Legend of Crystania: The Chaos Ring Review

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(More customer reviews)Legend of Crystania: The Chaos Ring is a story in the Record of Lodoss War universe, with one of the two protagonists being Cheru (aka Pirotess), the loyal servant (maybe even lover) of Lord Ashram, one of the main villains in the original Record of Lodoss War series. While at first confusing, with the characters living in a world where Ashram and Beld (the main villains in the original Record of Lodoss War) are revered as heroes, the plot eventually smooths out (near the end of the second episode). Cheru's motives are not at first clear and Barbas (the evil god king) at some points looks identical to Ashram (a good guy). Lastly, the fact that all of the characters are in Crystania does not become clear till later on, which also adds to the confusion.
Besides the confusion at times (which is probably the fault of the English translation from Japanese)the voice actors are great and the animation is AMAZING!! The characters are also unique and very well-drawn. The combat scenes are beautiful, with very detailed and realisitc movements.
Originally expecting it to be a movie, I found after I purchased it that it was actually divided into three episodes, which was fine with me--the opening tune is pretty catchy, with the sequence sporting a beautiful combat sequence between Cheru and a dragon.
Overall, this is a great buy though I give it a 4 out of 5 because of the confusion factor. I did not, however, watch the Legend of Crystania movie, which I think precedes this series--this could be the reason I was confused. I will be watching the movie in the near future and may end up switching my rating to 5 out of 5.

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The land of Crystania has been at peace, but like a shallow sleep, the peace is shattered by nightmares born of the deepest night.The seas that protect Crystania are coming undone, and the Bell of Wakening tolls on, loosing terror after terror.Tornados, basilisks and Dragon Lords roam the land heralding the return of the Gods' King Barbas.Who can save Crystania from the coming armageddon?

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Little Big Man (1970) Review

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(More customer reviews)Advertised as a comedy when originally released, LITTLE BIG MAN is much, much more than that. Director Arthur Penn's sweeping film depicting the clash of the Indian and white cultures will have you chuckling one moment, then shaking your head sadly at man's inhumanity to man the next.
Dustin Hoffman as the ever industrious Jack Crabb takes this movie on his shoulders and carries it superbly. To say that the actor shows some "range" in this role is the epitome of an understatement: from portraying an adolescent teenager to a fragile 121-year-old-man (phenomenal makeup job), from snake-oil salesman to mule skinner, Hoffman brings Jack's fascinating life to splendorous glory. And Hoffman is funny--darn funny--with a wonderful knack for physical comedy.
In addition to Hoffman, LITTLE BIG MAN offers other savory treats. Richard Mulligan is absolutely delightful as a narcissistic General George Armstrong Custer--the stunning Faye Dunaway positively wicked as naughty Mrs. Pendrake. Chief Dan George, who portrays Old Lodge Skins, Jack's adopted Cheyenne grandfather, delivers countless one-liners, yet lends a quiet, heartfelt dignity to his role. In fact, this is a movie one will wish to savor again and again--a beautifully crafted, well-made film that is timeless in its ability to entertain.
--D. Mikels

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Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi is a great documentary on the behind the scenes processes used to make the creatures & monsters in Return of the Jedi. I am amazed this wasn't put in as an bonus feature on the DVD versions of the film. If you enjoy learning about Phil Tippet and pre-CG special effects, this is a great watch.

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Hollywood Musicals of the 40's Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD looks back at the musicals of the 1940s, through movie clips and trailers and while it is a wonderful way to retrospect on the time period, it is nearly unwatchable. The clips shown are faded, washed out or really dark. It is very distracting and the narration is not very good either. If I dare say it, it seems this DVD was compiled as some art school project that managed to find a distributor. There are three of these DVDs in a series: Musicals from the 40s, 50s and 60s. None of them is really any better than the other is. On a positive note, I saw trailers that I never thought I would see, and for that reason I rated this title higher, however, if you are hoping for a really great retrospective on musicals, this falls short simply because the execution seem so after-thought.

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Show #1 HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS OF THE 40s In the 1940's. America was just emerging from The Great Depression.War engulfed half the world and the future looked uncertain.The Hollywood musical had the recipe to make things better.Because of this original American art form, people still believed that dreams really can come true.Glamour spread across the screen.Whether in glorious color or black and white, the screen always glittered. Join Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Jeanette MacDonald, Fred Astaire, Alice Faye, Gene Kelly, Betty Grable, John Payne, Ann Miller, George Murphy, Margaret O'Brien, Bing Crosby, Doris day, Danny Kaye, Carmen Miranda, Frank Sinatra, Martha Raye, Jimmy Durante, Lena Horne, Tony Martin, and a host of others as we celebrate the great Musicals of the 1940's, when Hollywood put its best dancing feet forward.From nostalgia to contemporary jazz, the Hollywood Musical had it all. Show #2:Hollywood Victory Caravan Hollywood Victory Caravan is typical of the War Bond promotions of the second World War.Musical comedy stars Bing Crosby, Betty Hutton, Carmen Cavallero, Bob Hope, and Olga San Juan strut their stuff in this musical short.Barbara Syanwyck, Alan Ladd, Humphrey Bogart, and Robert Benchley make cameo appearances.Rare behind-the-scenes views of the Paramount studio highlight this gem from the 1940's.This is a real treat for fans of the Musical!

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Yankee Doodle - Animated by StarMaker Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me help you figure out what this item is since it is hard to tell from the listing. First of all it was NOT animated by Starmaker as the listing states at the time of this review. They only published it to Video. This is actually a Rankin/Bass animated cartoon, (but not one of their "Animagic" stop motion features), about the revolutionary war. It was one of the 30 minute episodes of the Festival of Family Classics that Rankin Bass Productions made for television broadcast on ABC in 1972-73. Rankin Bass made the many great holiday classics we all remember such as Frosty and Rudolph. If you are a fan of their films you will enjoy this great series very much.
This particular episode is the story of a group of young boys that participate in the American Revolution in their own way, and help to slow down the British army with some unusual tactics, such as when they launder the soldier's uniforms and melt them with lye so that soldiers cannot leave their fort to march on Saratoga. We learn that "Doing what you do well is important" and the lead character Danny is a good role model for kids. There are enough historical elements thrown in with Paul Revere, George Washington and others so that kids can learn a bit of history too.
Some of the 18 episodes were very much part of Americana with tales from fact and fiction such as Tom Sawyer, the Ballad of Paul Bunyan, Yankee Doodle, Johnny Appleseed, and Hiawatha. The other episodes in the series include classic literature and famous fables: Swiss Family Robinson, Cinderella, Puss `n Boots, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Robinson Crusoe, Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Tree, The Arabian Nights, Robin Hood, and two double length episodes - Around the World in 80 Days, and 20,000 Leagues Below the Sea.
VERSIONS TO LOOK FOR - The label Prism Entertainment or Video Craft International released these episodes as possibly the first vhs release in a clamshell package as a set of two episodes per vhs tape. For example Jack O'Lantern and Yankee Doodle were on one tape. I am unsure of the year of this release since it is not listed on package or tape. These are very good quality video, sound and packaging, and the art on the box is authentic from the film. (There is a bad habit among video companies to use some hack art for animation covers that is not from the film, and makes the film look worse on the cover than what is actually on the tape, seems self defeating to me.) In 1988 Prism and Videocraft (now one word rather than Video Craft) released vhs copies in a slipcover package with one episode per tape, but the artwork on the cover does not look anything like the film. Both of the before mentioned Prism/Videocraft releases also say "Childrens Video Playground" on the front cover. In 1989 "Starmaker Entertainment" released some of the episodes, but their copies are not as good a quality as the Prism copies in my viewing. Also their cover art is not as good as what you will se in the film itself. I will update quality and episode details this as I learn more. The most recent vhs re-release is from Anchor Bay Entertainment in 1989 but I am unsure yet of the quality or packaging.
Also "Puss-n-Boots" has been recently re-mastered and is featured on DVD as an extra feature on the holiday Animagic release "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" by Golden Books Entertainment who now owns the whole series and is treating their DVD releases very well with extras and remastering. Maybe they will release more of the episodes, hopefully the full 18, remastered on a multi disc DVD set.


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Watch and be part of the Revolutionary War by joining 12 year old Danny and his Midnight Militia friends.

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Chain Lightning Review

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(More customer reviews)My daughter's review:
This is a lesser-known Bogie film that I think is overlooked and underrated. The story is good, moves fairly quickly, has some surprises and fun/thrilling parts. Ok, of course the special effects aren't up to today's standards, but hey, it was the 50's. I enjoyed it completely. Bogie is absolutely wonderful. His acting, his yumminess - 5 stars from me! There is one scene, ok TWO scenes, that I can rewind over and over and never get tired of. Bogie is a MAN! I love it. 5 stars and a big shout out for this movie to come out on DVD! Please!

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Matt Brennan knows how to open eyes to the potential of the experimental jet, the JA-3. He'll pilot it from Nome over the North Pole to Washington DC and land it on the Pentagon's lap. The distance is beyond the JA-3's tested range. Nor can the craft provide the pressurization needed for flight at 80,000 feet. But Brennan has some modifications in mind. And the courage to put them to the test. Humphrey Bogart plays Brennan in Chain Lightning's lofth mix of adventure and romance. Eleanor Parker, as a World War II flame who reenters Brennan's life, helps fuel the romance. And the adventure takes wing with a story that, like Breaking the Sound Barrier, The McConnell Story and other postawr films, taps into the era'sfascination with jet aviation. Cleared for takeoff. Year: 1950Director: Stuart Heisler Starring:Humphrey Bogart, Eleanor Parker Special Feature: Original Theatrical TrailerB&W/94 Mins.

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The Citizen Kane (Gold Edition Box Set) (1941) Review

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(More customer reviews)Probably the most unfortunate thing that ever happened to `Citizen Kane' was that it found itself atop the AFI top film list. Now, no one can simply enjoy the film. Everyone feels compelled to scrutinize it and make a decision about its greatness. Asking whether `Citizen Kane' is the best film of the century is like asking if Marilyn Monroe was the most beautiful woman. It depends on whom you ask.
`Citizen Kane' is not the most entertaining film I've ever seen, but it is certainly one of the most important. It is a vanguard motion picture and a gargantuan achievement for Orson Welles. If you consider the fact that Welles was a 24 year old Hollywood outsider who had only done radio and theater when he landed the contract for this film, you begin to appreciate what a big deal it was. This was during a time when a few studios controlled every film that was made. How many 24 year old actor/directors can you name today, even in a world where independents abound?
The story is based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. Writer Herman Mankiewicz had an up-close look at Hearst as he had been an occasional house guest at the Hearst mansion. The similarities were striking, right down to the paramour whose career Hearst promoted, who loved to do jigsaw puzzles. The fact that this film was released at all is a marvel in itself. Hearst went on a personal campaign to crush the film and enlisted every powerful friend he had to stop it. Louis B. Mayer offered RKO $800,000 to destroy the print. John D. Rockefeller ordered the Radio City premier cancelled. All of Hearst's newspapers were forbidden to mention the film.
Hollywood was uniformly against it and Welles was branded an insolent maverick. The film was snubbed by the Academy. It was nominated for 9 Oscars and won only best screenplay. The film turned out to be a commercial failure, losing $150,000. With all the forces stacked against it, we are lucky to be having this best film debate at all.
The story has a simple moral; that money and power can't buy happiness. We see Kane's progress from a happy child, to an idealistic young journalist intent on helping the common man, and finally to a bitter and angry old man whose innocence has slipped from him. One of the most effective scenes that illustrated this was the two minute overlay of breakfast conversations with his wife. It starts with cooing lovers and progresses through increasing levels of discord. It ends in silence with the two reading separate newspapers, her disdain for him subtly indicated by her choice of the hated Chronicle as her newspaper.
What is so remarkable about this film is the filmmaking. Director after director has pointed to some aspect of this film as having influenced them. The use of shadows and various perspective shots was not unprecedented in 1941, but never before had they been used with so much dramatic impact. What was unprecedented was that `Citizen Kane' was the first film ever to depart from the strict narrative format, which moves forward chronologically. The film starts at the end and jumps around in time based upon the perspective of the person who is telling his or her story about Kane. So the next time you see a flashback, remember it started here.
The makeup was revolutionary. Welles often went through four hours or more of makeup to be properly aged for each scene. The film also launched a number of brilliant careers. Besides Welles, Joseph Cotton and Agnes Moorehead went on to long and prominent film careers.
If `Citizen Kane' is not the best film of the century it is certainly one of them. Its influence on a generation of filmmakers cannot be ignored in the equation. People who watch this film and ask, "What's the big deal?" are comparing it with modern films that have borrowed from this film's techniques and undergone 60 years of evolution. It's like going back to Kitty Hawk and saying, "What's the big deal, the flight only lasted a few seconds."
There is only one rating to give to a film of such monumental importance. It is the consummate 10.

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