Chain Lightning Review

Average Reviews:

(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!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Chain Lightning

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.

Click here for more information about Chain Lightning

Read More...

To Have & Have Not (1945) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The summer of 1940 in Martinique as people began to choose sides is the setting for another Howard Hawks masterpiece. William Faulkner, who had adapted Raymond Chandler's complex novel for the director's other Bogart screen classic, "The Big Sleep," expanded a thin Hemingway story with writing partner Jules Furthman into another. This is sort of "Casablanca" with grit rather than gloss, and is just as enjoyable. "To Have and Have Not" does, in fact, outshine that film with its upbeat ending, and marks the real contrast between the two films, despite their similarities.
Bogart is Harry Morgan, trying to stay neutral about the local politics while he and his pal Eddie (Walter Brennan) take tourists ocean fishing in the waters of Martinique. His pal Frenchy (Marcel Dalio) wants him to use his boat to pick up a couple that will put him square in the middle of all that's going on both in Martinique and the rest of the world as the Germans make their move across the globe.
Morgan is fending off getting involved just fine until his latest fishing customer gets knocked off by accident before he can pay up. Complicating things further for Morgan is a newcomer named Marie Browning (Lauren Bacall) who sort of attaches herself to him from the moment they meet. She has come from Brazil by way of Trinidad and ends up in Martinique only because she doesn't have money to go any further. They seem a perfect fit despite all the sparring between them; a point driven home by her response to Eddie's question about bees. The viewer knows at that moment that she and Harry are a match made in Hollywood heaven.
Brennan is just terrific as Harry's old pal in constant need of a drink to keep the shakes at bay. He thinks he's looking after Harry when in fact it's Harry who's looking after him. The trademark male world of Howard Hawks is much in evidence here, as Bogart's autonomy begins to crack only when he finds his match in Bacall. Like many of Hawks' characters, Morgan lives by his own code and his own rules, and only breaks them out of loyalty to someone else. Another Hawks trademark of the sizing up of people from the inside out is also much in evidence here. Bogart and Bacall never even speak the other's name in this film: she calls him "Steve" and he refers to her as "Slim" throughout the entire film.
When Harry finally agrees to pick up Frenchy's pals in the Resistance to earn enough money to get Slim home, he gets more than he bargained for in more ways than one. It convinces Slim to stay on because she now knows for sure that "Steve" is the right guy. She gets a job singing for the piano player at the Hotel Martinique, Cricket (Hoagy Charmichael). And after a patrol boat takes a potshot at one of his passengers, his very beautiful wife begins to warm up to Harry in a big hurry, causing a bit of jealousy on Slim's part. Doloros Moran is very nice and quite pretty as that wife, Hellene de Bursac.
There are a ton of great exchanges between Bacall and Bogart here, the most famous being the "just whistle" scene. There are many others equally as good, however, including an exchange about strings that has Bacall walking around Bogart, and a great line from Bacall about walking home if it weren't for all that water. It is this latter exchange, and one other about Slim's lack of a reaction when being slapped that Hawks uses to highlight the personal baggage both Harry and Marie are bringing to the table.
A young Bacall looks gorgeous in gowns by Milo Anderson, and Sid Hickox's photography gives the film a real feel of a tiny island with palm trees lining the streets. Bogart's Harry will eventually engage in the fight when he decides he likes the people on one side and doesn't like the people on the other side. It is very much both a Hawks and Bogart type moment, the personal moral code of the anti-hero coming fully into play.
This is a fun film with great characters, lots of atmosphere, and an ending the polar opposite of "Casablanca." The song "How Little We Know" from Hoagy Charmichael and Johnny Mercer never amounted to much compared to the more famous "As Time Goes By" from "Casablanca," but works nicely with the mood Hawks created for his second film with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. If you're looking for a big dose of Bogie and Bacall, and want the kind of ending "Casablanca" didn't have, then "To Have and Have Not" is a sure bet to please you. A fine film and a true screen classic.

Click Here to see more reviews about: To Have & Have Not (1945)

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about To Have & Have Not (1945)

Read More...

Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition / Across the Pacific / Action in the North Atlantic / All Through the Night / Passage to Marseille) (1944) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2" may be as entertaining a collection of Bogart films, as he emerged as a major WB star, as you'll ever find. They run the gamut of early classic noir, espionage, action/adventure, broad comedy, and moody morality tale, each exceptional, and stamped with the distinctive Bogie 'style'.
"The Maltese Falcon" (1941) - One of the earliest examples of the style that became known as Film Noir, John Huston's crime classic has been described as the finest detective film ever made, and certainly deserves the title! The second teaming of the director and star ("High Sierra" had been released earlier that year), both films had a common history, as George Raft 'passed' on both properties (not wanting to work with an 'untested' director), and the films would launch Bogie into the superstardom that had eluded him in the 30s.
Dashiell Hammett's tale of amoral detective Sam Spade, the murder of his partner, and the offbeat collection of characters in pursuit of a fabulous, jewel-encrusted statue, had been filmed twice by WB in the thirties, but never truly captured the 'flavor' of the novel. Huston, with his eye for characterization, and use of light and shadow, not only got it 'right', but popularized a new genre, of beat-up, world-weary anti-heroes with their own 'codes of honor', duplicitous women, and endings where things seldom end 'happily ever after'. While Film Noir wouldn't become a film staple until after WWII, it seldom got better than this!
I could say MUCH more, but this 3-Disc collection says it FAR better...it is, simply, a MUST OWN!
"Across the Pacific" (1942) - The next teaming of Huston and Bogie may be one of the most enjoyable espionage comedy/dramas of WWII, made even more entertaining by the film's back story; Huston, who wanted, desperately, to get into WWII, managed to leave for the war after writing Bogie into 'certain-death' film climax, without a resolution! While the director and star thought it was hilarious, poor Vincent Sherman, called in to finish the film, probably lost a lot of sleep tying everything up!
Re-teaming the star with "Falcon" co-stars Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet (who are both superb), the film, despite obvious flaws, is eminently 'watchable', and remains one of Bogie's most popular films.
"Action in the North Atlantic" (1943) - One of WB's best wartime action/adventure films, Lloyd Bacon's tribute to the merchant marine is a marvelous ensemble piece, with great acting compensating for obvious stereotypes. Bogie isn't the focus of the story, but a team player, on a ship commanded by Raymond Massey (in one of his warmest, most ingratiating portrayals). This film has a famous back-story, as well; watching their stunt men performing a dive off a burning ship, Bogie and Massey, both a bit intoxicated (being 'off-duty'), started making bets on which stunt-man was braver...one thing led to another, until the stars, themselves, made the dive (which must have driven Jack Warner into apoplexy!)
"All Through the Night" (1942) - Humphrey Bogart made few comedies (mostly later in his career), but this 'Damon Runyon-Types vs. the Nazis', filmed just after "Falcon", is breezy fun, if totally outrageous! The story of gambler/promoter Bogie, investigating (for his mother!) strange goings-on, getting framed for murder, and discovering a Nazi cell in Manhattan with evil intentions, is so loaded with funny one-liners that you never miss the lack of logic.
Supported by a cast of GREAT comic actors (including William Demarest, Frank McHugh, Jackie Gleason, and Phil Silvers), hiss-able villains (headed by Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre, who would re-team with Bogie in "Casablanca"), and lovely Kaaren Verne (the future Mrs. Peter Lorre) for romance, "All Through the Night" may not be a classic, but is FABULOUS fun!
"Passage to Marseille" (1944) - After the huge success of "Casablanca", WB attempted to find similar vehicles for Bogie, to attempt to recapture the magic. Some would work very well ("To Have and Have Not"); most didn't. This was one of the misfires, but it does offer "Casablanca" co-stars Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Helmut Dantine, in a tale of Devil's Island escapees, dealing with Vichy plots, finding their 'souls', and rejoining the fight to rid France of the Nazis. Atmospheric, if occasionally slow-moving, the film is not among Bogie's best, but is certainly watchable, and has WB's distinctive 'gloss'...
Quite a collection!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition / Across the Pacific / Action in the North Atlantic / All Through the Night / Passage to Marseille) (1944)

Includes:The Maltese Falcon (Three-Disc Special Edition), Across the Pacific, Action in the North Atlantic, All Through the Night, and Passage to Marseille.

Click here for more information about Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition / Across the Pacific / Action in the North Atlantic / All Through the Night / Passage to Marseille) (1944)

Read More...

Bogart & Bacall Collection (The Big Sleep / Dark Passage / Key Largo / To Have and Have Not / Bacall on Bogart) (1947) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First, this collection contains FIVE tapes, although there are FOUR movies in this exquisite collection celebrating one of the great couples on and off screen in the history of Hollywood. The fifth tape is the 1988 documentary "Bacall on Bogart," which serves as a fitting capstone to the four films included in this collection, three of which are outright classics. The legend begins in the Howard Hawks directed "To Have and Have Not" (1944), with the most famous whistle in movie history. Based on one of Hemingway's lesser novels with dialogue from no less than William Faulkner, this "Casablanca" clone features Bogart reluctantly becoming involved with the French Resistance, not to mention Bacall, stunning in her film debut. Hawks also directs "The Big Sleep" (1946), the classic mystery thriller adapted from Raymond Chandler's first novel (again with Faulkner's help) with Bogart as Philip Marlowe and Bacall as the rich lady in trouble. If you like convoluted plotlines, this one is for you. John Houston's "Key Largo" (1948) adapts Maxwell Anderson's play about Edward G. Robinson's tough gangster holding Bogart, Bacall and Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner Claire Trevor captive in a Florida hotel during a tropical storm. The one lesser work in the group is "Dark Passage" (1947), directed by Delmer Daves, but it is still an above-average film. Bogart is an escaped convict who undergoes plastic surgery and is hiding out in Bacall's apartment until his face heals. A bit contrived, but Bogart and Bacall are well worth watching, which is the entire point of this collection. Now if somebody would be something similar next Christmas for Tracy and Hepburn.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Bogart & Bacall Collection (The Big Sleep / Dark Passage / Key Largo / To Have and Have Not / Bacall on Bogart) (1947)

Get 61% OFF

Click here for more information about Bogart & Bacall Collection (The Big Sleep / Dark Passage / Key Largo / To Have and Have Not / Bacall on Bogart) (1947)

Read More...

The African Queen (1952) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'll spare the review of the movie itself. If you're reading this, you probably already know this movie is an absolute classic.
There's been some confusion about this release, so let me clear things up.
Because of some of the things I read, I waited for a long time before finally ordering one of these for myself. Now I see there was no reason to hesitate.
This is a "just fine" print of the movie. There's nothing "wrong" with the picture or sound--aside from simply being a dated production that has not been "remastered" in any way.
It's basically the same thing you would get if you carefully dubbed a very good copy of the VHS tape to DVD (which may actually be what they did!).
The picture and sound are basically as good as what you would have seen on your TV set back when this was first broadcast on network television. In other words, there are no "flaws" that would in any way distract from the enjoyment of the drama.
Contrary to what another reviewer reported: Yes, the Chinese subtitles are on by default--BUT THEY CAN BE TURNED OFF. It's easy to do.
Someone was wishing that this release was "wide screen." Sorry, but this would be IMPOSSIBLE. The movie was ORIGINALLY FILMED IN 4:3 RATIO. ("Wide screen" ratios did not exist until a few years after this movie was made.)
I'd gladly give this title SIX STARS! But since I'm reviewing the technical merits of THIS SPECIFIC DVD RELEASE (rather than the artistic merits of the movie itself) I gave it four.
Is this version a Chinese bootleg? I suppose it's possible. These are put out by a small company in Hong Kong. But I took a chance, because unfortunately, it's the only REGION-1 version of this movie on DVD right now. So until they come out with a better version, I'm glad I've got this one.
Before Hollywood starts b****ing about bootlegging, they need extricate their heads from their collective ***es and get classics like this back in print. Until then, they should expect to get bootlegged, and it's their own d*** fault.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The African Queen (1952)

One of Bogey's best movie. If you are a Bogey fan, then you want this movie for your collection.

Get 65% OFF

Click here for more information about The African Queen (1952)

Read More...

Best Picture Collection - Epic Dramas (Casablanca/Gone With the Wind/Ben-Hur) (1941) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This review refers to the "Best Picture Collection - Epic Dramas: Casablanca/Gone With the Wind/Ben-Hur (Warner DVDs)
Three of the most wonderful films ever made, all packaged together would make a beautiful gift for the film lover. And there are so many editions of these films to choose from. Depending on how much of a fan, or collector you are, and how much you are willing to spend, you can find 2 disc special editions, deluxe collector's editions with all kinds of goodies, and I think I even saw a 4 disc set for one of them. Phew, that could add up. So in this set you have the three basic films, all beautifully transferred with some features(see individual film detail pages)for fans to peruse. And if you are interested in these editions as opposed to the more expensive and fully loaded ones, your best bet would be to buy them individually.Amazon is out of stock of this set, and the lowest price here from an outside merchant is higher then buying the three separately. The only one in stock from Amazon at this time is Ben-Hur, but even with buying Casablanca and Gone With The Wind in New Condition from an outside merchant, and even with the shipping charge, it will still come out to be a much better deal at this time. Prices do change, so you may want to compare for yourself. You may also want to compare prices on the many "special" editions available. So I do consider this package a 5 star package, just not the best deal(hence, my 4 star rating).
Here is a little about each film and the transfers:
"BEN-HUR", the story of a Jewish Prince who's life paralells that of Christ, is an epic saga that takes him from a nobleman, to a galley slave to a hero. The film won a record breaking 11 Academy Awards in 1959, including Best Picture, Best Director(William Wyler), Best Cinematography, Best Actor(Charlton Heston) and Best Supporting Actor(Hugh Griffith). This record was unmatched for nearly 40 years, when in 1997 "Titantic" burst onto the scene.
It is a wonderful story, and has something for everyone. The cast includes some of the greats from the 50's. Look for Jack Hawkins as Quinas Arrius the Roman whose life is saved by Judah Ben-Hur, Stephen Boyd as Messala, Judah's boyhood friend who turns on him,Martha Scott and Cathy O'Donnell as his beloved mother and sister, and Haya Harareet as Esther, the woman he loves.
This 1959 classic epic has received a superb treatment of the transfer to DVD. The picture, color, clarity and sound could not be any better if this film was made yesterday. It is presented in the original widescreen, and what a view. You won't miss a bit of the academy award winning cinematography. The chariot race, the sea battle,the splendors of Rome and all the glorious and immense sets will just have you in awe. The wonderful technicolor on this DVD is a stand out compared to some others of this era(there were a couple of occasions where there was some sort of greenish tint, but in the background and did not interfere with the view). The great music, dialogue and all surrounding sounds are crystal clear.
"Gone With The Wind"
How fortunate we are to be able to view this incredibly wonderful film,remastered to the way it was seen in 1939. Scarlett, silhouetted, standing on the red clay of Tara, in the beautiful sunset, swearing she "will never go hungry again", the streets of Atlanta with the thousands of wounded confederates, the ball gowns, Mammy's big eyes,Atlanta burning,the cotton fields, all in the glorious technicolor it was first seen in.

For those that Are seeing it for the first time, you will love the drama,romance,adventure and history of the South during the Civil War era. All the famous characters, Margaret Mitchell gave us, are skillfully acted by Vivien Leigh(Scarlett),Clark Gable(Rhett),Leslie Howard(Ashley),Olivia De Havilland(Melanie) Hattie McDaniel(Mammy),and let's not forget the wonderful Butterfly Mcqueen(Prissy) who uttered the immortal, "I don't know bout birthin no babies, Miss Scarlett".The film won the Best Picture of 1939, along with 9 other Oscars, including one for Hattie McDaniel(Best Supporting actress), making her the first African American in Academy history to recieve the honor.
CASABLANCA....The name alone conjures up visions of World War II, Clandestine meetings, Romance and Exotic places.This film has all that and more. To sum up this wonderful story: it is the eve of WWII, the Nazi's are moving their way across Europe, forcing thousands to flee. Many find their way to Casablanca, Morocco, which is under French rule and as of yet is unoccupied by the Nazi's. Most are looking for exit Visas to get to America but it is easier said then done. Victor Laszlo(Paul Henreid)and his wife Ilsa(Ingrid Bergman)are among those people and it's harder for him then most. He is on the Nazi's most wanted list for leading the Czech Resistance. Rick Blaine(Humphrey Bogart)is his best hope.
Rick, American ex-patriot,doesn't stick his neck out for anybody, until he sees Ilsa. His old flame, that mysteriously left him in Paris,("We'll always have Paris"). Rick still feels the sting of that day,but as Ilsa's story unfolds he does stick his neck out for both Ilsa and Victor to help them get away, even though he loves her still.
The music,including "As Time Goes By",("Play it Sam") the characters, and the famous dialogue unforgettable and timeless. Included in this marvelous cast are Claude Rains, ("Louie, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship"), Peter Lorre,Conrad Veidt and Sydney Greenstreet. It was directed by Michael Curtiz, and won the academy award for best picture of 1943.
The DVD(Warner Bros) is a Pristine transfer. The black and white cinematography with all it's shadows and lights that make film noir so dramatic is crisp and clear.I saw no signs of the age of this film. Ingrid's eyes sparkle as much as her diamond earrings.The sound is perfect.
"Here's looking at you kid"............Laurie


Click Here to see more reviews about: Best Picture Collection - Epic Dramas (Casablanca/Gone With the Wind/Ben-Hur) (1941)

Click here for more information about Best Picture Collection - Epic Dramas (Casablanca/Gone With the Wind/Ben-Hur) (1941)

Read More...

The Caine Mutiny (1954) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)THE CAINE MUTINY remains one of the finest films ever made about the Navy. It was also one the U.S. Navy had a complex relationship with. On the one hand, the navy provided considerable access to naval vessels. Significant scenes were shot on at least three: the destroyer-mine sweeper used to represent the Caine, a light cruiser at the very end, and the U.S.S. Kearsarge, which represented Halsey's flag ship the U.S.S. Enterprise, though he later moved to the U.S.S. Missouri. Despite this remarkable cooperation, the Navy very nearly withheld its approval for the film. It was afraid that the public might imagine that the story represented actual events or that it might be imagined that there had been a mutiny aboard some ship. Only after the filmmakers agree to begin the film with a historical disclaimer did they approve.
More than anything, despite the presence of ships, the film is mainly a showcase for great acting. The quality of the cast simply can't be exaggerated. There are a host of stellar performances, and they even have such future stars as Lee Marvin in throwaway parts. Humphrey Bogart absolutely dominates the screen with one of the finest performances of his career. Most of the fan and critic polls I have seen over the years of the greatest movie stars of all time invariably place Bogart in the number one spot, and when you see him in this role, and then realize that he has 7 or 8 roles just as great, it is easy to see why. He is such a forceful presence that one would imagine that he wouldn't have been capable of a variety of roles, yet you contrast this film with THE MALTESE FALCON and THE AFRICAN QUEEN, and you realize that he had a capacity to play a surprisingly wide range of roles. Lt. Commander Queeg lacks almost all of the qualities of Rick in CASABLANCA, and possesses a host of lamentable ones as well. The scene in which Queeg cowardly has the U.S.S. Caine quickly outrun the landing crafts it is assigned to protect and then retreat to safety as fast as possible is made all the worse by the courage his characters in other films display. Queeg's final crack up on the witness stand at Lt. Maryk's court martial is justifiably famous, and is among the great scenes in cinema. It is now impossible for any character in any film to play with a pair of steel balls and not think of Bogart.
The rest of the cast is hardly shamed by Bogart. Van Johnson, as the loyal, enormously capable, conscientious Lt. Maryk is superb. (This is, by the way, the only film in which the make up department didn't cover the quite large scars on his forehead that he suffered over a decade earlier in a serious car wreck, which resulted in a steel plate being placed in his forehead.) Robert Francis, who had a promising career cut short at the age of 25 in a plane crash he suffered a year after this film, is solid as the young, idealistic Ensign Keith (though the parallels between his hesitancy to stand up to his mother and marry the woman he loves and his hesitancy to stand up to his commanders isn't developed as much as it is implied) holds his own against stiff competition. Fred MacMurray, who spent his entire career bouncing between utterly lovable and absolutely reprehensible characters, here takes the latter course as the complex, spineless Lt. Keefer. His character adds a delicious degree of ambiguity to the film. Jerry Paris, who would later play Rob and Laura Petrie's friend in THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, is excellent as the ship's other junior ensign. Tom Tully managed an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in his stellar performance as Lt. Commander DeVriess, the first commander of the Caine. Jose Ferrer (who is, by the way, George Clooney's uncle by marriage), whose screen roles never seemed to come up to the level of his talent, is outstanding in his small but memorable role as the mutineers' defense attorney.
On a minor note, I very much enjoyed the very unusual location scene in Yosemite National Park. Although we take location shots for granted today, Hollywood in the thirties, forties, and fifties was only very slowly willing to undertake location shots. It is hard today to realize how radical it was for directors like John Huston (who shot parts of THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE in Mexico and THE AFRICAN QUEEN in Africa) or John Ford (who shot extensively in Arizona for his Westerns and in Ireland for THE QUIET MAN) to shoot on location. The general preference was to build sets on Hollywood backlots. It is so unusual to see location shots that no sound film was shot on location in Chicago (many films were made at the old Essanay Studios in Chicago in the teens and twenties) until the superb Jimmy Stewart CALL NORTHSIDE 777. The scenes in this one, therefore, set in Yosemite are pretty unique.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Click here for more information about The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Read More...

The Warner Gangsters Collection (The Public Enemy / White Heat / Angels with Dirty Faces / Little Caesar / The Petrified Forest / The Roaring Twenties) (1938) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Who can argue that this isn't the greatest collection of classic gangster films ever made?
If you need more proof about how good these are, I have 3 sources that rated these films BEFORE they were released to DVD.
Leonard Maltin (represented by LM, his highest rating is 4 stars),Nick Martin & Marsha Porter (authers of DVD & Video guide - represented by DVDG), and All Movie Guide (Represented by AMG).
Let's go Chronologically:
Little Caesar: LM- 3 1/2; DVDG - 3; AMG - 5
The Public Enemy: LM - 3 1/2; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 5
The Petrified Forest: LM 3 1/2; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 4
Angels With Dirty Faces: LM - 3 1/2; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 4 1/2
The Roaring Twenties: LM - 3; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 4 1/2
White Heat: LM - 3 1/2; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 5
If you really look at the ratings (and consider that Maltin uses a 4 star rating system (as opposed to a 5 star)),you will see that the profesional critics rate these as quite high. Let's face it. These are the cream of the Warner gangster library. Another neat thing that was done for the DVD is the Warner Night at the Movies (Similarly done with Yankee Doodle Dandy, Treasures of the Sierra Madre, and the Adventures of Robin Hood - also introduced by Leonard Maltin) which gives you the option of viewing the film the way it was in theaters during that year (complete with trailer, news item, short, cartoon, & movie). They all have commentaries by notable historians, and have "Making of" special features (a few which include Martin Scorsese).
The prints are the cleanest I've seen in years (Turner does a top notch job of getting the best available source material).
The sound is above average to good. There are subtitles for the films, and closed captioning. Subtitles in english, french, and spanish.
The bottom line is if you are into this genre, you are going to want to get all 6 of these films (watch them in chronological order, the way the "making of"s are presented is much more rewarding if you do). These are simply the best of the gangster films. Second to none, and (to quote Cagney) "Top of the World".

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Warner Gangsters Collection (The Public Enemy / White Heat / Angels with Dirty Faces / Little Caesar / The Petrified Forest / The Roaring Twenties) (1938)

The Public Enemy showcases James Cagney's powerful 1931 breakthrough performance as streetwise tough guy Tom Powers. When shooting began, Cagney had a secondary role but Zanuck soon spotted Cagney's screen dominance and gave him the star part. From that moment, an indelible genre classic and an enduring star career were both born.As a psychotic thug devoted to his hard-boiled ma, James Cagney - older, scarier and just as elctrifying - gives a performance to match his work in The Public Enemy as White Heat's cold-blooded Cody Jarrett. Bracingly directed by Raoul Walsh, this fast-paced thriller tracing Jarrett's violent life in and out of jail is also a harrowing character study.Jarrett is a psychological time bomb ruled by impulse. It is among themost vivid screen performances of Cagney's career, and the excitement itgenerates will put you on top of the world! In Angels with Dirty Faces, Cagney's Rocky Sullivan is a charismatic ghetto tough whose underworld rise makes him a hero to a gang of slum punks. The 1938 New York Film Critics Best Actor Award came Cagney's way, as well as one of the film's three Oscar nominations. Watch the chilling death-row finale and you'll know why. "R-I-C-O, Little Caesar, that's who!" Edward G. Robinson bellowed into the phone. And Hollywood got the message: 37-year-old Robinson, not gifted with matinee-idol looks, was nonetheless a first-class star and moviegoers hailed the hard-hitting social consciousness dramas that became the Depression-era mainstay of Warner Bros. Little Caesar is the tale of pugnacious Caesar Enrico Bandello, a hoodlum with a Chicago-sized chip on his shoulder, few attachments, fewer friends and no sense of underworld diplomacy. And Robinson - a genteel art collector who disdained guns (in the movie, his eyelids weretaped to keep them from blinking when he fired a pistol) - was forever associated with the screen's archetypal gangster. A rundown diner bakes in the Arizona heat. Inside, fugitive killer Duke Mantee sweats out a manhunt, holding disillusioned writer Alan Squier, young Gabby Maple and a handful of others hostage. The Petrified Forest, Robert E. Sherwood's 1935 Broadway success about survival of the fittest, hit the screen a year later with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart magnificently recreating their stage roles and BetteDavis ably reteaming with her Of Human Bondage co-star Howard. Sherwood first wanted Bogart for a smaller role. "I thought Sherwood was right," Bogart said. "I couldn't picture myself playing a gangster. So what happened? I made a hit as the gangster." So right was he that Howard refused to make the film without him...and helped launch Bogie's brilliant movie career. In The Roaring Twenties, the speakeasy era never roared louder than in this gangland chronicle that packs a wallop under action master Raoul Walsh's direction. Against a backdrop of newsreel-like montages and narration, it follows the life of jobless war veteran Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney) who turns bootlegger, dealing in "bottles instead of battles." Battles await Eddie within and without his growing empire. Outside are territorial feuds and gangland bloodlettings. Inside is the treachery of his double-dealing associate (Humphrey Bogart). It would be 10 years before Cagney played another gangster (in White Heat), a time in which gangster movies themselves became rare. "He used to be a big shot," Panama Smith (Gladys George) says at the finale, marking Bartlett's demise...and signaling the end of Hollywood's focus on the gangster era.

Get 42% OFF

Click here for more information about The Warner Gangsters Collection (The Public Enemy / White Heat / Angels with Dirty Faces / Little Caesar / The Petrified Forest / The Roaring Twenties) (1938)

Read More...

Casablanca (Snap Case) (1943) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It's hard to believe that when Casablanca was filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in 1942 it was "just another" of the 50 or so films that the studio was producing every year, as Lauren Bacall points out in the documentary about the film included in the special features. The movie was an instant success with audiences everywhere, and won three Academy Awards including Best Picture. Called "America's most popular and beloved movie- and rightly so" by The Motion Picture Guide, and "The best Hollywood movie of all time" by Leonard Maltin, Casablanca was voted the #2 film in a list of the top 100 films of this century by the American Film Institute.
Set in refugee strewn French North Africa in 1942, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a night club owner, and his friend Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains), Prefect of Police, enter into a wager as to whether or not Resistance Leader Victor Laslo (Paul Henreid) will be able to escape Casablanca and reach the Free World. When Laslo arrives in Casablanca, Rick is stunned to find him accompanied by his ex-lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). Filled with mystery, suspense, intrigue and romance, Casablanca will remain a favorite of classic movie lovers for years to come.
The supporting cast include Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson as Rick's piano playing confidant, Sam. The entire cast are superb, the settings are excellent, and the cinematogrophy is wonderful.
The song "As Time Goes By" was made famous by Casablanca, as it's melody is entwined throughout the film, and it too is now a classic, filled with romance and nostalgia.
This is one film that absolutely MUST be in your DVD library!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Casablanca (Snap Case) (1943)

The story of a struggle among individuals who have sought refuge in Casablanca after fleeing Nazi occupied Europe.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: PGRelease Date: 7-JUN-2005Media Type: DVD

Click here for more information about Casablanca (Snap Case) (1943)

Read More...

Action in the North Atlantic (1943) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)They didn't sail powerful destroyers or fill the skies with waves of carrier-borne fighters, but the men of the US Merchant Marine nevertheless fought and won the second world war's most crucial and consistently bloody battles - the Battle of the Atlantic. This excellent film follows the travails of a merchantman bound for Russia's arctic port of Murmansk with a cargo of materials the Russians need to keep the Germans pegged on the eastern front. Through the war, American convoys sailed mass-built "Liberty Ships" through waters teeming with German planes, cruisers and U-Boats to keep both England and Russia properly equipped. While tides of war may have shifted thruought the war, allied convoys faced constant attacks by axis units until the end, relying mainly on their ability to absorb severe casualties.
This film is fiction and, produced during the war (1943) has the hallmarks of a propaganda film. But "Action" is so much more - with winning performances by Humphrey Bogart and Ray Massey, and a fine supporting crew that sounds like they may have actually sailed the dreaded "Murmansk Run". The special effects are astoundingly good for 1943 and hold up pretty well today. The Germans are perfect as skilled hunters - I still get a chill during the battle scenes when whole crews utter "torpedo - los!" - not quite dehumanized, but still fearsome. Crisp direction makes their untranslated lines the best case against sub-titles. In short, a great film.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Action in the North Atlantic (1943)

Click here for more information about Action in the North Atlantic (1943)

Read More...