Stream The Skull Movie Online

February 8th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
Stream The Skull Movie Online. Stream The Skull Movie Online.

Movie Title: The Skull
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“The Skull” brings to life (no pun intended!) a most interesting horror tale built around the evil doings written down in history concerning the notorious Marquis de Sade. He was supposedly not insane but simply the personification of pure evil with his handsome looks and anti social/sadistic behaviour towards all he encountered. His life here serves as an ideal and indeed original basis for a horror tale about the bizzare and frightening powers he still possesses after his death in the form of his skull which is unleashed on some unsuspecting individuals in a later century.

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This 1965 Amicus production stars the always terrific combination of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee and explores this rather frightening premise of life, or power, after death. Adapted from a short story by the very talented horror writer Robert Bloch who was responsible for such horror classics as “Psycho” and “The House That Dripped Blood” it tells of the exhumation of the skull of the Marquis de Sade which passes from one curio collector to another and through its strange and deadly powers manages to continue the terror from beyond the grave and bring misfortune and death to all who possess it.

Peter Cushing plays Christopher Maitland an avid collector of antiques and curiosities such as a book that once belonged to the famed Marquis, the cover of which is made of human skin! Despite warnings from his fellow collector Sir Matthew Phillips (Christopher Lee) about the skulls evil powers Cushing through fair means and foul comes into possession of the skull and once it is placed among his collection it starts to take a frightening control over his mind turning him into a killer resulting in a tragic conclusion to the story.

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Ably directed by veteran Hammer director Freddie Francis this film has a very spooky premise which delivers a good but not great story. The film does tend to drag at times, in particular in Cushing’s dream sequence where he is abducted and taken to a mysterious court where he is almost forced to commit suicide. However “The Skull” has some very memorably scary moments.Particulary effective is the way the skull seems to take on a life of its own. Some of the action is shot from within the skull which is excellent in engendering an eerie sense that we are seeing what it is actually thinking. It’s movements around rooms and its appearing in different locations is also well handled. The film also boasts one of the finest graveyard sets of any Hammer/Amicus production in the flash back sequence at the beginning when the Marquis’s skull is dug up. Full of creepy old headstones, wrought iron fencing and an eerie whistling wind it is unsurpassed in creating just the right sense of doom and horror in this story. Indeed as in all these types of productions the attention to detail is excellent. Cushing and Lee work well together as always and it is good to see Peter Cushing, a highly underrated actor performing in a role that has a bit of menace thrown in for good measure.

“The Skull” is definately interesting viewing and has a theme which is original and a move away from the usual Vampire/Wolfman/Frankenstein features that predominated at this time. While not a great horror classic it is still a good film that has its share of spine chilling situations guaranteed to keep your interest.

You might think that since “The Skull” stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee that it is a Hammer films production, but this 1965 effort comes from Amicus Productions. Based on the Robert Bloch short story “The Skull of the Marquis de Sade,” this film deals more with psychological fear, until the somewhat laughable conclusion. It seems that in the 19th-Century a phrenologist, believing there is a connection between human physiognomy and character, unearthed the body of de Sade in France to steal the skull. We then shift to “today,” where Christopher Maitland (Cushing) buys the skull for his private collection, even though his friend Sir Matthew Phillips (Lee) tells how he once owned the skull, which he believes to be possessed. Maitland becomes obsessed with the skull and apparently will kill anyone and everyone to have it for his own.

There are moments where this film drags, and I have trouble watching the sequence where the skull starts flying around the room, but director Freddie Francis lucked out when he decided to shoot several shots from the perspective of the skull. To do this he put a skull mockup in front of an aeroflex camera and moved around on roller skates. The happy result of this seeming absurdity is that the roaming camera serves to help involve the viewer with the developing psychological horror. The best sequence is when Maitland has a nightmare where he’s kidnapped by the police and forced to play Russian Roulette. Despite what you would think to be inherent shortcomings, “The Skull” is an above average horror film carried in large part by Cushing’s performance. It is nice to see him doing someone other than Dr. Frankenstein or Dr. Van Helsing.
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Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang Streaming

February 8th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang Streaming. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang Streaming.

Movie Title: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
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Harry’s a burglar in New York who, to escape arrest, winds up auditioning for a part in a Joel Silver like film that’s destined for Colin Farrell. He’s whisked away to the phony world of LA, where every girl named “Jill” spells it “Jylle.” At a fabulous cocktail party he meets Harlan Dexter, once a B-movie actor and now a very rich enterpreneur whose daughter has only recently returned from a long sojourn to Paris. Harry also meets his high school sweetheart, a girl who never gave him a toss back then, but now she’s seeing him with new eyes. The two of them share an appreciation for the pulp novels of the 1950s and 1960s featuring a Mike Hammer type PI called “Jonny Gossamer.”

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KISS KISS BANG BANG is a lot of fun. Walking into the theater you don’t expect such a rambunctious, talky, endlessly yakking movie. You have to be on your toes, narratologically speaking, the entire time, and don’t try leaing your seat to use the restroom, you’ll have missed probably the entire point of the movie. Does even Shane Black know the story he’s written, and why the three women who meet their maker got so confused that neither the police, the detectives, nor the gang that killed them seem to be able to piece them apart, like the old shell game.

The movie is stunning to look at besides. The credits are impeccable; we’ve seen numerous movie credits designed to resemble the old time look of the Bond films, but this one, in rusty shades of orange and black, is stylish and exciting. In general the designers of the movie deserve awards. The use of the hotel Standard is brilliant

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Downey Jr and Kilmer are both pretty entertaining, but the excitement here is the performance of Michelle Monaghan as Harmony Faith Lane (a name that, oddly enough, strings together the names of two of Buffy’s betes noires).

As Harmony Miss Monaghan, a Denise Richards lookalike, shows a talent that can stand right up next to the fast talking dames of the thirties like Rosalind Russell or Carole Lombard, and plus she has a genuine American beauty tht makes it believable she could come from somewhere central, like Indiana. You root for her to succeed, even when she shows the more disagreeable sides to her personality.

I can imagine some people disliking the movie and its constant air of being in love with itself, and yet when the dust is cleared we are always searching for an American cinema with wit and flair, and here it is in this giant, heaping portion, and you would be a fool to turn away such bounty on account of its presumption. I hope it does well enough to merit numerous sequels, as THE THIN MAN did. It’s on that level if you ask my opinion.

PS, what happened to Shannyn Sossamon? Seems like just yesterday she was Hollywood’s it girl, enjoying leading lady parts in such films as A KNIGHT’S TALE or THE RULES OF ATTRACTION. Here she plays, get this, “Pink Hair Girl”? Are they trying to punish her for being beautiful and talented, or what?

“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” is so full of energy and forward propulsion that it often trips over its own frenzied notions and plot machinations. This is screenwriter (”Lethal Weapon”) Shane Black’s first film as director and he is very keen on making the most of this opportunity: the 3rd wall is smashed and cleared away, the story is told both in flash backs and in flash forwards and Robert Downey Jr. as Harry Lockhart narrates in deadpan fashion that manages to be extremely witty and droll on the one hand and banal and silly at others.

“KKBB” opens with an explosion of activity in which Harry a petty thief, while in the process of a robbery and running from the police, accidentally bursts into a room in which actors are being auditioned for a movie dealing with private eyes. He is thrust into service as an auditionee and is asked to screen test…moving closer to actually nabbing the movie role. And so it goes: one incredible and often hilarious plot twist after another.

Downey, always a charming performer and who may be a bit too old for this part, in that he is supposed to be the same age as the smart, funny and adorable Michelle Monaghan who plays his childhood friend, Harmony Faith Lane…a great name, by-the-way. But be that as it may, the interplay between Monaghan and Downey as well as that with Val Kilmer as Gay Perry, a gay P.I. (I kid you not) is priceless: all are operating on the very highest level of their performing careers.

Not every thing works in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” but at least Black, by way of his throw in everything but the kitchen-sink style of directing, exhibits the cojones to play with the conventions of the detective story/thriller movie and make it work…most of the time: you must often risk the ridiculous in order to achieve the sublime is a lesson that Black has seemed to have learned very well.

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Run Lola Run Streaming

February 8th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
Run Lola Run Streaming. Run Lola Run Streaming.

Movie Title: Run Lola Run
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First, to appreciate the background behind “Run Lola Run” it helps to have some perspective on modern German society. Here are some observations to set the stage:

For most Germans, if they well in school or learn a trade, and are willing to work hard and pay their dues, they will be rewarded with a conventional, comfortable lifestyle. They will have 6 weeks vacation, enjoy inexpensive holiday resorts, live in a comfortable if cramped flat, have paid medical care, and eventually mortgage themselves for fifty years to buy a house or their own flat. Und–they VILL enjoy it!

However, for those people living in the sections that were formerly communist East Germany, unemployment is higher, and all over Germany, if anyone has a dysfunctional family, or has some kind of problem, or just doesn’t fit in, life can be very tough and very hopeless. This is the state that a lot of young people find themselves in, especially around Berlin, Halle, Magdeburg and other of the larger, more troubled German urban areas.

Now, this is the backdrop for Lola and her boyfriend Manni. Manni is beginning a promising career as a drug dealer, making his first score. He is on the point of delivering the bag of cash to the mob boss. Never mind that this little career move will most likely land him 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of being shunned and being practically unemployable; that is, if he survives the police hunt for his sorry arse. But Manni feels hopeless and trapped, so what’s the risk? Lola, who comes from a wealthy but dysfunctional Berlin family, is needy and eager to help her Manni. Neither question the outcome of their actions.

Yes, they both goof up, Lola forgets her assignment and goes off for a pack of smokes, Manni panics and now his very life is on the line. And Lola volunteers to help, putting her life on the line, though she doesn’t realize that she is in peril. She has twenty minutes to solve this life-and-death issue. And she DOES it, while filmed like a rock video in flashes, running like a madwoman through Berlin to get to the prize.

If you don’t like the outcome, the inevitable, the sad, just wait a minute, the filmmaker, god that he is, can change all that for you. If you want a fairy godmother, he’s prepared to be one for you. Just scream like an infant, as Lola does, and director Tom Tykwer will grant your wish. If you then don’t like that particular wave of his magic wand, well, wait another minute. But don’t look too closely, or you will see an accusation that actions DO have consequences.

Though filmed creatively and in burst-like flashes, the story is completely coherent and even has a moral, or two, or three.
As to the film itself, it is better letterboxed to appreciate the cinematography. The subtitles are accurate, though the swears and other nasty epithets are made a bit milder than actually they are in vernacular German–perhaps because they look pretty stark when printed rather than spoken. This is a film that is worth seeing quite a few times to pick up the nuances and missed frames–you can’t blink for a second because you will miss something important.

HIGHLY Recommended –entertaining, yet good for family discussions about choices in life.

Run Lola Run is the type of frenzied arthouse picture that just doesn’t get made here in North America. That’s really a shame because Run Lola Run is definitley one of the best movies of the year. From a cinematic point of view “Lola” is one of the most creative and energetic films that I have ever seen.

The plot revolves around Lola, a woman who has twenty minutes to save her boyfriend’s life from German gangsters. To do this she must miraculously acquire 100,000 Marks.

The film is appropriately titled as Lola really does run for practically the entire film. When she does not succeed in saving her boyfriend the movie cuts back to the opening sequence and the film plays out yet again in an entirely different fashion. The central idea is that small variations in behaviour can change the entire outcome of a situation. This idea was also explored in “Sliding Doors”, unfortunately, with far more mixed results.

Eventually the cycle repeats itself three times over the movies one hour twenty minute screen time. Run Lola Run is just bubbling with creative ideas and really is a stunning ride. The action never really lets up (except in a brief bed scene) and is filmed in the kind of frenetic, crazy style that MTV would be proud of. Lola is also extremely funny in many parts especially when the film briefly delves into the future’s of various small characters.

This is a perfect little film that stands up to repeated viewings. It is smart, entertaining and is something that is completely unique. Hollywood movies rarely have those three qualities, this German one does.
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Watch Barney: Once Upon a Dino Tale Online

February 7th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
Watch Barney: Once Upon a Dino Tale Online. Watch Barney: Once Upon a Dino Tale Online.

Movie Title: Barney: Once Upon a Dino Tale
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Barney: Once Upon a Dino Tale is available for streaming or downloading.

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This old dog has learned some new tricks! In this disc, Barney steps outside the box and into a fairy wonderland. Instead of the usual playground format, Barney and his friends enter an enchanted world of classic fairy tales.

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When Princess Rosey decides to host a party for her kingdom, she finds that she needs help finding the best fairy tales in the land. Of course, Barney and his friends can be counted on to lend a big purple hand! Barney is joined by BJ, Baby Bop and playground friends David and Tracy to show us how fun it can be to play make-believe. They perform their own interpretation of classic fairy tales we all know and love: Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, The Lion and the Mouse, The Fisherman and His Wife, The Emperor’s Contest and Princess Pumpernickel.

As always, Barney demonstrates the characteristics you want your children to learn are important: kindness to others, sharing, and creativity. There is something special about a character and program that have been around for twenty years, and continue to be one of the top rated programs today.

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The DVD special feature is a sing-along jukebox that features thirteen terrific Barney tunes! Get ready for some karaoke fun, the big purple dinosaur way.

My son loves barney ABC so I decide to buy the Dino Tale as well.Unfortunatelly he did not like it at all! Maybe because he is only 3 years old. The move is quilt, maybe for a little older kid.
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Cowboy Bebop - Session 6 Movie Streaming

February 7th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
Cowboy Bebop - Session 6 Movie Streaming. Cowboy Bebop - Session 6 Movie Streaming.

Movie Title: Cowboy Bebop - Session 6
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Cowboy Bebop - Session 6 is available for streaming or downloading.

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Ultimately the finest and most renowned expression of the blues is perhaps Robert Johnson’s ‘Crossroads’ which relates the emotional tedium of choosing a definitive direction in the middle of one’s life. The last four episodes of ‘Cowboy Bebop’ slowly bring forth difficult and melancholy situations detailing the inner workings and underlying turmoil of the Bebop crew’s lives. A subtle and unique blend of sci-fi/fantasy/action/intrigue/drama cap this series definitively with the same unpredictability that has been the hallmark of this fantastic animation milestone.

‘Brain Scratch’ is probably the most disjointed and experimental episode from the entire series. Using a choppy cutting style to survey the television programming of 2071 the director gives us another quick peek into culture surrounding the solar expansion of humanity. Faye has left the Bebop and appears curiously in middle of a brain washing cult led by one of the few remaining bounties. A rather odd combination of self observation and current event parody encompassing video games, internet, Heaven’s Gate, Doh Applewhite, television and its elusive control over people. ‘Hard Luck Woman’ reveals Ed’s odd past on Earth, and allows a sort of closure to Faye Valentine’s past. You finally see Faye regain her memory and touch on her past life as Ed revisits her old orphanage and finds her father who is Bebop’s latest and last bounty. These first two episodes on this DVD slowly begin the set up for the series’ somber finale in ‘The Real Folk Blues I & II’. I don’t wish to detail the final episodes too thoroughly in order to avoid spoilers. Julia emerges as a tangible character for the first time and meets Spike. Both episodes bring to a head Spike and Julia’s relationship and answer some of the many questions plaguing viewers. The ending also wraps up Bebop’s fate (I can assume) and Vicious’ epiphany within the tong. A striking scene I will relate is that this is the first time you will ever see Jet and Spike laugh together.

As the series blinks out it may leave you cold as it did myself. The amazing sense of discovery and excitement which permeated the beginning of the series becomes juxtaposed with decay and decline in the last episodes. Such a simple path of natural order is one of those exceptional traits which put ‘Cowboy Bebop’ far above most other contemporary entertainment. Any viewer will easily recognize all the creative thought put into each episode and the series as a whole. Some may say it is rather disjointed as a series, but that was another refreshing choice on the part of its creators to allow glimpses of their multifaceted future society without getting bogged down in minutia or creative trivialities as do all continuous series. The stories always give the viewer just enough to piece together and rarely over emphasize any particulars giving the viewer a chance to think and make assumptions about the world before, outside and after the current diorama presented. Super dynamic design choices and combinations within the show have floored many animation fans, and the pulp style of writing deftly harkens back to the days of blues and jazz from which comes the foundation for this sci-fi detective anime. From sound track to color to computer animations and mecha, ‘Bebop’ stands out as a stew of high creativity never quite seen before in animation history. The most definitive quality of ‘Bebop’ has been its ability to display pathos…..the ability to ’sing the blues’- a very difficult and rare expression to convey honestly without flaw. Pathos is perhaps the pinnacle of human emotion because it cannot be achieved without building a high from which to descend so that it needs the full range of human emotions in order to exist. Usual mainstream entertainment tries only to be ‘funny’ or ‘cool’ and ignores the scope of existence this rather earthy sci-fi series confidently captured.

Sadly ‘Cowboy Bebop’ is over and the creators have said it shall never be continued. It would be very easy to continue in some vein, and perhaps one day it will, but I won’t relish the day it might resurface as a second series since it will be made a pale extrapolation of its original. However there is a movie slated for release next year which will supposedly be the last we see of ‘Bebop’. The movie is said to take place inbetween ‘Brain Scratch’ and ‘Cowboy Funk’ within the series. Will there ever be another anime this good? This intense? Will there? Sure, but unfortunately in the mean time the anime coniseurs will have heavy hearts….as the end of Bebop says-

You’re Gonna Carry That Weight …

Few anime series have touched me as a viewer, and I am glad to say that Cowboy Bebop has developed into such a series. From the fun of the first episode to the revelations of the final DVD in the series Cowboy Bebop portrays an incredible spectrum of the human condition, ironically enough in a future that is just within belief. A lot of viewers see a common Japanese anime in the first few episodes. Little connection between plots, and relatively 2D characters. But in the long run, the driving force of the story as a whole becomes the characters themselves. Their pasts, their pains, and their futures rapidly become the focus of every episode, sometimes in lengthy exposition, but most often in interconnected montages of the past, and its effect on the present. This final DVD relies heavily on the past, drawing on Spike’s oft-alluded life on Mars, while revealing the truly emotional aspects of the relationships between all of the characters. Spike has often been portrayed as a callous opportunist throughout the series, with brief glimmers of humanity and compassion, yet this, much like every other aspect of this series, is subject to change. Perhaps one of the most redeeming factors of this anime is the return to a concentration on Spike in the last few episodes, as he is certainly one of the most intriguing and mysterious characters seen in recent anime. Yet, like all good things, this anime must come to an end at the seemingly requisite 26 episodes. And what a ride it has been! One of the most interesting aspects of the series is the underlying feeling of hope, for a variety of things, each depending on the characters. Yet closure is also present, and the interaction of the future and the past brings this anime to an incredibly powerful conclusion that left me staring at the ending credits, and then watching the last episode again. Real Folk Blues could not have been any more apt a title, because the characters ultimately become human, finally facing the building emotional tension that the last two DVD’s have woven into the tale. If you have enjoyed a single episode in this series, you owe yourself the service of finishing it, however you can! Rent it, buy it, borrow it, find an anime club. This series transcends its own style and its own animated roots, as it leaves its viewers with questions of existence, justice, and honor. We all face tests in our lives, and as Spike himself says, “I’m not going to die. I’m going to see if I’m truly alive.”

See You Later, Space Cowboy…
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Star Trek - Nemesis Streaming

February 7th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
Star Trek - Nemesis Streaming. Star Trek - Nemesis Streaming.

Movie Title: Star Trek - Nemesis
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Star Trek - Nemesis is available for streaming or downloading.

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The plot of “Star Trek: Nemesis” comes down to three situations. First, and most importantly, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) discovers that he not only has a clone (Tom Hardy) who was created by the Romulans by raised by the Remuseans, but that the enterprising Shinzon has become Praetor of the Romulan Empire, which has a weapon that can destroy all life on Earth. Second, in an obvious parallel, Data (Brent Spiner) discovers yet another of Dr. Soong’s prototype androids, named B-4 (also Spiner). Third, and finally in more ways than one, Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) are finally getting married. This 10th Star Trek film, and four in the STNG part of the series, has its moments but is ultimately less than satisfying.

Part of the problem is that even before the film’s climatic death scene we are already aware that we have another Star Trek death that is not really death scene. Yes, this is certainly more plausible than the first one in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”/”Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” but that it is at the expense of the shock and emotional impact the first time around. Consequently, the big payoff rings hollow, which is never a good sing for a major theatrical release.

Another part of the problem is that the cast is so large that few of them have much of value to do. Geordi LaForge (LeVar Burton) has been standing by for several films mainly to ask Data what he is doing so the android can explain, Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) waits for casualties to show up in sick bay, and Worf (Michael Dorn) is at least good for a few laughs with the comments he makes in his cups while everyone is toasting Riker and Troi. As far as the movies go, STNG has boiled down to Picard and Data, and the rest are along for the ride, posing stiffly and formly in the background. That being said, “Nemesis” finally gives Counselor Troi the main supporting role and a couple of scenes when she proves she can give as well as receive. But overall there are two many cast members sitting around with little or nothing to do; compare this with the series finale “All Good Things…”

Finally, there are just too many significant gaps in the thinking of the main characters. Picard and his clone think they understand each other as if in the future the nature versus nurture issue has gone the way of safety belts being required on alll chairs on spaceships. Yes, having a clone is creeping. Yes, having your clone serving in a Romulan slave pit is disturbing. But the idea that the result is a younger version of itself was never legitimated by novels/films like “The Boys From Brazil.” This is supposed to be the future, but the “science” here is about on par with a 1950s film. If I, who know virtually nothing about science in general or cloning in particular can see the holes in this logic, than Picard’s Starfleet Academy training should serve him in much better stead.

Now that we are apparently here at the end of the road for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” it might be appropriate to conduct a post mortem and consider the question of why the theatrical films were never as good as any of the two-part episodes of the television series. The short explanation is they went for bigger (e.g., the Borg rewrite human history) rather than better. What is so puzzling is why a creative staff that came up with several solid story lines almost every season for many years could not cut it when it was required to come up with one very good idea every few years. “Star Trek - Nemesis” has the characters of STNG but neither the style nor the substance; what does Picard driving a intergalactic dune buggy have to do with why we loved this television show? Plus, the lighting makes Data’s skin look really weird. At least we have the original STNG out on DVD now.

As for NEMESIS, I am going out on a limb here and going to state that even though the film is highly derivative from previous Trek films, it is by far the most rousing, kinetic and engrossing of all the TNG movies to date (hand to hand combat, phaser firing in corridors, space battles). It is miles ahead of FIRST CONTACT.

From the opening of film, with the reversed “Star Trek” title on the screen to the climactic 4 ship battle, this film delivered the goods. It is the most action-packed of all the Trek films, including the TOS films and the special effects, mostly, are quite impressive. For once, the film LOOKS like it was made for the big screen, although more use of exterior, non-ship locales would have added another dimension.

The film listed at 116 minutes, the film moved quite briskly, and I had a great time watching it, relishing every minute, every snippet of dialogue, every bit of throwaway humor (which thankfully this time, is not forced). I was sorry to see it end.

All the regulars especially Patrick Stewart, this time giving a more emotional, more layered performance, is wonderful. The chemistry between Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis is great, and, contrary to what you may have heard, Worf is not reduced to a “drunken reservation Indian” (as referred to by prominent an online reviewer). He has a brief drunk, but quiet scene at the wedding, and his bad lines in the original script (”Well Romulan ale should be more illegal”) are nowhere to be seen in the film.

I am not going to focus on the smashing biological-like attack on the Senate, the THREE KINGS-like desert chase, Data’s rescue of Picard from “The Scorpion,” Troi’s ‘remember me’ scene and the final, beautifully shot, edited and scored battle involving four ships. I love those scenes but there are other very enjoyable albeit more subtle ones in NEMESIS.

There are some gems prevalent in NEMESIS, including an introductory sequence with Shinzon and his henchman the Viceroy coming down those steps, in the dimly lit room, was very atmospheric. Shinzon walks down quietly, like a hungry predator, examining the crew, notably especially Troi and Picard, while a stern Ryker looks on uncomfortably. I loved the darkness of that scene, both in image and in subtext.

Another effective scenes features Picard’s dinner with Shinzon, in a room off the Senate (a room which looks suspiciously medieval somehow) the sequences with the child are introduced but they are shot in hazy, blue monochrome (aided by a nice f/x shot of a pan into the mines). It is an effective scene but Stuart Baird does not wallow in it, so as not to give too unnecessary sympathy to Shinzon.

For fans, like myself in the past, who always complained about the Picard-Data focus in the movies, Data has quite a lesser role in this film, as opposed to the previous ones. A memorable sequence features Data attempting to explain to B-4 (an android) why he has to turn him off (after the former downloads the ship’s classified data banks). Brent Spiner - in ineffective yellow pancake makeup amplified by the large-screen - is annoyed at B-4 but not angry; he takes on the role of the older sibling who disapproves of the actions of the younger one, but just when you think you see an element of anger in Data, he calls B-4 “brother.” The term “brother” coming from Data means he has come full circle. In a way he is looking at himself from “Encounter at Farpoint” and is now acting like the human he is not. I am not a fan of Data in general but loved the endearing, warm quality to that scene.

For the first time in a TNG movie we also get an effective, ready room sequence where the Captain and his crew discuss Shinzon, and reunite again in it for a farewell toast to dead colleague.

I loved the dark orange look of the interior of the space ship (the dark red doors, the panels etc) as well as the background graphics on the monitors and various screens across the ship. Indeed. Mathew Leonetti’s (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2, TOP GUN) cinematography is excellent, especially considering the confines of the ship.

The Jerry Goldsmith score, somehow was much more effective onscreen with the action, than I remember it being when I heard it on the CD. Ultimately, it is one of his better TNG scores, and his ST: TMP fanfare at space dock, in the end, almost brought tears to my eyes - it’s like all the ST movies had come full circle, beginning and ending in space dock.

I love this film.
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Streaming Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald, Volume One Online

February 6th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
Streaming Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald, Volume One Online. Streaming Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald, Volume One Online.

Movie Title: Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald, Volume One
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Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald, Volume One is available for streaming or downloading.

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This first phase in covering all of Donald Duck’s cartoon shorts is no doubt going to be the most popular (and most extensive with future, multiple volumes) of any of the previous Walt Disney Treasures collections. It will probably be hard to find by the beginning of 2004. (A limited amount made is once again expected.)

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Because Donald Duck appeared with other characters throughout the years, it’s hard to tell how series host/compiler Leonard Maltin will categorize these. Donald was already appearing in Silly Symphony and Mickey Mouse cartoons starting in 1934–though this set starts in 1936 (with “Donald and Pluto”). You can catch the ones not included here (up to 1941) on the now hard-to-find Silly Symphonies/Mickey Mouse in B&W/MM in Living Color Vol. 1 Disney Treasures sets to fill in the gaps. Those shorts are:

1934–”The Wise Little Hen” (A Silly Symphony–and Donald’s debut), “Orphan’s Benefit”, “The Dognapper” (both on MM in B&W).

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1935–”Mickey’s Service Station” (MM in B&W), “The Band Concert”, “Mickey’s Fire Brigade”, “On Ice” (the last three on MM in Living Color Vol. 1).

1936–”Mickey’s Polo Team”, “Orphan’s Picnic”, “Mickey’s Grand Opera”, “Moving Day”, “Alpine Climbers”, “Mickey’s Circus” (all on MM in Living Color Vol. 1).

1937–”Magician Mickey”, “Moose Hunters”, “Mickey’s Amateurs”, “Hawaiian Holiday”, “Clock Cleaners”, “Lonesome Ghosts” (all on MM in Living Color Vol. 1).

1938–”Boat Builders”, “Mickey’s Trailer”, “The Whalers” (all on MM in Living Color Vol. 1).

1940–”Tugboat Mickey” (will be on upcoming MM in Living Color Vol. 2).

The only other ones between 1934-41 that aren’t available yet on DVD are “Mother Goose Goes Hollywood” (a 1938 Silly Symphony where Donald has a cameo), and “The Volunteer Worker” (only a two-minute trailer from 1940 that probably won’t be included in this collection). “The Nifty Nineties” (another Donald cameo) is already available on the Vault Disney 2-disc edition of “Pollyanna.”

All the starring shorts (up to ‘41) with Donald Duck on this collection will be (year-by-year):

1936–”Donald and Pluto” (more or less his first starring short, only because he’s billed before Pluto).

1937–”Don Donald” (the debut of Daisy Duck–”Donna” Duck in this short), “Modern Inventions” (technically Donald’s first solo effort).

1938–”Donald’s Ostrich (usually billed as Donald’s first solo short), “Self-Control”, “Donald’s Better Self”, “Donald’s Nephews” (the debut of Huey, Dewey, and Louie), “Polar Trappers” (starring with Goofy), “Good Scouts”, “The Fox Hunt”, “Donald’s Golf Game”

1939–”Donald’s Lucky Day”, “Hockey Champ”, “Donald’s Cousin Gus”, “Beach Picnic”, “Sea Scouts”, “Donald’s Penguin”, “The Autograph Hound”, “Officer Duck”, “The Standard Parade”

1940–”The Riveter”, “Donald’s Dog Laundry”, “Bill Posters”, “Mr. Duck Steps Out”, “Put-Put Troubles”, “Donald’s Vacation”, “Window Cleaners”, “Fire Chief”, (”The Volunteer Worker” would have been next).

1941–”Timber”, “Golden Eggs”, “A Good Time for a Dime”, “Early to Bed”, “Truant Officer Donald”, “Old MacDonald Duck”, “Donald’s Camera”, “Chef Donald”

In future volumes of “The Chronological Donald”, we can hopefully enjoy Donald’s later, interesting shorts such as “Working for Peanuts” (the first Disney short in 3-D) and the ones made in the mid-50’s using Cinemascope (”Grand Canyonscope”, among others). Donald’s WWII shorts will probably be incorporated into the upcoming “Disney on the Front Lines” Treasures collection. We’ll have to wait and see how his appearances with Chip & Dale and his educational shorts (”Donald in Mathmagic Land”, “How to Have an Accident” cartoons, “Steel and America”, “Donald’s Fire Survival Plan”–all late 50’s/mid-60’s) will be presented while covering his entire output. If they’re not included here, then hopefully Leonard Maltin will compile an educational short Treasures collection in future years.

One would think that with all this wide output and popularity, Donald Duck would have been the Walt Disney Company mascot (perhaps he’s still clamoring for the job ;) ).

The other Disney Treasures released this December ‘03: “Disney on the Front Lines” (WWII animated shorts and propaganda films), “Mickey Mouse in Living Color 2″ (completing Mickey’s color cartoons), “Walt’s Tomorrowland” (will include Ward Kimball’s “Man in Space” series).

Lastly, a personal thanks to Leonard Maltin for championing the releases of these vital parts of American film so people can enjoy them again or discover them for the first time.

Oh, man, what a GREAT dvd set. Say what you want about Disney being an Evil Empire, but they know how to put together these sets. My daughter and I laughed our heads off through the first disc and are making our way through the 2nd.
Donald IS Disney’s best character, because, well, he’s one of us, just trying to make his way through the world and dealing, or trying his best to deal, with life’s usual b.s.
The quality of these cartoons is incredible considering they came out 60 to 70 years ago. The colors are so vivid they verge on the brink of hurting your eyes.
The big drawback however is Leonard Maltin’s sermonizing about gunplay and stereotyping… all the unPC stuff. I feel like he thinks morons are watching these cartoons. He keeps giving the “that was what was done then, but we would never consider doing it now”. Ok, Leonard, once is enough, thanks. The lowpoint is “Donald’s Penguin” in which we’re told that the penguin did not get hurt except when Donald gave it a spanking. It’s a flipping CARTOON! Makes me realize how uptight we are as a society these days. I don’t think you’d find Warner Bros. apologizing for their cartoons (at least I hope they don’t).

So, buy this… but skip over Maltin’s mewlings.
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The Legend of the Candy Cane Streaming

February 6th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
The Legend of the Candy Cane Streaming. The Legend of the Candy Cane Streaming.

Movie Title: The Legend of the Candy Cane
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The Legend of the Candy Cane is available for streaming or downloading.

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I have heard of the “Legend of the Candy Cane” but have not read the book upon which this movie is based. For a “Christian” movie, I was quite disappointed with the weakness and almost “microscopic” portrayal of God in this DVD.

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For kids with a steady “diet” of Hollywood and Disney based movie features, this DVD may be OK. It is certainly not an anti-family movie and in the end it does portray somewhat of a “typical” family with 2 parents and siblings.

My husband and I are very selective about the media (in all its forms - music, video, books etc.) and with such selective criteria, sometimes the selections seem rather sparse. In this DVD, there is a wolf which behaves as if it is a rabid wolf rather than your average hungry wolf; perhaps this is done for the effect of “drama” or suspense, but how necessary is it really to the story? Yes, there are frightening things in life, things which threaten to harm us; Scripture tells us that the enemy is out like a wolf that will scatter the flock, but wolves behave more stealthy than the glaring, yellow-eyed and foaming at the mouth wolf in this video.

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The central focus of the “Christmas story” in this film is more about the “romantic Cupid-style” love depicted in our popular media rather than the love of God, who humbled himself by coming to the earth as a man, born to a virgin whose purpose was to redeem mankind from sin through His death on the cross and resurrection.

Also, there is a church in the film but it makes no discernible impact on the lives of the townspeople. The people of the town lack hope and the mysterious Candy man who comes to town does not offer Christian hope because he does not share the message of Christ with them in any meaningful way (i.e. the Christian message is muted in symbolism but not clearly stated). Sure, there are some good points made, but no real overarching moral lesson is evident in this DVD.

One of the characters finds her “heart broken” and longs for greater adventure and discovery than what is available to her where she is and she sings a longing song for travel to LA and NYC, hardly a depiction of Biblical hope.

There is a side-story in which the various animals are interacting; one scene in particular where the dog is mocking/ “making fun of” the mountain goat who is afraid of heights, the scene is drawn out, it seems, “just for laughs” but there is no explanation or correction to the mocking behavior of the dog, although the dog does receive consequences to his action. While the “pay back” to the dog is not portrayed as malicious, it is still a form of revenge, a “tit for tat,” if you will, showing the dog “a little of his own medicine.”

I would recommend renting this DVD before buying it. I was totally disappointed with it. This could have been a good christmas story to be watched for generations to come but the produces gave only a brief mention of the candy cane symbolism. It didn’t follow the story book at all. Instead they chose to dwell on relationships and talking animals. This is not a video I would be proud to call Christian. Once again it makes Christians out to be unintelligent.
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Streaming The Man Who Came to Dinner Online

February 6th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
Streaming The Man Who Came to Dinner Online. Streaming The Man Who Came to Dinner Online.

Movie Title: The Man Who Came to Dinner
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The Man Who Came to Dinner is available for streaming or downloading.

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Nurse: You shouldn’t eat chocolates, Mr. Whiteside. They’re bad for you.

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Whiteside: My great aunt Jennifer ate a box of candy every day of her life. She lived to be 102, and when she had been dead three days she looked better than you do now.

Based on the stage hit by Kaufman/Hart and adapted for the screen by Julius and Philip Epstein (who also did some thing called “Casablanca”), “The Man Who Came to Dinner” may be one of the ten funniest pictures ever made. In a thinly disguised caricature of Alexander Woolcott, Monty Woolley is Sheridan Whiteside, an acerbic New York critic and lecturer who breaks a leg while in a small town and is forced to live temporarily with an uptight local couple (Grant Mitchell and Billie Burke) who aren’t at all pleased about their new guest. Whiteside proceeds to take over the house, move in his secretary (Bette Davis), endlessly berate his nurse (Mary Wickes), re-direct the lives of the couple’s children, have all manner of visitors, and generally reek havoc.

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Some knowledge of the literary and theatrical figures of the 30’s and 40’s helps in appreciating all the in-jokes, but even without that foreknowledge this is still a hilarious film. Woolley was reprising his role from Broadway, and he so dominates the proceedings that Davis, at the height of her powers and popularity, is almost superfluous. Guest appearances by Ann Sheridan and Jimmy Durante (a veiled interpretation of Harpo Marx) liven up the stagey interpretation, and there’s an uninteresting subplot about Davis and the local reporter, but for the most part it’s Woolley’s show. Hart and Kaufman had both worked with the Marx Brothers, and it shows: The script is an endless string of stinging one-liners and retorts. For anyone who enjoys classic comedies, this is not to be missed.

The film version of Kaufman and Hart’s hit Broadway comedy “The Man who Came to Dinner” is a first rate Warner Brother’s production of 1941. While Monty Woolley gets third billing to Bette Davis and Ann Sheridan, clearly for box office reasons, the film centres around his ferrocious performance based on Alexander Woollcott.

The story is simple. An egocentric celebrity arrives in a small town in Ohio, fractures his hip on the icy steps outside the house of one of the town’s emminent citizens, threatens to sue and moves in to recuperate. In doing so, he takes over the household with his entourage and the film follows the resultant mayhem. The film has an ensemble cast supporting Woolley and everyone has their moment. There are endless references to the “in crowd” of 1941 and the film requires numerous viewings to pick up all the one liners because the jokes are fast and furious. The direction is featureless and the film is static but it is the dialogue which counts so the unimaginative direction doesn’t really matter.

Davis takes a supporting role as Woolley’s secretary and demonstrates her claim that she did NOT always have to take centre stage if the script was good. She is funny and sardonic and in her romantic scenes, nobody could be as relaxed and comfortable as she was on the screen, almost convincing us that such a sophisticated woman could fall for a hick newspaper man, the handsome Richard Travis. Ann Sheridan is tart, sexy and devastatingly attractive as Lorraine Sheldon, said to be based on Gertrude Lawrence. She was filming “King’s Row” at the same time and always said she did not care about this film because King’s Row was much more important. Nevertheless, she certainly enhanced her stardom with this hilarious performance. All the others are terrific - Mary Wickes as the bewildered nurse, Billy Burke as the scatty mother, Jimmy Durante as Harpo Marx and Reginald Gardiner as Noel Coward etc etc. Special mention of Grant Mitchell as the harried father of the household, a superb foyle for Woolley’s vitriol and with a memorable final moment in the film.

The print is excellent and the extras include the original trailer, with evidence of a scene cut from the film, a worthwhile short commentary and a terrific short containing Six Hits and a Miss harminising “You gotta know how to dance”, a song from the 1936 musical “Colleen” with the dance by Ruby Keeler and Paul Draper interpolated from that film.

It is fantastic that this film is finally available on DVD, whether as part of the Davis Collection Volume 2 or on its own.
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Stream James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack, Vol. 3 Online

February 6th, 2010 by makenzie8350994
Stream James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack, Vol. 3 Online. Stream James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack, Vol. 3 Online.

Movie Title: James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack, Vol. 3
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James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack, Vol. 3 is available for streaming or downloading.

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I hope that everyone who had problems playing the first 2 Bond collections had them addressed by now because Volume 3’s layout and features is consistent with the previous two. All players that received firmware upgrades after October 2008 should be able to play this set.

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Here is my evaluation of the current Bond Blu-ray collection (a work in progress as I’m not fully done with the viewing) - and it’s not unlike my impression of the first 2.

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THE GOOD:

- Incredible video quality, most likely better than what the audience saw on release date on some of the older movies.

- Lots of extras, most of them worth watching or listening to.

- Beautiful, innovative packaging.

THE NOT SO GOOD:

- The sound restoration not as good as the video on the early Bonds.

- Some of the ‘extras’ sections would benefit from a ‘play all’ option.

- The boxes could be a bit slimmer.

- May require upgrades on certain players if they haven’t been upgraded since September-October 2008.

_____________________________________________

The overall impression is of quality, inside and out. The box could be a little smaller but the packaging is exquisite. There’s a transparent plastic slide cover over a solid cardboard box holding a small binder on which the individual movie disks are attached to pages. Each movie comes on one disc holding the movie itself and in incredible amount of extras.

The menu interface is well organized and there’s even some humor in labeling. For example, the option that plays the movie is labeled ‘The Mission’ while the historic promotional material is found under ‘The Propaganda’. Depending on which section you may be, menu options branch into further sub-menus.

The extras are numerous and, for the most part interesting. There are features on the restoration process and we get to learn who did what, why and how. Then, we see contemporary documentaries on the making of the movie and so on. The Goldfinger disc, for example, includes actual radio interviews with Sean Connery, 2 major documentaries on ‘the making of’ and ‘the world of’ Goldfinger, about 30 minutes each, original trailers, screen tests, an interview with Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore), even a feature on Bond’s Aston Martin. And, amazingly, it all fits on one disc.

The area where some of the older installments show their age is the sound. The audio options include the original sound track which, in the older releases is ‘mono’ but all movies come with DTS-HD Master Audio 24-bit 5.1 surround as the default. The sound wasn’t upgraded and improved to the degree that the picture was but, it’s understandable. Going from mono to 5.1 surround is the equivalent of upgrading from black and white to full-color 3-D in the world of images. Commentary sound tracks featuring the director and the cast and crew are also included.

When it comes to the video quality, the best that I can say is that you’ve got to see it to believe it. The restoration of the older movies started with the actual original negative, which is the one reference copy that’s almost never touched. Once the copy was digitized as a 4000 lines resolution digital copy (Bluray is 1080) every frame was reprocessed to eliminate any possible defects from ‘dirty optics’, such as the proverbial hair that we sometimes see on the older movies to scratches, bad exposure, color brilliance. The restorers’ goal for the end result, and this concerns the video only, not the sound quality, was to deliver what would appear to be a contemporary movie with a 60’s or 70’s theme rather than a 60’s or 70’s movies. In my view, they succeeded and, surprisingly, the 1964 Goldfinger looks as good as the 1979 Moonraker.

My overall rating is a solid five-stars. Just about everything in this release is superlative: the physical packaging, the interface design, the extras, the video quality. The sound is not so good on the older movies but, given the state of sound restoration technologies, I did not feel compelled to remove a star because the old movies sounded more or less like they did on release date or better.

As a James Bond fan, I’ve owned movies on VHS, Laser Disc, DVD and now Blu-Ray and I can tell you Watching then on Blu-Ray is like watching them for the first time. MGM has done a great job restoring theese films, the detailing is great, I’ve noticed thing in the movies I’ve seen 20 or 30 times. These are a must own for any collection.
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