "United Nations" in space, and free trading port, designed to be a vehicle for facilitating improved human-alien understanding and relations; instead of the last best hope for peace, it becomes an historical nexus, a focal point for conflict and change. The pilot show was set in the year 2257, and the five-year arc takes place from 2258-2262.

The series features real adults managing adult problems, highlighting how we humans (both now and in the future) deal with everything from peaceful political change, assassination, official lies, conspiracies, class and racial conflict, religious themes (prophecy, and religious diversity, in particular), personal loss, substance abuse, and unrequited love---with frequent and welcome humorous diversions. The major character arcs were well-planned. Like a novel, this show had an introduction (season 1), rising action (season 2), complication and heightened conflict (season 3), a climax (season 4), and a well-defined resolution (season 5).

Its creator, Executive Producer, and principal writer, J. Michael Straczynski, grew up a true Science Fiction fan, nurtured on the best that SF had to offer: Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy and E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. Straczynski proudly admits that B5 was intended to be, and is, "Space Opera," in the very best sense of the word. The scale is BIG---encompassing the entire Milky Way galaxy, the rise and fall of empires, controlled evolution, and a timespan of literally billions of years. (The influence of both Asimov and Smith here is evident.) As is the case in all good space opera, "Sense of Wonder" is plentiful and in no short supply.

[If all of this sounds very similar to the Star Trek spinoff "Deep Space 9," it is certainly no coincidence. Straczynski pitched the show to a succession of potential sponsors for five years before having it green-lighted by Warner Bros.---and he pitched it to Paramount, the owner of the Star Trek franchise, circa 1989. Paramount turned him down on the concept of doing a show about a large space station manned jointly by humans and aliens, but kept the briefing materials. When B5 finally found a studio and a network (Warner Bros. and PTEN), Paramount suddenly launched its remarkably similar "Deep Space 9" the very same year, in 1993. Both shows were well produced, and were highlighted by good production, good writing, and fine acting. The difference was that "Deep Space 9" took place in the Star Trek universe with which we were all familiar, and B5 created its own, completely unique universe, in which the Earth of the 23rd century was a far less perfect, and far more conflicted place, than the utopian society portrayed previously in the Star Trek franchise. B5 was intended to be a saga, an integrated and well-planned five year novel for television, from its inception, in which the story would grow increasingly complex week after week, and characters would evolve along a predetermined arc---which was very different from the largely episodic format previously seen in the Star Trek franchise, in which the reset button was hit at the end of each week's show. The irony is that a Star Trek franchise, "DS9," copied, in part, the idea of a complex and evolving story line inherent in the B5 concept, and in doing so created perhaps the best of all the Star Trek spinoffs. Both shows have very loyal fan bases, and both were fine productions. But B5 led the way here, and in doing so J. Michael Straczynski was bold and innovative enough to create a completely new and compelling universe full of realpolitik and intrigue. I prefer the gritty and frank realism of B5 to the utopian society found in classic "Star Trek," and "Star Trek: The Next Generation."]

Babylon 5 was made financially feasible by its pioneering use of CGI during the early and mid-1990s (the pilot aired in 1993, and the five-year show ran from 1994-1998). Those special visual effects still hold up well on the small screen, and most of them hold up adequately even on big screen, HD TVs. While it is true that there are some occasional visual effects resolution problems (caused by the visual effects composite shots, originally displayed in a 4:3 ratio, being later "blown up" for DVD presentation to match the 16:9 ratio that the live action scenes were shot in), they are endurable (and forgiveable) because of the high quality of the writing, acting, and musical score. Each episode was uniquely and individually scored by the masterful and innovative German-born Christopher Franke, who gave the show much of its dramatic personality.

The casting for the show was equally fortuitous, with Michael O'Hare portraying the thoughtful and introspective first Commander of the station (Commander Jeffrey Sinclair); and with the energetic, eminently likeable, and talented Bruce Boxleitner taking over his duties (as Captain John Sheridan) in seasons 2 through 5, and catapulting us through a truly remarkable and transformative character arc (from an apolitical military man-of-action; to a reluctant, yet magnetic leader in an Earth civil war; to an even more reluctant, but quintessentially indispensable President of a new interstellar alliance). The beautiful and accomplished Mira Furlan portrayed the series' key female lead (as the forever mysterious Minbari Ambassador Delenn); Claudia Christian enthralled us with her tremendous empathy and sense of humor (as the station's Executive Officer); and the brilliant and consummately talented actors Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas literally "stole the show" as the mortally competitive ambassadors from the enemy Centauri and Narn regimes. Steven Furst provided unparalleled, and unforgettable comic relief as the aide to Centauri Ambassador Mollari. Richard Biggs, Patricia Tallman, Jason Carter, Andrea Thompson, and Jerry Doyle rounded out the show's ensemble cast with weekly performances that provided many memorable moments. The most captivating recurring guest star, by far, was Walter Koenig (formerly best known as Ensign Chekov on the original Star Trek series), who in 10 different B5 episodes, portrayed the dark but multi-layered antagonist known as "Alfred Bester" (in another homage to the golden age of Science Fiction), the man in a black uniform who could read your mind without you knowing it. Other actors who made noteworthy and recurring guest appearances on the show (many of them as aliens wearing the show's Emmy award-winning prosthetics and make-up) were Wayne Alexander; John Vickery; Robin Sachs; Kim Strauss; Ron Campbell; W. Morgan Sheppard; Caitlin Brown; and Marshall Teague.

The writing in B5 is character-driven, not plot-driven or special-effects driven. This is its strength---you really care about the characters and about what happens to them as they, and the universe around them, are both changing. There are still good plots (and some wonderful plot twists), and the CGI visual effects improved and became more complex each year as CGI technology progressed and developed, but B5---fortunately---is a character-driven saga. The show's creator, JMS, wanted to do a show that was BOTH good Science Fiction, and also successful as television drama, and managed to do both. He did so not only by concentrating on character development, but by tackling these four "big" philosophical questions, subjects not usually covered in weekly TV series: "Who are you? What do you want? Where are you going? Why are you here?" Straczynski also explored other "big" themes in B5. One such theme was that of selfless sacrifice (which, according to JMS, is one of the defining characteristics of sentient life): the willing (and knowing) sacrifice of one individual's life to save another; and the voluntary sacrifice of one life, or many, in the interests of the greater good---a philosophy, a cause, or even an entire society or culture. Straczynski also wrote multiple shows demonstrating his distrust of the mass media, and exploring the pervasive use by governments of propaganda, even in so-called "free" societies, using the mass media as its principal tool for dissemination of that propaganda. In his story lines, JMS also expressed great support for those individuals (such as his protagonist, Captain John Sheridan) who dare to buck the current, and oppose the establishment by speaking out against political wrongs and falsehoods; in one post-B5 interview, Straczynski stated: "It's often the person who says the most damaging things who is being the most patriotic." In the final episode of Season 4, titled "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars," JMS also shares with us his disgust with the pack-mentality "groupthink" of modern academia, which prefers to ascribe virtually ALL historical change solely to blind economic and societal forces, and to downplay, or even deny, the significant roles of key individual leaders in guiding and creating our history. Straczynski teaches us throughout the B5 saga that it is okay to have heroes, because (no matter what the academics tell us about blind economic forces, and the strong influence of the establishment's consensus on the resolution of key societal issues) individuals---key historical figures---can, and often do, make a difference.

Everything about B5 is big: its scope, scale, the historical and moral issues that are tackled, and the effect it will have on your emotions, and I dare say, even upon your philosophy of life, and view of contemporary history. (JMS clearly commented upon both McCarthyism, and the JFK assassination, in his various plot threads.)

Some patience is required: as in Deep Space 9, the first year is largely episodic, and is used primarily to introduce the show's characters (while still establishing numerous key plot threads which will not be fully resolved for 3 or 4 years). Straczynski had an additional challenge: he did not inherit a pre-existing and well-formed universe, as DS9 did---in the pilot episode and first season, he had to create an entirely new B5 universe and sell it to an audience which was already accustomed to a very different Star Trek universe. But the payoff was in seasons 3 and 4 of Babylon 5: for the first time in TV history, one writer (JMS) wrote every episode of those two seasons, and with his universe and its characters already well-defined by seasons one and two, he takes the viewers on an unparalleled roller coaster ride of dramatic and historical adventure, and allows them to witness and experience some truly profound character arcs. You learn a lot along the way, about history and the human condition. As a writer, JMS did not disappoint; he promised much early in the series, and he delivered. Through the magic of DVDs, you can experience the ride as fast as you want, two or even three episodes per day, without having to wait one week between broadcasts, and even longer to see how each season-ending cliff-hanger was resolved.

I welcome its forthcoming release in Blu-Ray! Thank you, J. Michael Straczynski; producers John Copeland and Doug Netter; composer Christopher Franke; and the entire cast and crew.

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Mom and Dad Save the World [VHS]

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Price: $546.49   

Mom and Dad Save the World [VHS] Review

This is one of those movies that make the end of the week so enjoyable. You've spent your whole week dealing with people at work, a job you're not so enthused about, all the frustrations of bills and daily aggravations, but at least you have a movie like this to pop in where none of that matters for a while.I give this movie such a high mark because of it's value in that regard. I know that by Friday night I'm not looking for a "Schindler's List" to watch, not even a semi-serious comedy. No no, I want the lowest low-brain humor I can possibly find. The stupid humor, where I can laugh loud and often. So you see, it's not so much how good the plot is, or the production, but what the movie can do for you.The plot is thus; Dick Nelson (who seems to be a normal guy, but is given all the idiosyncracies of the normal guy by Jeff Jones so that he seems quirky) and his wife Marge are on their way to a vacation in their Station Wagon, when an intergalactic magnet manned by a walking Napoleon charicature named Todd Spengo lifts them off the ground, into space, and onto the miniscule speck of a planet that Spengo rules (prompting the obligatory "It's not the size of your planet, it's how you use it.")What follows is a casserole of Monty Python-inspired humor with a great cameo by Eric Idle who dubs Jones's character anew as "Earth-Dick." Todd Spengo, played by Jon Lovitz in his last good role, is probably the best source of laughs. You wonder how the heck this guy manages to rule a planet when he can't complete this verse in a song, "Oh Marge, Oh Marge, my love for you is..." Not that it matters. I don't think I've ever laughed harder than at the flash-grenade scene, or when Spengo asks his guards "mutton-chops... or goatee?"Props to Teri Garr too for getting in the spirit of things. You wonder if this character isn't the antithesis of her trouble-wife character in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," but then you think "Naaaah." I like her better in this than "Young Frankenstein" as well.So yes, buy it, watch it. Don't look to be enlightened, just uplifted. If silliness like this were more prevalent in the world, I predict we'd have a nicer place to live in. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?�Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment Comment

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Eclipse [VHS]

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Price: $526.47   

Eclipse [VHS] Review

**May Contain Spoilers**

After years of seeking out acceptable VHS copies of L'ECLISSE, at last this elusive, enigmatic, haunting film has come to DVD. To be fair, some VHS copies were not so bad-looking, but few were letterboxed, so many viewers have never seen the film in its original widescreen format. Criterion presents L'ECLISSE in widescreen format and in a clean, beautifully restored print. There is a good amount of rapid flashing in the opening scene, but as we are engulfed in Antonioni's vision of the world this becomes less noticeable. The soundtrack also has the recessed quality familiar from many Criterion releases, but that can be remedied by a volume boost. Apart from these minor criticisms, this is an exemplary release. It may indeed surpass Criterion's edition of L'AVVENTURA in terms of the supplementary material.

On disc two, there is a pair of excellent features: "The Sickness of Eros" features interviews by Antonioni scholars and associates. These people actually have substantial things to say about the film and the director. The other feature, a documentary, "Michelangelo Antonioni: the Eye that Changed Cinema" is a perfect example of its kind. There is a lot of footage of the director discussing his films (and saying interesting things about them) as well as other relevant comments by scholars and collaborators. Of even greater interest are the numerous clips and stills of the director on the set of many of his works. Both these documentary features are eminently re-playable. There is also an informative, film-length commentary by Richard Pena.

L'ECLISSE seems to sum up the ideas that evolve in Antonioni's earlier films from LE AMICHE through LA NOTTE. But it also pares down these ideas and renders them in an abstract, or nearly abstract way. This is why the film is so challenging for some viewers. From the opening shot, we are in Antonioni's world: a composed still-life of a room and its ordinary contents; the camera pans right (here we see the benefit of the widescreen format) and a shirtsleeve is glimpsed; immediately, it moves and we see Francisco. This opening seems to say: humans are part of the world. They live in it, but they are part of it too. Vittoria is then introduced, first from below, the we are allowed to see her whole. The film continues to fragment the characters in this way, cutting off our view of their complete bodies, as if to say the people themselves are not complete. Vittoria's first actual action in the film is to adjust a small, empty picture frame and to reach through it to move some objects on the desk within the scope of the frame. This is another typical Antonioni theme. He expresses it many times with frames, both picture- and window, and with doorways and arches. Humans need to see a shape to reality, a formality of some kind, to make it comprehensible.

Monica Vitti is Vittoria in this 1962 film. She is the ultimate Antonioni existential protagonist. Presumably sometime shortly before the film begins, Vittoria has become aware of a basic human dilemma: life is constantly in a state of change; we try to hold onto emotions and ideas, but the forward-moving nature of existence can render them meaningless' also, there is some mystery under the surface of life. Vittoria ends a relationship that clearly was 'going nowhere', much to the dismay of her nearly immobile lover (Franscisco Rabal). She leaves him and begins a wandering journey, an exploration that makes up the body of the film. Along the way, she will respond in different ways to her gradually evolving state of mind. One response Antonioni's characters often have is to try to escape, symbolically perhaps to transcend their existence. Vittoria accepts an invitation from a friend to fly to Verona and back to Rome in a private plane. The experience is exhilarating, but ultimately empty. She also dresses in native African costume and dances quite well in an attempt to transcend her normal world and normal self. This too is ultimately devoid of real meaning. Very typically of an Antonioni protagonist, Vittoria allows herself to explore the possibility of romance as a kind of escape or distraction. She meets, and apparently becomes emotionally involved with the impossibly handsome, but empty Piero (Alain Delon). Through his association with Vittoria, Piero too becomes aware of the incompleteness of life. At one telling point, Vittoria and Piero are crossing a street; she stops and says "siamo in media" ("we are halfway") with a definite portent in her voice and expression. The film is made up of many small moments like this that seem to express the whole of it. Human experience is only "halfway"---there is more to life than what we see or think we know. Something else lies under the surface. Antonioni explores this theme in all his films, most famously four years later in BLOW-UP. Here, the style of the film is so rarefied and so nearly abstract that it may take more than one viewing to appreciate it. Vittoria and Piero, together, realize that truly connecting, finding a meaning beyond the fleeting sexual one (which is yet another empty attempt to transcend) may be impossible. So Antonioni, in perhaps the most famous sequence, permanently removes the characters from the film. As if to emphasize the universality of his theme and the interchangeablility of human experience, we are shown a woman who closely resembles Vitti, but who passes anonymously from the frame as she did. The famous wordless sequence creates an uncanny, almost frightening sense of anticipation: we feel we are waiting for something to happen, for someone to arrive in this neighborhood of unfinished buildings, circulating city buses, and symmetrical crosswalks, but only a state of pure being seems to exist now. It's almost an Eastern way of looking at the world. The film leaves the viewer with a lot to contemplate and calls many back to see more in it than can be addressed in a brief review like this.

This new Criterion DVD of L'ECLISSE should not be overlooked by anyone interested in modern film.

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Eclipse [VHS]" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Eclipse [VHS] ...