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Logan’s Run Movie Streaming. Movie Title: Logan’s Run Average customer review: Logan’s Run is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Logan’s Run

I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Logan’s Hurry fan, if such a thing exists, and was cheerful to peer the film released to DVD. The transfer looks large, and the letterboxed format preserves the fair cinematography.The acting is, by and gargantuan, elegant well-behaved. Michael York, Jenny Agutter and Richard Jordan are all in comely accomplish. Peter Ustinov chews scenery in his portions of the film, but isn’t that what you set him in a movie for? The visual effects won an Oscar abet in ’76, pre-Star Wars. I would station their quality somewhere above Marooned, but below 2001:a Area Oddyssey. The Aerial conception of the city that opens the film looks really cheesy, but the Carrousel sequence is downright eerie. It is even more powerful when you learn that the whole sequence was done in-camera, on-set with no compositing aside from the white beam of light that emanates from the ceiling. The compositing and matte paintings are breathtaking.The film takes a lot of flak for its costumes and for looking like it was shot in a shopping mall. I assume the costumes are moot–who know what we’ll be wearing in the future? These people live in a hedonistic, weather-free society. It stands to reason that they would be very revealing and purely cosmetic for those very reasons. As far as the explore of the sets goes–this is a materialistic, consumer-mad, hermetically sealed society that the film portrays–of course its going to recognize like a shopping mall.The film is not exactly an apt representsation of the events in the book (something I wouldn’t mind seeing someday) . Budgetary, time and technological constraints would made doing so impossible at the time. Calm, it holds up well on its have merits.One last note: Am I the only one who finds the fancy account angle of this movie touching? It’s entertaining to eye two people experiencing worship for the first time, especially in the world portrayed in Logan’s Accelerate, where people don’t have lasting emotional ties to one another.What the esteem fable kind of implies is that this is the first time in hundreds of years that people have belief and felt in terms of strong emotions for each other. In an era like our gain where the word is bandied about so remarkable as to be meaningless, it’s refreshing to behold a future where its meaning is rediscovered.

Logan’s Rush started off with a dazzling astounding concept–(courtesy of science fiction writers William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson) what if our youth obsessed society establish everyone over the age of 30 (21 in the unusual) to death as a means of population control? This film version of a classic cautionary narrative is intermittantly successful. David Zelag Goodman’s screenplay condenses and changes around several key characters. Goodman’s script essentially refocuses the current into The Fugitive in the future. In the new modern Francis (played brilliantly by the gradual Richard Jordan) and the Used Man character (played as befuddled by Peter Ustinov) were one and the same. You’ll need to read the current to look why this was an critical altered status point.

Additionally, Sanctuary did exist in the unusual while here it’s sure that it’s something of an urban chronicle. While these situation points might not seem distinguished, altering them radically reshaped the film. Unexcited, it’s sure that the film’s director, producer and screenwriter (respectively, Michael Anderson the leisurely Saul David and Goodman) wanted to streamline what could have been a confusing region if not layed out correctly.

The basic plot–In the future our society is enclosed in domes. As a means to control the population, everyone has a life clock crystal on their hand. When you advance 30 you have the option to become “renewed” in a ceremony attended by the citizens. Logan (Michael York) and Francis (Richard Jordan) are Sandmen who hunt, capture/or waste runners (people who settle to not go through renewal and try to rush) .

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After one incident, Logan is debriefed by the computer that runs the city. The runner wore a symbol representing life. During this debriefing he is send undercover to become a “runner” and glean out 1) Who is unhurried the network that tries to rep people out of the city and 2) If sanctuary exists. Logan’s life clock is prematurely archaic to 30. He contacts a girl who he had met before on the circuit (a system where people can “dial up” others for casual sex) who he had seen wearing the same symbol. Despite her better judgement, she elects to wait on him rush.

Francis, shy that his friend is running, elects to scamper him and either bring him benefit for renewal or raze him.

The film is quite reliable despite some gaping spot holes. Michael York gives a impassioned performance as Logan 5. Jenny Agutter is enthralling as Jessica. Richard Jordan shines as Logan’s faded partner Francis who feels betrayed and hunts Logan down. Roscoe Lee Brown is exceptional in his cameo as the demented cyborg Box. Michael Anderson, Jnr. gives a nice cameo performance as the surgeon hired to alter Logan’s appearence. Made for $6 million, Logan’s Accelerate looked quite sterling when it was released in 1976. The symbolism of having Francis and Logan fight in the House of Representatives with an American flag was quite evident given the year of release (1976) .

Buy,Download, Or Stream Logan’s Run! Click Here

Buy,Download, Or Stream Logan’s Run! Click Here

In many respects the themes in the film are more timely than ever. The obsession with youth, looking respectable and plastic surgery have arrive to interpret our culture in the 21st Century. The only thing missing from the film are botox injections.

Jerry Goldsmith’s gleaming net is a highlight of the film. Like his gain for Planet of the Apes, Goldsmith chose to go with a mix of sythesizers and orchestra to picture the city of the future. He eschews cliches in his music and the various themes and cues are at turns suspenseful and witty. The optical effects are blooming pleasurable given the time. The matte paintings by Albert Whitlock are outstanding and fairly convincing. The miniatures are a mixed bag. They didn’t view completely convincing in 1976 nor do they today. Fragment of the predicament has to do with the fact that waters don’t fare well when placed in miniatures. You can’t miniaturize the bubbles and water drops. Also, the spend of the miniatures in combination with live action is quite grainy due to the film stock and amount of composites. Mild, if you can suspend your disbelief, you’ll indulge in the film despite its limitations.

Logan’s Accelerate attempted to squawk an adult cautionary record in a world of light weight escapist movies. It’s a commendable film and the film makers frequently bite off more than they can chew. I’d rather have a film that’s too ambitious than not at all.

Still, I savor the ambitions if not the execution. It’s nice to finally have this graceful if flawed movie on DVD. The transfer is quite profitable although the print has a number of flaws. There’s also quite a bit of dirt evident on the print. These probably could have been cleared up with a inform digital transfer. Additionally, the 5.1 soundtrack occasionally sounds “tinny” and when played in the stereo format can be quite difficult to hear.

The extras are minute but nice. The commentary by director Michael Anderson and Michael York is quite noble and informative. A pity the terrific actor Richard Jordan isn’t around any longer to give us his perspective. I would have liked to glimpse a original retrospective documentary on the making of the film. It’s not likely to happen, though as no one is going to champion this film at the expensive of other newer projects (particulary since producer Saul David is gone) . The featurette included is the unusual one made to promote the film. It’s actually handsome decent given the age and purpose of it. The trailer is included as well. The disc is a dual sided single layer DVD with the widescreen and pan & scan versions on the same disc.
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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-Retail —-! Sale Only $2.99! Compare & Purchase The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $2.99 Click Here To Purchase At Amazon!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2580 in Movie
• Released on: 2008-12-01
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Running time: 119 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Friendship is in Their Jeans
The impression that “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″ gives is that it’s a bubbly, bright, and–for all intents and purposes–meaningless sequel to the first film. To my relief, it follows the example set by its predecessor, a surprisingly levelheaded friendship story. Four years after discovering a magically fitting pair of jeans, best friends Tibby Tomko-Rollins (Amber Tamblyn), Carmen Lowell (America Ferrera), Lena Kaligaris (Alexis Bledel), and Bridget Vreeland (Blake Lively) have returned for a second chapter that remains on perfectly equal ground with the first, focusing on coming-of-age issues like maturity, self-discovery, family, and love. Unoriginal ideas? Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less effective. If anything, they make the film’s message that much clearer. It helps that many of the girls’ problems are based in reality–high school issues, like being pretty and popular, are pushed aside in favor of adult issues, like pregnancy scares and family crises.

If there’s anything we learned from the first film, it’s that the magic of the titular jeans was symbolic; by in large, the girls worked through their own ups and downs on their own, with no miraculous intervention other than their friendship with one another. We learn pretty much the same thing in this film, which sees each character facing new, more mature challenges. Let’s begin with Carmen, who doubles as the film’s bookend narrator. She now attends Yale, working as a stagehand for the theatre department. Her mother (Rachel Ticotin) has since remarried and is now pregnant with her second child. When Carmen’s hopes of spending the summer with her friends are dashed, she decides to join a Shakespearian theater company in Vermont with a prima donna named Julia (Rachel Nichols). Once there, a British actor named Ian (Tom Wisdom) coaxes Carmen into auditioning for “A Winter’s Tale”; to her shock–and to Julia’s horror–she’s cast as Perdita. As rehearsals continue, she begins to fall in love with Ian.

Next, there’s Bridget, who plays Soccer at Brown University. Lately, her interests have shifted to archeology. While on an expedition in Turkey, her instructor, Professor Nasrin Mehani (Shohreh Aghdashloo), opens her eyes to the fact that she’s only running away from her past. Bridget, it seems, is still haunted by the suicide of her mother. And her relationship with her father (Ernie Lively) is worse than ever; before leaving for Turkey, she discovered a box full of letters her grandmother had written her, letters her father wanted to keep hidden. Returning to the United States, Bridget takes a bus to Alabama and finally meets her grandmother, Greta (Blythe Danner), an accommodating woman with a matter-of-fact outlook on everything, including her daughter’s mental illness.

The next in line is Tibby, who continues to pursue her filmmaking dreams at NYU. Forced to stay in New York for the summer to rewrite her screenplay, she gets a job at a local video store. She’s now dating Brian McBrian (Leonardo Nam), who was introduced in the first film as the “Dragon’s Lair” champion. When their relationship is threatened (for reasons I won’t reveal), Tibby begins to wonder if she was meant for happiness. She does put up a wall every time she gets close to someone, and that’s because, deep down, she believes that those you love the most will eventually abandon you. Her attempts to get sympathy from Carmen are flatly rejected; she doesn’t appreciate how uncommunicative Tibby has been all summer.

Finally, there’s Lena, who attends an art college in Rhode Island on a scholarship. Heartbroken after breaking up with her Greek boyfriend, Kostos (Michael Rady), she reverts to her old timid ways. She then meets Leo (Jesse Williams), the male model hired to pose nude in her art classes. It isn’t long before they fall in love, although we suspect it’s for all the wrong reasons. All she really knows about Leo is that he’s a nice guy, and he’s incredibly handsome. But does she know what she wants out of life? Does she even know who she is? How can know she when she’s torn between two men?

Naturally, the pants themselves have to play a part in this story, and indeed, they’re continually FedEx-ed from friend to friend. The question is: Do any of them need the pants anymore? You’d think that, at this point, a pair of old jeans traveling the world would reveal itself as a big metaphor. They may realize that by the time the film ends. I’m not entirely sure, though.

Moments of this movie are perhaps a little too sentimental, and the general plot may be a little too formulaic. At times, the dialogue is a bit contrived. Consider this conversation: When Tibby says drearily, “I suck at relationships. I should have been a guy,” Lena calmly responds, “A guy wouldn’t care about sucking at relationships.” Only best friends in a coming-of-age story could get away with lines like that. Then again, I never expected a reinvention of the wheel. Movies like “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″–and its predecessor–are aimed at a very specific audience, namely teenage girls; if they can get something out of it other than the sight of four young women looking pretty, if they can leave the theater understanding the more complex aspects of the story, then the filmmakers can include all the predictable dialogue they want. I think this movie will get the job done, not merely for teenage girls, but for anyone open to the idea.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants grows up pretty quickly in this sequel
First of all, it is certainly an interesting experience to be the only guy in the theater for a movie like “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.” At least I was not the oldest person there, and while that person was my date at least we could take comfort in knowing that we have both read all four of Ann Brashares’ novels about the “Sisterhood,” and therefore were entitled to be there with all the young folks. Screenwriter Elizabeth Chandler (“What a Girl Wants”) is working mainly from the final book in the series, “Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood,” which means that Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) has a pregnancy scare in New York City, Carmen (America Ferrera) is doing a Shakespeare play in Vermont, Bee (Blake Lively) is on a archeological dig in Turkey, and Lena (Alexis Bledel) is drying to figure out how to draw a nude male model. However, some key elements from earlier novels are worked in the story, specifically Lena finding out Kostos is married and Bee meeting her grandmother from “The Second Summer of the Sisterhood,” and Carmen’s mother having a baby from “Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood” (to be clear, the movie tie-in paperback being published as “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″ is the fourth book, “Forever Blue” and not the book about the second summer).

Having read the books can be a key factor in enjoying the movie because things move really quickly and fans of the series will constantly be filling in gaps. The best indication of how fast things move is that when Bee goes to Alabama her grandmother (Blythe Danner) immediately reocgnizes her, so they forgo the entire bit about Bee pretending to be Gilda. The biggest element missing from the final book is Bee’s romance in Turkey, but the decision to create a new character, Shohreh Aghdashloo as Professor Nasrin Mehani, is a good move because it places the emphasis on Bee coming to terms with her mother’s suicide, which was arguably the most important thing that happened to her in the four books. Additionaly, following Tibby’s pregnancy scare with having to be in the delivery room with Carmen’s mother added an additional resonance to Tibby’s story.

Circumstances have certainly changed for the four actresses since the release of “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” three years ago can simply be expressed by noting that when the first movie came out Tamblyn was doing “Joan of Arcadia” and Bledel had “Gilmore Girls,” and now those shows are done and Ferrera with “Ugly Betty” and Lively on “Gossip Girl” are currently in the front seat of American pop culture. There was reportedly some reluctance to get the band back together for this second film, but at least everybody got to go to Santorini this time around and watch Bledel freckle. However, the main thing I noticed in this second movie is that Amber Tamblyn is clearly the best actress in the bunch, which is saying something if you have seen Ferrera in “Real Women Have Curves.” But this is Tamblyn’s movie and most of the best moments (and virtually all of the good lines) belong to her.

The other thing I noticed is that the guys in this movie are all good guys. Brian (Leonardo Nam) is everything Tibby is not, which is exactly what she needs, Ian (Tom Wisdom) is the proverbial Prince Charming for Carmen, and the only downside for Lena choosing between Leo (Jesse Williams) and Kostas (Michael Rady) is that one of the two does not believe there is one person who everybody to love, which is not exactly a deal breaker. The only really villain in the proceedings would be Carmen’s supposed friend, Julia (Rachel Nichols), but that just underscores the point that the girl’s are in many ways their own worst enemies. Their faults, dear readers, lie in themselves more in than others, and for the Sisterhood actualization truly comes from within. Again, because the film is covering so much, flipping from character to character as the Traveling Pants make their appointed rounds, there is a sense of sketching characters and connecting dots. Not knowing the back stories, which are necessarily reduced to assumptions without the benefit of actual exposition, can put viewers at risk for enjoying this summer of 2008 film. Director Sanaa Hamri made her mark directing music videos, so at least she has an appreciation for having to be concise in her scenes. The net result is not a great film, but certainly a satisfying one for the Sisterhood readership.

A male point of view
I watched this movie as a favor to my wife (she agreed to watch Batman). First of all from a male standpoint, this was definitely a chick flick and I went into it with dread. A story with no car chases, fights, foul language or nudity, how was this going to keep my interest? What you do get is a touching story of 4 young ladies that are life long friends that have moved on and now for the first time are experiencing things on their own for the first time. They each have their own growing pains and find life on their own is more difficult than thought. What ties them together and eventually brings them back together is a pair of pants (see the first movie for more on this). Of course the movie is filled with cliches and is a bit sappy, however at the end of the longest two hours of my life I was still alive and deep down the movie was not as bad as I feared.

Charade-Retail —-! Sale Only $2.99! Compare & Purchase Charade at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $2.99 Click Here To Purchase At Amazon!

Charade Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10495 in Movie
• Released on: 2009-08-12
• Rating: Unrated
• Running time: 117 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Old Style Hollywood Glam in Gorgeous DVD Transfer
This is an exceptional DVD transfer of an exceptional movie. Criterion has done a magnificent job of restoring Charade to its colorful glory. The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The print is clear, crisp, and beautiful to behold. You feel as if you can reach out and touch the actors.

And what actors! The film features the dashing older version of Cary Grant and the youthful gamine Audrey Hepburn, with enough chemistry between them to ignite a fireworks factory. The plot is a convoluted and flimsy trifle about cold war spy shenanigans, with cases of mistaken identity and episodes of grave danger for Miss Audrey. But Cary, the classic good guy in cad’s clothing, is there to save the day. In addition to which he provides chaste romance that sizzles beneath the civility.

Audio commentary is provided by director Stanley Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone. While interesting and funny in spots, it does drag a bit over the length of the film. It may be better to check it out when you find something in the film that you would like to hear dissected. Otherwise, you’d be better to stick with the delightful, corny dialogue spoken in the dulcet tones of Cary and Audrey. The soundtrack music is to also to be savored, done up in classic ’60s spy movie style by the movie maestro Henry Mancini.

If you have nothing to do on a rainy day and own a DVD player, this is the movie you want to have on hand to pop in the machine and deliver you from care. It’s a keeper (and it comes in a keeper case!).

Criterion scores again!
I got this DVD for Christmas and I wasn’t disappointed. Stanley Donen, director of musicals such as “Singin’ In The Rain” starring Gene Kelly, brought together Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn (who looks luminous, as always) in this wonderfully-written story about a Parisian widow (Hepburn) who is being pursued by three dangerous men (two of which are played by George Kennedy – an excellent “heavy” – and James Coburn at his most menacing) who want to find out about a large sum of money her dead husband supposedly had. Grant is the helpful stranger but eventually you begin to wonder: is he working with these men? Does he want the money for himself? Or is he really the handsome, older man Audrey finds herself falling in love with?

Enhanced by a lush score by the late Henry Mancini, photographed beautifully in Paris and containing first-rate acting and deliciously wicked dialogue by writer Peter Stone, “Charade” is a film that should be in every serious DVD collection. Grant is older but better, like fine wine, and Ms. Hepburn … well there have been millions of words used to describe her and I can’t add to them other than to say the world lost a marvelous talent at her death.

You’ll enjoy “Charade” for a long, long time.

Nothing is really what it seems…
And that includes the quality of this release. It just goes to show that you can take a great screenplay from a great book, cast some stellar Hollywood performers at their peaks, add clear expert direction, stunning location sets, stir in a Mancini score, and still end up with a painfully disappointing experience. Especially when you consider the promise of the new DVD format, and today’s digital remastering techniques. Re-released through several small-time distributors (Front Row Entertainment of Canada, etc) Charade has been reduced to a sad caricature of it’s original beauty. By using worn-out, poor-quality source for the transfer to DVD these distributors have marketed a product that is not only inferior to the existing VHS tape versions, but an insult to the DVD format. To see this type of travesty is to know the real tragedy of copyright expiration and it’s resulting offspring–corporate greed at the expense of art, businesses reaping profits at the expense of unaware consumers, and worst of all…sometimes the loss of great examples of cinema magic. Thank goodness Criterion was able to resurrect what appears to be close to if not original film, and produce a release of Charade that shows what DVD is all about. If you haven’t seen Charade, I won’t spoil it by telling you the plot here. But whether you’ve seen it or not, I will tell you this: Spend the money and get the Criterion version for DVD, or save your money and buy the VHS tape version. Avoid the budget DVD versions at all costs–they’re no bargain…just a waste. Enjoy!

Watch Patlabor 2 – The Movie Online. Movie Title: Patlabor 2 – The Movie Average customer review: Patlabor 2 – The Movie is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Patlabor 2 – The Movie

Though “Ghost in the Shell” got all the hype, I bear future critics will believe “Patlabor 2″ as Precise masterpiece from Masamoru Oshii. Though there is a certain “Tom Clancy” feel to this political techno-thriller, the subtle symbolism that permeates the film (the falling snow, the often enigmatic presence of birds, and the opening scene at the jungle temple) point to grand deeper, philosophical themes. Also, listen to the intelligent cadence of the dialouge…dramatic pauses, passionate tirades, and those moments of silence that content volumes. Keiji Kawai’s haunting and meditative soundtrack complements the often surreal and disturbingly plausible nature of the film. A must-see for any SERIOUS film buff. (If your opinion of quality is lots of explosions and scantically clad women, you may want to skip “Patlabor 2.”) Accepted scene: Irakawa’s brutal deconstruction of the term “peace.” Highly recommended.

The infant Bandai Visual USA, in its quest to outshine the existing Bandai Entertainment USA, has once again shown that it is willing to effect far more misfortune into releasing quality titles in a quality package, unprejudiced as with their release of “Patlabor 1: The Movie” last spring.

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A word of warning to those reading the other reviews: any review dated before July of 2006 is refering to the extinct Manga Entertainment release of “Patlabor 2″, which is a far corrupt disc to this unusual Bandai Visual rerelease.

The unique release of this film treats it the device that Manga _should_ have treated this gem of the anime industry, with a distinguished better translation of the dialogue, extras that consist of more than trailers for other products by the same company, and a complete storyboard (translated into English, even) for the film.

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The modern English translation for the dialogue alone makes this version worth buying, as it is clear that the translators spent a lot more time massaging the languages to provide the characters with more passion and subtlety in their speech. This is notable in a thinking-man’s film, which is the only type of film that Mamoru Oshii directs. The frail Manga version of the film treated the language too lightly, and managed to leave out minor, yet indispensable, parts of the language. The quality of the film collected showed through the Manga bungling, but with this version the film truly shines.

The extras for this Microscopic Collector’s Edition are, simply, improbable. Impartial as with the LCE of “Patlabor 1″ there is seperate Special Features disc including a making-of documentary, and two books. One of the books provides essays about the film and its meaning at the time it was released as well as essays and interviews dating from later times. These provide the reader with some perspective of what the film meant to Japanese audiences in 1993 when it was released, and how its meaning and significance is changing as time passes.

The other booklet is a complete translated storyboard for the film, which is animated because it shows how the film’s shots were originally constructed, and the diminutive notes in it can provide insight into specific details and elements required by the director (Mamoru Oshii) which on the surface seem insignificant, but which actually position noteworthy of the atmosphere and tone for the film.

Are these extras famous to savor the film? No, they aren’t. In fact, if you’re impartial alive to in watching the movie in which Mamoru Oshii crystalized his signature style (later to be repeated in “Ghost in the Shell” and “Innocence”), then I’d say find the standard release of this film by Bandai Visual (released in early July of ’06) . The extras would mostly be of interest to the hardcore “Patlabor” fans, or those racy about the process of creating animted films.

A final word of warning to long-time “Patlabor” watchers; with these Bandai Visual USA film releases, some long-running characters in the saga receive their fourth or fifth English-language voices; the Japanese voices remain constant, but the English ones switch (at least partially) with every fresh series, movie, or production company.
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Stream Charade Movie Online. Movie Title: Charade Average customer review: Charade is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Charade

This is an exceptional DVD transfer of an exceptional movie. Criterion has done a pleasing job of restoring Charade to its shining glory. The film is presented in its new 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The print is definite, crisp, and elegant to peer. You feel as if you can arrive out and touch the actors.

And what actors! The film features the dashing older version of Cary Grant and the youthful gamine Audrey Hepburn, with enough chemistry between them to ignite a fireworks factory. The status is a convoluted and flimsy trifle about wintry war sight shenanigans, with cases of wrong identity and episodes of grave misfortune for Miss Audrey. But Cary, the classic beneficial guy in cad’s clothing, is there to establish the day. In addition to which he provides chaste romance that sizzles beneath the civility.

Audio commentary is provided by director Stanley Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone. While titillating and humorous in spots, it does perambulate a bit over the length of the film. It may be better to check it out when you fetch something in the film that you would like to hear dissected. Otherwise, you’d be better to stick with the scrumptious, corny dialogue spoken in the dulcet tones of Cary and Audrey. The soundtrack music is to also to be savored, done up in classic ’60s watch movie style by the movie maestro Henry Mancini.

Buy,Download, Or Stream Charade! Click Here

If you have nothing to do on a rainy day and hold a DVD player, this is the movie you want to have on hand to pop in the machine and suppose you from care. It’s a keeper (and it comes in a keeper case!) .

I got this DVD for Christmas and I wasn’t disappointed. Stanley Donen, director of musicals such as “Singin’ In The Rain” starring Gene Kelly, brought together Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn (who looks vivid, as always) in this wonderfully-written epic about a Parisian widow (Hepburn) who is being pursued by three risky men (two of which are played by George Kennedy – an good “heavy” – and James Coburn at his most menacing) who want to earn out about a substantial sum of money her slow husband supposedly had. Grant is the ample stranger but eventually you initiate to wonder: is he working with these men? Does he want the money for himself? Or is he really the exquisite, older man Audrey finds herself falling in appreciate with?

Enhanced by a lush procure by the unhurried Henry Mancini, photographed beautifully in Paris and containing estimable acting and deliciously injurious dialogue by writer Peter Stone, “Charade” is a film that should be in every serious DVD collection. Grant is older but better, like fair wine, and Ms. Hepburn … well there have been millions of words extinct to record her and I can’t add to them other than to say the world lost a agreeable talent at her death.

You’ll devour “Charade” for a long, long time.
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Stream Mulholland Drive Online. Movie Title: Mulholland Drive Average customer review: Mulholland Drive is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Mulholland Drive

I won’t bother to add to the already monolithic body of magnificent reviews of this film; I believe it is a masterful work, equivalent to and perhaps surpassing “Blue Velvet” in artistic merit. I am writing mostly because many of those who claim that they hated the film because it “doesn’t create sense,” or loved it even though it is “initiate to interpretation” may not have taken tag of the clues David Lynch included in the DVD sleeve. They clearly notify the logic of the film to those who choose the requisite time to assume them through. My review is essentially one giant “spoiler,” so if you haven’t seen the film, buy imprint.

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The film most certainly does “compose sense” and follows a completely rational and logistically righteous state structure. The film begins with a stylized jitterbug contest gradual the opening credits, showing Naomi Watt’s character (Diane Selwyn) winning a straggle to LA from her native Canada to tryout for a Hollywood production. We then contemplate the suggestion of a sleeping figure (Diane again) in red sheets prior to the inaugurate of her dream, which opens with the hypnotic figure of a limosine traveling down a dusky road, containing Diane’s idealization of her real-life paramour, Camilla Rhodes. In reality, Camilla is Diane’s used lesbian lover, who betrayed her by stealing the coveted role in the film Diane unsuccessfully tried out for, and spurned her affections for the director of the film. Diane is so jealous and infuriated that she hires a hitman to destroy Camilla; when the two meet to discuss the deal, the hitman says he will leave a blue key on her coffee table to signify that Camilla has been successfully dispatched. The film’s dream sequence begins after Diane has received the key, and Diane’s fantasies of a happier outcome are manifest in what we stare.

In her dream, she is her idealized self, free of insecurities, more innocent and charismatic–nailing her tryout for the film, but explaining “Camilla’s” victory by the influence of the mafia (“Camilla” in the dream is replaced by a woman whom the real-life Camilla tauntingly kisses at a party to madden Diane) . Other characters who describe real-life counterparts also resurface in the dream, in various roles: “Coco,” played by Ann Miller, is actually the film director’s mother, the man timid of the ghoul unhurried Winkie’s is an accomplice of Diane’s hired hitman, and the mafiosos played by Dan Hedaya and Angelo Badalamenti were other attendees of the humiliating party where Camilla taunts Diane with news of her engagement to the director. In the dream, Diane refashions her hitman as a bungling idiot who botches Camilla’s cancel, subsequently leaving Camilla helpless with amnesia for who she is or where she came from so that “Betty,” Diane’s counterpart in the dream, can become her heroine, and have a utopian, romantic fancy affair with her.

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Throughout the dream, omens occur that suggest the truth leisurely Diane’s fantasy; the forboding man gradual Winkie’s, Lee Grant’s wacko Cassandra-character with her warnings of anguish, the Cowboy, and the MC at the late-night Cabaret who insists that all is not as it seems. The blue key becomes expressionistically rendered in the dream, and opens the proverbial Pandora’s Box, at which time Diane mysteriously disappears from her beget dream, leaving Camilla alone to initiate the box–and then Lynch imposes a couple of his haunting frame shifts, here done with lighting effects, before the Cowboy enters Diane’s bedroom, telling her “it’s time to wake up, blooming girl.”

Now we glimpse Diane’s reality when she awakens, and evidence of her crushing guilt (spy her initial relief when she hallucinates that Camilla has returned from the tiring,, and her subsequent breakdown when she realizes the truth) . Eventually, the gravity of what she has done overwhelms her when she realizes that the police want her for questioning, and the weak couple from her dream, whom I presume record her conscience, are released by the demon tedious Winkie’s (that is, she loses her sanity) . Her demons sprint her to her bedroom, where she hysterically grabs a gun from her nightstand, and takes her bear life.

Check out Lynch’s clues–there’s worthy more to them than what I’ve included here. He’s a master–I don’t deem he produces a frame of film without agonizing over it for weeks, and I highly doubt someone who produced something as lovingly detailed as this film let any inconsistencies or gaffes pace past him. What a movie this is–I’ll never forget it.

Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that this movie is impossible to understand. That’s not factual. Difficult, yes…especially on first viewing, but there is way to David Lynch’s madness and there is an explanation to be found for those willing to observe.

Mulholland Drive is a brilliantly structured film even though the structure is unconventional. Basically the first two hours play out as the dream of a very afraid young woman by the name of Diane Selwyn. In the final 30 minutes we are taken into Diane’s reality. Mullholland Drive is a very disturbing portrait of the inner world of a woman about to commit suicide and we learn about her life and what led her to execute and suicide through the dream imagery of the first two hours.

What confuses many people the first time they leer Mulholland Drive is that David Lynch doesn’t exercise the normal cinematic techniques to tip his audience off that they are watching a dream segment. In fact, the dream plays out in fairly aged linear fashion while it is the reality fragment of the film that plays out in non-linear acquire, jumping abet and forth in time and introducing psychotic hallucinations as well. This further blurs the line between reality and fantasy in this film.

Contrary to well-liked opinion Mulholland Drive is actually very intricately plotted, although the sage is not readily apparent on the first viewing. The dream allotment is a mirror image of reality and it displays a reversed reflection of Diane’s loyal world. A few examples: In the dream Rita exits the limousine and walks downhill; in reality Diane exits the limousine and walks uphill. In the dream Aunt Ruth is alive; in reality Aunt Ruth is lifeless. In the dream Adam Kesher’s world is spinning out of control and he is losing everything; in reality Adam Kesher’s world is very remarkable in control and he has everything. In the dream the hitman is incompetent; in reality he turns out to be all too competent. In the dream Camilla is alive and Diane is dead; in reality Diane is alive and Camilla is stupid.

Betty is, of course, the idealized dream version of Diane. She’s a prettier, more wholesome, and more talented version of Diane. However, Diane is not Betty in her dream as most people automatically hold…she’s Rita.

Mulholland Drive is a entertaining and haunting film that I fill will only rise in stature as the years go by. David Lynch spoonfeeds nothing to his audience but challenges them to view the nightmarish inner world of Diane Selwyn for themselves and advance their gain interpretations and conclusions. There are large rewards for those willing to do so.

Nov. 1, 2007 Edit:

I unbiased watched Mulholland Drive again after a few years and I was kind of surprised to survey this traditional review of mine written years ago at the top here. I do judge my notion and appreciation of the film has deepened over the years and, although I peaceful hold most of what I originally wrote is true, I’d probably modify it a bit, especially the piece about Diane being Rita in her dream. I now absorb that Betty and Rita both represented different parts of Diane: Betty was her idealized, innocent side while Rita was the darker, more seductive side that she believed would succor reach her career in Hollywood. One of the saddest parts of the movie, in my thought, is my understanding that the very likeable and fine Betty was the person that Diane could have been if not for her tragic childhood and the series of destructive choices she made in her life.

For those who’ve read and commented on my unique review and are alive to, here’s a somewhat revised version that represents my unusual interpretation of the film.

Mulholland Drive is a rather chilling scrutinize into the psyche of a deeply insecure and suicidal woman named Diane Selwyn who is guilt stricken over her involvement in the kill of her estranged lover. The entire movie takes situation in her apartment over the course of a few hours on the day she commits suicide.

The first two hours is a dream Diane has during a heavy, drug-induced sleep that attempts to rewrite a happier, idealized version of herself and her life from the time she arrives in Hollywood, but gradually grows darker over time and eventually collapses benefit into her reality. The final piece of the movie is her reality which is told through a series of flashbacks, memories, and psychotic hallucinations. First-time viewers often don’t realize they’re watching a dream since Lynch doesn’t spend the usual cinematic techniques (other than a brief first-person descent into a pillow at the beginning) to signal a dream sequence and this section of the film is told in fairly aged linear sequence, while it’s the reality portion of the film that jumps around in non-linear fashion.

The dream fragment is kind of a dim, crooked version of Dorothy’s dream from the Wizard of Oz where she casts people she knows from her loyal life into various roles in her dream. But since her subconscious is the producer, writer, and director of the dream these people are fair actors on her stage and everything is really about Diane and her life even if she doesn’t appear to be represented in a scene. For example, there’s no reason to occupy that a wealthy film director like Adam Kesher would check into a fleabag hotel like the Park Hotel when he idea he serene had access to all his money nor would he know the hotel manager by name. Diane, however, who had lived on the fringes of the Hollywood dream, might well be familiar with this kind of seedy hotel and its manager.

Once you realize that everything you’re seeing in the first two hours springs from Diane’s subconscious mind it’s possible to pick the clues and symbolism that Lynch plants in the dream and create a remarkably deep and complex examination of Diane’s life which also peels help the layers on a psyche that’s been irreparably damaged by sexual molestation by her grandfather, prostitution, and a destructive relationship with an actress named Camilla Rhodes which ultimately leads to slay and suicide.

Mulholland Drive is not only David Lynch’s masterpiece, it’s one of the most chilling movies I’ve ever seen.
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American Gangster Product: Buy American Gangster At Amazon! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $9.99 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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• Amazon Sales Rank: #19381 in Movie
• Released on: 2009-12-09
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Running time: 158 minutes

A Superb Film That Exceeds Expectations
This viewer rented the DVD form of AMERICAN GANGSTER, having passed it by in the theatrical run, thinking that it was yet another ‘crime and corruption in New York’ genre film. It was surprising to discover that this very long film (just under three hours in the Unrated version) is completely riveting and in a way far different than the usual gangster film: this story, based on real people as outlined in an article by Mark Jacobson (transformed for the screen by Steven Zaillian), and while it has its share of grisly killings, it seems more concerned with the issues of integrity in the face of police corruption as embodied in the character of Richie Roberts, the etiology of the heroin use escalation following the Vietnam War, and the presence of a ‘Black Mafia’ lead by one Frank Lucas. It is delivered with compelling gusto and intelligence by director Ridley Scott and has some of the best acting of the year. In other words, this is not a film to be lightly dismissed as a Hollywood retread, but instead it is a tense drama with many very fine points.

Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) follows the footsteps of his idol Bumpy (Clarence Williams III) who ‘ran’ the Harlem streets, and when Bumpy dies, Lucas inherits his mantle. Lucas is wise, cunning, a gentleman, a powerhouse of ideas, and quickly finds a way to bring the best uncut heroin from the Far East to the streets of New York at a price that undercuts the other mobsters’ product. To establish his control he enlists his family, including his brother Huey (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and rapidly becomes the kingpin of the streets.

Simultaneously within the NYPD we meet Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) whose personal life is a mess but who, with his partner Lou (Ted Levine) discovers corruption in the NYPD and more particularly the Drug Enforcement sector of the police: Detective Trupo (Josh Brolin) works with the existing drug lords, grabs their drugs and money and then recycles both to his benefit. During a particular drug bust, Richie and Lou discover a stash of nearly a million dollars and turn the money into the police – a deed that makes the duo seem foolish and lose the respect of their fellow cops but establishes Roberts as a man who is committed to being a good detective.

From these two separate studies the film weaves the development of each character and the interaction between Roberts and Lucas we know will take place. The end result may be known to those who followed the story as it developed in the 1970s, but for those for whom this true story is new information, the resolution of the film is fast-paced, thrilling, illuminating, and just plain fine cinema. Both Washington and Crowe are in peak form, as are those in the many small roles (Ruby Dee, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Lymari Nadal, Carla Gugino, Cuba Gooding etc). This is more of a drama than an action film and while many may feel the final moments of the movie are weak, they do reveal the true ending of the story and say a lot about the narrow line between crime and criminal investigation. This is one of Ridley Scott’s most successful films and one that will be around for many years as a model for the medium. Grady Harp, February 08

So much story that the end is…
I guess I didn’t find the value with this film that others did. With that said, I’m glad so many others did enjoy it. I almost wonder if I was in a bad mood when I watched this film, like perhaps something was distracting me. The story, I felt, was interesting but at the same time really nothing spectacular or different. The reason I say that is because overall, the pacing of this film is what I thought was way off. After twenty minutes, I was wanting to rename it “Harlem Drug Dealer”, finding the title itself really too broad. Maybe I’m used to a gangster being an image of a man in a suit spraying a 1930′s model Chevy with a Tommy gun, so I’ll leave the title be.

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are two of the best actors around today, but I almost felt like Denzel Washington was miscast for this role. From my own readings, Frank Lucas was much more sinister and prone to outbursts than the calm, often jovial portrayal Washington showed of him in the film. Of course, this isn’t necessarily Washington’s fault, I just almost felt like he didn’t fit the role, and considering the man can play just about anything, maybe I again, was missing something.

Back to the pace and story of the film, I thought they seemed to rush the whole smuggling operation from Vietnam way too much, giving just glimpses of the idea and execution of the operation before rushing back to bust down doors in the United States. One of the most poignant parts of this story is who else was actually indicted for the crimes involved, but at the end of the film this part seemed to have neither surprise nor heavy impact. The “fast forward” part at the end of the film was at first interesting, but by the time it was over I wondered why they had even bothered. Maybe you just had to be there. More often than not, Ridley Scott films are a hit and miss with me, but if you enjoy crime dramas based on a true story, American Gangster just might be to your liking.

-Leo Navarr-

American Gangster – Awesome and Tragic (Spoiler Free Review)
American Gangster 2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition

In American Gangster Ridley Scott has created the perfect storm of an American movie masterpiece. An amazing group of actors, headlined by Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe, produces a very convincing period piece of 1970s New Jersey and New York and the crime culture that existed there. It’s hard to feel anything but shame watchig this movie. This movie is both believable and tragic, and it startles me that neither Crowe nor Washington received nominations for two incredible performances.

The Story and the Script

The story is supposed to be based on the real life exploits of Frank Lucas. Movies like this usually exaggerate. The fact that this movie is so believable makes it all the more tragic. There are no black and white characters and we are left to choose between murdering drug pushers and crooked cops.

The writing and the story structure are both excellent. The plot is developed slowly and masterfully. While there is less shooting and action than one would expect from such a tale, the movie is filled with drama and suspense.

Cinematography

They have managed to create a period piece here that is beautiful, gritty, real and romanticized. The framing of the actors and the skylines are beautiful. Much of the scenery and shots are darkly lit. This is most often used in the scenes with the police in their shadowy research rooms, clearly to juxtapose them against the Lucas empire, almost always shown in the light.

The first disk in the unrated edition is in a beautiful widescreen. Don’t know why they list this as full-screen, perhaps because there is a full screen version available on the other side. The

Acting and Direction

I don’t know whether it’s award winning acting or directing that makes the end result so good, but I would be willing to guess that it’s both. Denzel is steady and appears to be taking on a similar persona in his recent films. Crowe is more fantastic than even his normal performance, portraying the troubled police investigator caught between a crime ridden New York / New Jersey and the even more criminal Special Investigative Unit.

All the acting is great, and this movie could easily have won for best ensemble cast. Josh Brolin is solid in a limited though well executed part. The directing is textbook mastery.

Bottom line, this movie should have gotten nominated for best actor, best supporting actor, best direction and best picture. It probably should have one a few of those categories. Michael Clayton, Eastern Promises? Give me a break.

The nominations for art direction and for Ruby Dee as best supporting actress in a very limited role were not enough compared to the strength of this movie.

Features and Extras

The unrated extended edition has an entire disk of special features. The making-of extra is not just a featurette, it’s a feature-length documentary. You get an in-depth look into every aspect of the film’s creation.

There are also three in depth “case-files” on film research, script adaptation and police techniques.

The deleted scenes include an alternate opening sequence. Finally, the theatrical trailer includes writer and director feature commentary. A very nice set of extras indeed.

Conclusion

This is absolutely a masterful , one of the best this year. This DVD needs to be added to your collection.

Enjoy!

Cynara Review. Compare & Purchase Cynara at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: —- Amazon Price: $1.99 Click Here To Purchase At Amazon!

Cynara Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #985 in Movie
• Released on: 2008-10-03
• Running time: 41 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Lovely women, lousy film, worse dialog
In keeping with her previous movie, Claire of the Moon, director Nicole Conn has included plenty of smoldering glances, lots of walking on the beach, smoking and drinking, and inane dialog (more like narration in this instance, as well as the puzzling question of whether, in spite of the apparent attraction, these women actually like one another. Some segments are absolutely lovely, but the movie is disjointed above and beyond the intended feel of vignettes. The stereotypes of 19th century rebel-without-a-cause butch/femme roles make the characters painfully predictable and the lack of plot a given. On the other hand, if the intended purpose of viewing is to watch impeccably dressed, beautiful women kissing and undressing, look no further.

Streaming The Gods Must Be Crazy Series Online. Movie Title: The Gods Must Be Crazy Series Average customer review: The Gods Must Be Crazy Series is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download The Gods Must Be Crazy Series

In 1980, director Jamie Uys (1921-1996) wrote, produced, directed and even acted in a landmark film entitled “The Gods Must Be Crazy” which is about a dinky Bushman named Xixo (N!xau, 1944-2003) from the Kalahari Desert who has ever ventured far from home nor has any view of technology. When a coke bottle falls from a plane that is flying overhead and nearly hits Xixo, he believes that it is a gift from the gods, takes it and uses it as a tool for many everyday tasks. Other members of Xixo’s tribe also consume the bottle, but they eventually launch to fight over it. Deciding that the bottle is an tainted thing, Xixo decides that he must return it to the gods and begins a lengthy stagger to salvage the edge of the world from which to throw the disagreeable bottle away. Also being totally uneducated about other people’s (and nation’s) customs and laws, Xixo hunts an animal for food in a park. Park rangers near along, are unable to communicate with Xixo and arrest him for poaching. Unfortunately for Xixo, he has absolutely no conception that he has done anything infamous, but when he is brought before a local court, a man is there who speaks Xixo’s language. The court awards custody of Xixo to the man, a mechanic named Mpudi (Michael Thys), who is friend and an assistant of sorts to a bumbling wildlife biologist, Andrew Steyn (Marius Weyers) . Andrew is smitten with his village’s current school-teacher, Kate Thompson (Sandra Prinsloo) . The village also has a church whose reverend is played by Jamie Uys. While Xixo is trying to cope with technology, while Andrew is trying to woo Kate and while Mpudi is trying to sustain their demonic land rover working, a terrorist named Sam Boga (Louw Verwey) is also on the loose.

Jamie Uys’ space, dialog and direction was completely supurb in “The Gods Must Be Crazy”. Jamie Uys won the Most Favorite Film Award from the Montréal World Film Festival in 1983, and it was nominated as Best Foreign Film by the César Awards in France in 1984. Sadly, “The Gods Must Be Crazy” received no attention from the Academy Awards. The characters in the film are both endearing and entertaining, especially Xixo whose innocence in the face of original civilization was superbly acted by N!xau. I was very dismal when I heard of N!xau passing away earlier this year. He will always be remembered as the tiny Bushman. Overall, I rate “The Gods Must Be Crazy” with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to everyone. I applaud Jamie Uys, N!xau and the other actors in the film for creating such a masterpiece on a shoe-string budget and can’t wait to net a copy of the film on DVD!

This situation contains two gigantic comedies dwelling in the heavenly deserts of Botswana, Africa.

The first “The Gods Must be Crazy” was released in 1980. I was surprised objective how distinguished it shows that in hair and clothing styles, but I hardly noticed after the first few minutes. It actually starts remarkable like a documentary, telling about life in a bushman tribe in the Kalahari. One day, they glance a Coke bottle. Thinking it a gift from the gods, they launch to consume it for all kinds of tasks, only to salvage it has introduced strife to their community. Xixo sets out to net the slay of the world and return it to the gods. Meanwhile, a despotic revolutionary is on the speed after a failed coop attempt. And a biologist is trying to salvage over his fright of women to transport the recent school teacher and to the village.

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This movie starts out a miniature unimaginative, setting up the bushman culture and customs, so that when the movie gets going, we’ll catch the laughter. Most of the comedy is at the expense of civilized humans, but some gargantuan points are made about out reliance on our technology. Some of the physical gags curious the barely running jeep and the nervous biologist are priceless, and the plotting of these three stories is luminous.

“The Gods Must be Crazy II” (1989) once again finds Xixo traveling into the world of the uncommon civilized man when his kids accidentally stow away in an ivory poacher’s truck. Meanwhile, a corporate lawyer and biologist have been stranded in the desert when their plane is blown off course during a freak storm. And two opposing soldiers are trying to buy each other.

This legend starts and moves considerable faster. I hadn’t seen it as recently as the first one, and I’d forgotten unprejudiced how laughable this one was. I consider it might actually be a puny funnier. This time, there’s more interaction with the wild life of the location for some astronomical gags. Xixo is the only returning character, but the heroes are calm likable.

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My only valid complaint is philosophical. These movies elevate the bushman to an almost perfect spot with an ideal life. Ironically enough, one of the documentaries does expose that their lives have really been glamorized for the film and their existence is grand harder. Peaceful, it’s always excellent to laugh at oneself, and these movies certainly gain you wonder impartial how civilized we really are.

The DVD location isn’t quite up to normal standards for the format, but mild acceptable. Both films are presented in anamorphic widescreen, but the portray is marred by lots of dust and grain. It’s certainly calm watchable, but it’s not the crystal distinct pictures I’ve been gross with on DVD. The first movie is presented in mono, and I had a puny misfortune hearing it. Fraction of the plight was what seemed like a very dreadful dubbing, probably partially because of the age and gross budget of the new. The sequel sounded noteworthy better in stereo, but neither movie will prove off your sound system. Aloof, they earn the job done, and I consider that less is more with these films. Each disc has one documentary on it. The first is a feature on the exact life of star N!xau who played Xixo. As I mentioned earlier, it paints quite a dissimilarity to the life presented for these films. The second is a short tribute to creator/director Jamie Ulys which give a miniature late the scenes sight at these movies.

While these DVD’s won’t be setting any unusual standards, they are certainly adequate. And the films contained on them are two classic improper budget comedies from the 80′s. If you’re willing to laugh at yourself, recall these up. Any fan of the movies will enjoy them, especially for the ticket.
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The Wicker Man Movie Streaming. Movie Title: The Wicker Man Average customer review: The Wicker Man is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download The Wicker Man

THE WICKER MAN

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(UK – 1973)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

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Theatrical soundtrack: Mono

First-time director Robin Hardy and acclaimed writer Anthony Shaffer (twin brother of Peter, and author of FRENZY and SLEUTH [both 1972], the latter based on his stageplay) attempted to revise the terror genre with this cult common concerning a deeply religious police sergeant (Edward Woodward, in a note-perfect performance) whose search for an apparently missing schoolgirl on a remote Scottish island exposes a Pagan society rooted in old-fashioned superstitions and the appreciate of vengeful gods. To the accompaniment of a haunting catch by Paul Giovanni, comprising variations on ragged songs and folk music, THE WICKER MAN depicts an isolated community at odds with the world at ample, steeped in frail beliefs and ruled with untrue benevolence by a patriarchal figure (Christopher Lee, in unusually subtle create) whom the script suggests is a homely con man, maintaining the island’s customs not through generous convictions, but because the islanders – all of them honest disciples of the cause – simply know no other plan.

The central mystery (Woodward’s search for the missing girl) is genuinely provocative, and the bawdy songs which greet the sergeant’s arrival are soon replaced by an earthy sensuality as the good extent of the islanders’ notion in regenerative powers – divorced from stale notions of ‘morality’ – become apparent. Lee’s assessment of God verges on blasphemy (“He had His chance and… blew it!”), but ultimately, neither Christianity or Paganism emerges with any dignity from the devastating finale. There’s loyal magic in every frame of this improbable film, though it’s clearly not for everyone: If you don’t ‘get it’ within the first ten minutes, then the careful lumber and deliberate absence of familiar terror motifs may seem a petite long-winded, even stupid. Everyone else, however, will be enchanted by this fresh, one-of-a-kind movie.

The filmmakers themselves have roundly condemned the shorter ‘theatrical version’ (88 minutes) which crept into UK theaters in 1973 as benefit for Nicolas Roeg’s DON’T Stare NOW. However, most viewers were first introduced to TWM via the shorter print, simply because it was the only available version for many years, and despite the makers’ protestations to the contrary, it’s smooth a mighty experience.

The filmmakers’ preferred print (100m) underlines the script’s major themes and streamlines the anecdote, and will be a revelation to anyone who’s only ever seen the theatrical print or the 95m version unearthed by the BBC. There are a few bits and pieces in the theatrical version which are irregular to that print, and the BBC edition includes an inspiring ‘Sun God’ which appears after the closing credits, filling the conceal before shooting backwards into darkness. The loss of this brief, iconic part from most extant versions is inexplicable.

This is a POWERHOUSE of a movie that will blow your mind!!!

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It is listed as a scare film, when actually it is SO Remarkable MORE. If one classify the genre, I would say Mystery.

It begins with an anonymous letter to the Scottish Constable ( Edward Woodward of Equilizer fame) telling of Summer Isle. A local girl is missing and none of the villagers seems to exhibit any interest. Flying to the limited Isle, Woodward arrives objective before Beltane, the pagan May Day Festivals and the salvage the Island completely immersed in the Pagan ways of Auld. Head of the Isle is Lord Summerisle (British alarm yarn Christopher Lee – Dracula for Hammer Films – in his favourite performance), the leader of his pagan island, and it is positive he not only is aware of the villagers beliefs, he encourages them!

Slowly, Woodward comes to absorb the girl is being held for Sacrifice on May Day as he races to assign her.

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Brilliant performance from Britt Eckland (musty Mrs. Peter Sellers and one of the sizable beauties of her time – * though most of the nude shots are not her since she was pregnant at the time) Hammer scare actress Ingrid Pitt and Diane Cilento (the first Mrs. Sean Connery, mother of Jason) contribute to the eerie feel.

The movie portrays pagan beliefs in an unHollywood style, that goes for substance and facts, rather than sensationalism. The scenery is sparkling and the music written for the film is haunting.

The film faced many production problems, to being passed through several production companies, a lot of lost footage from the film editor – a devoutly religious man who concept is irascible to be filming this and was systematically destroying as powerful as he could, and indifferent reediting by Roger Corman, and then nearly dying in unpleasant handly in the theatres. Was not seen for nearly two decades, and the version in existence was Corman’s poorly edited one, missing over 20 minutes of the 101 puny unique verson.

I spent years and year trying to track down a copy, and finally for a short time news was marvelous. The director found that he had an unusual copy collected in his area. This was released the VHS – first time the 101 version had been seen in nearly two decades!! Shortly after, it was pulled from the shelves. Corman’s version ( a nice companion allotment so it was made of a lot of out takes) came out for a spell.

So I am elated to view this one on DVD and protected for all time.

Warning: some flashes of Eckland and her stand-in nude, and people of a very religious nature will not like the philosophize. Otherwise, this is one fantastic knock out of a film.
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