Defying Gravity [VHS]

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Price: $531.26   

Defying Gravity [VHS] Review

"Defying Gravity" is an earnest, heart-felt movie. While its edges are rough, both in terms of the performances and the filmmaking, it's these rough edges that actually make the movie feel more real in a way that polished Hollywood acting and production values would undermine. One could complain that it is yet another coming out story, and in many ways it is, but it's an effective one.Griff (Daniel Chilson) is a college student who lives in a frat house with your typical college guys. Everyone is assumed to be straight, and the majority of brothers are. Griff wants to belong, but as a young gay man, he feels a certain amount of isolation. Because of his wanting to fit in, he remains in the closet despite the efforts of his boyfriend Pete (Don Handfield) to help him come to terms with his identity. Finally, a crisis forces Griff to take a stand for himself and for Pete. Yes, anyone who has seen more than a few gay-themed movies or TV shows will have seen this plot. But it is handled in such an honest and affecting way that you will forgive it.What sets this movie apart are the character relationships. Griff's interesting relationships with best friend Todd (Niklaus Lange), with Todd's girlfriend Heather (Leslie Tesh), with fellow student Denetra (Linna Carter), and with Pete's father (sorry, I don't recall the actor's name) are what helps us to forgive the cliched elements of the plot. Of particular note are the relationships with Todd and with Pete's father. Their reactions to Griff's relationship with Pete are not what you have come to expect from coming out films. It makes for a refreshing change of pace, and writer/director John Keitel deserves credit for putting new spins on these stock characters.The acting never really rises above college drama student level, but that works for a movie about college students. Chilson, Lange, Tesh, and Carter all act earnestly and come across as believable college kids in ways that technically-trained performers might not.I do wish that the DVD had more to offer. The film is in 1.33:1 ration. I don't know if it has been panned and scanned, a matte removed, or originally shot for a TV screen. There is no commentary track. I would like to hear Keitel talk about the choices he made as writer and director. There is a "pictorial" soundtrack, meaning that the song's from the film can be accessed and played like a CD while images from the are played like a slideshow. As there were a couple songs that I particularly liked, I appreciated this feature and found myself wishing other films did the same thing.Overall, it's a solid film and one that I have found myself watching several times. I recommend it to people who enjoyed "Get Real", "Edge of Seventeen", "trick", "Broadway Damage", and "Torch Song Trilogy." Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?�Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment Comment (1)

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Lethal Weapon 2 [VHS]

You looking to find the "Lethal Weapon 2 [VHS]" Good news! You can purchase Lethal Weapon 2 [VHS] with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $473.55   

Lethal Weapon 2 [VHS] Review

After recently purchasing a PlayStation3 primarily for its functionality as a Blu-ray high-definition movie disc player, I was really looking forward to seeing some of my all-time favorite films on the new format. I mean, Blu-ray has 50gb of storage capacity on one side of a disc, enough room to pack a pristine 1080p video print and uncompressed 7.1 PCM audio, not to mention loads of extras... Having said that, Warner Home Video really let me down with their first issue of 1989's "Lethal Weapon 2" on Blu-ray disc. This is exactly what I feared they would do. Rather than do the job right the first time out, consumers are being setup for an obvious double-dip on several titles, including the first two "Lethal Weapon" films.

I grew up watching a VHS of "Lethal Weapon 2" with my older brother. He and I both loved this movie and used to watch it constantly, so naturally over the years we hope and pray for vastly improved ways to watch this 18-year old favorite. This Blu-ray disc is NOT that vast improvement we've been waiting for. From the opening frame, what we get is an image so jagged and grainy that it tempted me to insert my "Lethal Weapon 2: Director's Cut" DVD and see if the 480p image upconverted to 1080p was any better. So I did that, and while the DVD did make the Blu-ray presentation look good, that's not saying much. While there's a lot more detail and color depth in the Blu-ray version, there is also the huge distraction of seeing jagged edges around everything and everyone on screen. Just look at the opening frame of the film, where it says "A Time Warner Communications..." etc, and look at the text. Skip into the film a few chapters where we see a fax printing out of a fax machine, and look at the jagged edges around the printed page, everything on Murtaugh's desk... The list of flaws is endless, because it goes on throughout the entire film. Did anyone actually watch this master before sending it off to the Blu-ray duplication factory? The biggest reason why I would consider upgrading my DVD library to Blu-ray is for film-like images and detail, and this is one title where the studio needs to mint a brand new master from the ground-up if we're ever to see a better presentation. I have two words for Warner Bros: Lowry Digital. See what they did for James Bond? Enough said. Incidentally, after watching the film, I did some searching online to find out if other's have complained about this problem. I found out the technical reason for this is that Warner simply took an existing 1080i master and put it through a process of "vertical filtering" to convert it to 1080p. They did the same thing with the first "Lethal Weapon" film, along with at least five other Blu-ray transfers created from 1080i masters, so I'd be cautious of which early Warner titles you pick up on Blu-ray.

For this initial wave of Blu-ray titles, Warner also decided to do nothing with the format's audio capabilities. Instead, we just get the same Dolby Digital 5.1 track with slightly more detail, but not enough of an improvement to really notice. Where's the Dolby TrueHD or uncompressed 5.1 PCM audio tracks? On top of that, where are the audio commentaries? Come on, "Lethal Weapon 2" is a modern classic, surely deserving an audio commentary with Richard Donner, Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, etc. Instead, we get a French language track. Lame.

The extras are equally as unspectacular as the picture and sound. I just don't get how some films are treated to 2-3 re-releases over 10 years, yet the "Lethal Weapon" franchise goes by hugely overlooked in the Special Edition department.

Bottom-line: Don't buy it. I bought it, and I'm returning it. Hold out until Warner gets their act together, creates new 1080p masters from cleaner elements, and gives us a deluxe box set of all four films with new extras. They've proved they can do it with other films, so I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before Riggs & Murtaugh get their due respect on high-def disc.

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Defying Gravity

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Price: $805.99   

Defying Gravity Review

"Defying Gravity" is an earnest, heart-felt movie. While its edges are rough, both in terms of the performances and the filmmaking, it's these rough edges that actually make the movie feel more real in a way that polished Hollywood acting and production values would undermine. One could complain that it is yet another coming out story, and in many ways it is, but it's an effective one.Griff (Daniel Chilson) is a college student who lives in a frat house with your typical college guys. Everyone is assumed to be straight, and the majority of brothers are. Griff wants to belong, but as a young gay man, he feels a certain amount of isolation. Because of his wanting to fit in, he remains in the closet despite the efforts of his boyfriend Pete (Don Handfield) to help him come to terms with his identity. Finally, a crisis forces Griff to take a stand for himself and for Pete. Yes, anyone who has seen more than a few gay-themed movies or TV shows will have seen this plot. But it is handled in such an honest and affecting way that you will forgive it.What sets this movie apart are the character relationships. Griff's interesting relationships with best friend Todd (Niklaus Lange), with Todd's girlfriend Heather (Leslie Tesh), with fellow student Denetra (Linna Carter), and with Pete's father (sorry, I don't recall the actor's name) are what helps us to forgive the cliched elements of the plot. Of particular note are the relationships with Todd and with Pete's father. Their reactions to Griff's relationship with Pete are not what you have come to expect from coming out films. It makes for a refreshing change of pace, and writer/director John Keitel deserves credit for putting new spins on these stock characters.The acting never really rises above college drama student level, but that works for a movie about college students. Chilson, Lange, Tesh, and Carter all act earnestly and come across as believable college kids in ways that technically-trained performers might not.I do wish that the DVD had more to offer. The film is in 1.33:1 ration. I don't know if it has been panned and scanned, a matte removed, or originally shot for a TV screen. There is no commentary track. I would like to hear Keitel talk about the choices he made as writer and director. There is a "pictorial" soundtrack, meaning that the song's from the film can be accessed and played like a CD while images from the are played like a slideshow. As there were a couple songs that I particularly liked, I appreciated this feature and found myself wishing other films did the same thing.Overall, it's a solid film and one that I have found myself watching several times. I recommend it to people who enjoyed "Get Real", "Edge of Seventeen", "trick", "Broadway Damage", and "Torch Song Trilogy." Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment�Comment (1)

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Feng yue [VHS]

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Price: $498.73   

Feng yue [VHS] Review

Set in China during the 1920s, Temptress Moon is a brooding Gothic tale about innocence corrupted, love betrayed and the collision of traditional Chinese culture with modern Western ways, played out as an elaborate 'battle of the sexes'. The film's concept is almost as ambitious as that of its predecessor, Farewell My Concubine, but where Farewell My Concubine succeeded brilliantly in communicating both its personal and political aspects, Temptress Moon tends to get stuck in its own convoluted story line and repeated viewing is required to be able to fully appreciate it. Nevertheless, those patient enough to do so will be richly rewarded as this is a masterpiece in disguise, not least due to its stunning photography and the three lead actors' brilliant performances. Following the death of their parents, 13-year old Zhongliang (Leslie Cheung) is invited to live with his older sister and her husband, the heir of the wealthy Pang family, in their sprawling country mansion. He soon finds himself in the position of a virtual slave who has to wait on them hand and foot. When his brother-in-law tries to force him into an incestuous relationship with his sister, he poisons him and flees to Shanghai where he becomes a gigolo who makes his living off sleeping with married women and then blackmailing them. Meanwhile, the head of the Pang family has died and since the heir has been reduced to a vegetable by Zhongliang's poisoning attempt, his sister Ruyi (Gong Li) becomes head of the family in his place. Since she is only a 'weak' woman, her distant relative Duanwu (Kevin Lin) is appointed to be her servant in order to aid and effectively control her. Duanwu is, however, besotted with Ruyi and when she seizes control of the family's fortunes in an unexpectedly assertive way, he supports her 'shocking' actions, bravely facing the family elders' wrath. His hopes are dashed, however, when Zhongliang, by order of the triad boss he works for, returns to the Pang mansion and sets out to seduce the innocent (but very willing) Ruyi in order to lure her back to Shanghai with him. The cynical gigolo plays to her rebellious nature by educating her in Western culture but soon, to his horror, finds himself falling in love with her. Panicking, he tries to extricate himself from the web of deceit he has woven but it is too late and tragedy ensues. Temptress Moon is one of the few films that allowed tragic Hong Kong star Leslie Cheung (Farewell My Concubine, A Chinese Ghost Story, Happy Together) to display the full range of his impressive acting skills. He plays the doomed and damaged Zhongliang with disturbing intensity, from the dashing gigolo who is so full of hate that he won't allow himself to feel any emotions to the tormented young man who, when he finally does fall in love, is forced to confront his inner demons and is destroyed by it. He shines even in the smallest scenes, like when he slouches at a dancehall table and tries to seduce a young girl into dancing with him but then abandons the idea when he realises that she is crying. Without saying a single word he conveys a wealth of conflicting emotions that most other actors wouldn't be able to express if they had so many lines of dialogue to help them along. It is a pity that many people still seem to be unable to see past his 'pretty face' and realise what an exceptional actor he was underneath. As for the others, the great Gong Li is excellent as always in her poetic portrayal of the innocent but spirited Ruyi who tries to find her way in a hostile and oppressive environment and Kevin Lin gives a superb performance as the na�ve Duanwu who, through betrayal and humiliation, turns from loyal and devoted servant into a devious brute. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews� Was this review helpful to you?�Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment�Comment

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Birdman of Alcatraz [VHS]

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Price: $483.61   

Birdman of Alcatraz [VHS] Review

"Birdman of Alcatraz" is another fine movie directed by John Frankenheimer. His next 3 movies are "The Manchurian Candidate", "Seven Days in May", and "The Train". I have seen them all and rate them 5 stars as well - he makes great movies. As is Frankenheimer's style, there is great depth of focus from foreground to background, but his "big head/little head" wide-angle shots are not as pronounced as in "The Manchurian Candidate" or "Seven Days In May".

Burt Lancaster earned an oscar nomination for his role of Robert Stroud, a convicted killer who was sentenced to solitary confinement while awaiting execution. His impending hanging was subsequently commuted, but he did spend over 50 years behind bars, with very little contact with other people and even less with the outside world. The movie presents Stroud in a pretty benevolent light, although in reality he was apparently very strange and disliked by most others.

Originally banned from having nearly any kind of activity as a hobby, Stroud eventually begins to raise sparrows and other birds while imprisoned in Leavenworth prison (he never had any at Alcatraz). Although Stroud only had a few years of grade school education, he teaches himself several languages and many sciences while in prison. As a result of making "home remedies" to treat his birds when they begin to die off, he eventually writes some well-regarded books on bird diseases and their treatment.

The black-and-white movie was released while Stroud was still alive in 1962 but he never saw it. He died of natural causes on November 21, 1963, just one day before president Kennedy was assassinated, and his death went largely unnoticed.

Co-starring Karl Malden as the warden, Neville Brand as a guard, and Telly Savalas (oscar nominated) as a fellow immate, it was well-acted through out. The 149 minute film has French and Spanish subtitles, chapters and a trailer.

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The Shawshank Redemption [VHS]

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Price: $467.49   

The Shawshank Redemption [VHS] Review

It has long been my contention that it is the moviemaker's task to hold the viewer's attention, not to burden him with his self-indulgent, difficult-to-follow symbolisms. That having been said, I find it difficult to find another movie I would recommend more highly than The Shawshank Redemption. Without any high-adrenaline action sequences or steamy sex scenes (two sure-fire ways to get the vewer's attention), this film somehow has the power to make you sit through all 142 minutes without for a moment getting bored. And I challenge anyone who has seen it to delete any scene, even any minute, from the final edit. The fact is, you can't. Because every single scene is an essential element that contributes to the final result: a masterpiece that captures the drama of enduring friendship and resiliency of the human spirit more powerfully than any other film ever made. Even those who normally do not watch movies with a critical eye will find themselves so drawn into this experience. I really can't say enough about this film. Suffice it to say that this is certainly the Greatest Movie Not to Win an Oscar. (Since Citizen Kane, at least. )Actually, I can forgive the Film Academy for not honoring this film with the Oscars I firmly believe it deserved. But when the American Film Institute in 1998 put together their list of The 100 Greatest Movies of all time (covering the period from 1896-1996), and so myopically overlooked Shawshank in favor of such titles as Rocky, Dr. Strangelove, Network, and Jaws, well, I thought that was absolutely ridiculous.I wouldn't hesitate to put it in the top five of all time. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews� Was this review helpful to you?�Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment Comments (22)

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