Actors & Directors
- Bernie Casey
- Marilu Henner
- Rod Holcomb
- Hector Elizondo
- Joseph Lawrence (II)
- John Travolta
Review Chains of Gold:Before Pulp Fiction put him back on the mainstream cultural radar, John Travolta lent his considerable charms (and, somewhat surprisingly, cowrote the script) to this wholly schizophrenic straight-to-video L. A. gangland drama. The opening expository scenes are a bit of a drag, but be sure to hang on; what starts out as a painfully earnest paean to these troubled streets abruptly (and delightfully) switches gears to become a viscerally bruising action flick, as Travolta's troubled social worker goes undercover to save a wholesome teen from a murderous street gang. Second-half highlights include a terrific use of found locations, a completely dumbfounding suspension bridge stunt destined to wear out rewind buttons everywhere, and a flamboyant drug lord (played by Law & Order hunk Benjamin Bratt) whose swinging bachelor pad includes a decidedly nonregulation alligator pit. Not likely to be featured in any future Travolta career retrospective, but a fun film nonetheless. -Andrew Wright.
Actors & Directors
- Tomisaburo Wakayama
- Akihiro Tomikawa
- Yoshiyuki Kuroda
- Daigo Kusano
- Goro Mutsumi
- Junko Hitomi
Review Kozure Ôkami: Jigoku e ikuzo! Daigoro:
Actors & Directors
- Jack Holt
- Ron Ormond
- Tom Neal
- Lash La Rue
- Anne Gwynne
- Al St. John
Run time: 58 min.
Creator: Jack Lewis
Price: $5.99
Review King of the Bullwhip / Starz / Anchor Bay:
Release date: 1999-09-09
Price: $29.95
Review Taiko Vol.02 / Tapeworm Video:
Actors & Directors
- Bridget Fonda
- Dermot Mulroney
- Gabriel Byrne
- John Badham
- Miguel Ferrer
- Anne Bancroft
Run time: 109 min.
Creator: Robert Getchell
Price: $9.98
Review Point of No Return (Spanish) / Warner Home Video:Point of No Return is one of those Hollywood remakes of a European hit in which one can visualize a committee of studio executives sitting around and saying, "Okay, we know what made the original film unique and different and fun. How can we make that same movie and do exactly the opposite?" For-hire director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever) took La Femme Nikita, Luc Besson's undeniably sexy, original, and kitschy French film about a female assassin, and translated it into a calculating, mechanistic American thriller with no distinctive style. Bridget Fonda gamely plays the willowy street punk who becomes a high-society killer, but once that provocative irony is in place, the movie is pretty much a series of by-the-numbers action set pieces. Until, that is, Dermot Mulroney shows up as a love interest; but even that twist can't save this film. You're much better off with the original, subtitles and all. -Tom Keogh.
Actors & Directors
- Jwing-Ming Dr. Yang
- Pascal Plee
- Julien Petitfour
- David Silver
- Julien Petitfour
Run time: 122 min.
Price: $23.98
Review Tai Chi Fighting Set - 88 Posture Advanced Taijiquan 2-Person Matching Set (YMAA) Dr.Yang, Jwing-Ming / YMAA Publication Center:The Tai Chi Fighting video comprehensively instructs and demonstrates the 88-Posture, 2-Person Fighting Matching Set for advanced Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan). This Fighting Set is a combination of techniques from pushing hands and the solo Tai Chi Chuan sequence, and it serves as a bridge connecting pushing hands with real fighting. Like pushing hands, it teaches you how to sense your opponent's actions and intentions, and it also teaches footwork and how to set up your strategy, making your fighting skill more realistic and alive. Anyone who is proficient at the solo sequence and pushing hands should be able to learn this fighting set easily, and make it part of their practice routine. In ancient times, this form was taught by a few masters to only a handful of trusted students as a part of the final training of Taijiquan as a sophisticated and extremely effective fighting art. No matter what style of Tai Chi you practice, the Tai Chi Fighting Set is an important part of the study of authentic Tai Chi Chuan for all martial artists.
Actors & Directors
- Harley Cokeliss
- Renee O'Connor
- Lucy Lawless
Run time: 1164 min.
List Price: $99.95
Price: $29.95
Review Xena Warrior Princess - Season One Video Set:Just four minutes into "Sins of the Past," the first episode of Xena, you'll gladly follow the warrior princess anywhere. Taking on a gang of marauders, she leaps onto an upright spear embedded in the ground and, with a cry of "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi," does a circular wall of death on their chests. A syndication phenomenon, this audacious 1995 series was a spin-off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Lucy Lawless stars as Xena, dressed to kill in leather and breastplate. Her exploits are legend: "She came down out of the sky in a chariot throwing thunderbolts and breathing fire," remarks one awestruck boy in the first episode. Xena wants to bury her violent past, but there is no rest for the formerly wicked as she takes up arms (and feet) against any number of villains and mythological beasts. She is joined by Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), a young peasant woman who "is not cut out for this village life," and runs away from home to join Xena in her adventures. As the series evolved, speculation was rife about the true nature of their relationship. Playful and provocative teasers in several of these episodes give this first season an unexpected erotic charge, as witness "Altared States," in which the two skinnydip, and later, a drugged Gabrielle, revived by Xena, looks upon her and gushes, "By the gods! You are beautiful. " Other memorable episodes include "Callisto," which introduces the vengeful female warrior who would further bedevil Xena in seasons to come; "Prometheus," in which Kevin Sorbo guest stars as Hercules; "Chariots of War," in which Xena wears a dress (!), and "Warrior. [+]Princess," in which Xena trades places with her look-alike, a Princess named-yes-Diana, who is the target of assassins. By the gods, Xena is an absolute hoot whose pleasures-stylized action sequences, cheesy special effects, tongue-in-cheek anachronistic dialogue-are anything but guilty ones. Clumsy packaging, lack of commentary, and less than pristine picture quality are minor drawbacks to this otherwise thrilling set. -Donald Liebenson.
Release date: 1999-09-09
Price: $29.95
Review Taiko Vol.01 / Tapeworm Video:
Actors & Directors
- Georg Wilhelm Pabst
- Arnold Fanck
- Gustav Diessl
- Mizzi Götzel
- Leni Riefenstahl
- Ernst Petersen
- Ernst Udet
Creator: Ladislaus Vajda
Review White Hell of Pitz Palu:
Actors & Directors
- Toshirô Mifune
- Michiyo Aratama
- Kihachi Okamoto
- Tadao Nakamaru
- Yuzo Kayama
- Tatsuya Nakadai
Review The Sword of Doom:Boasting some of the most impressive swordplay in the history of samurai epics, Sword of Doom is a visceral masterpiece of violent style and powerful substance. Illustrating the timeless adage that "an evil soul wields an evil sword," this highly stylized classic is driven by the fierce and fearsome performance of Tatsuya Nakadai as Ryunosuke, a sociopathic samurai whose soul-and sword-are vicious instruments of evil. Having mastered a highly unconventional style of fencing, Ryunosuke welcomes an exhibition match at a fencing school run by master swordsman Shimada (Toshirô Mifune, in a small but pivotal role), where he kills his opponent after promising not to. Flagrantly violating all codes of honor, Ryunosuke eventually finds himself challenged from all sides; even his own henchmen rally against him, and director Kihachi Okamoto stages confrontations that are as beautiful as they are graphically violent. As Ryunosuke descends into pure, bloodthirsty insanity, Sword of Doom ends with a freeze-frame that's unforgettably intense. -Jeff Shannon.
Actors & Directors
- Anders Hove
- Anders W. Berthelsen
- Iben Hjejle
- Søren Kragh-Jacobsen
- Emil Tarding
- Jesper Asholt
Creator: Anders Thomas Jensen
Review Mifunes sidste sang:
Actors & Directors
- John Henderson
- James Frain
- Joely Richardson
- Harris Yulin
- Ian Holm
- Ted Danson
Review Loch Ness:
Actors & Directors
- Rentaro Mikuni
- Mariko Okada
- Kuroemon Onoe
- Hiroshi Inagaki
- Kaoru Yachigusa
- Toshirô Mifune
Review Musashi Miyamoto:Toshirô Mifune defines the quintessential samurai in Hiroshi Inagaki's 1954 Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, the first feature in a trilogy based on the epic novel by Eiji Yoshikawa. As in Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai, which appeared the same year, Mifune plays a brash and ambitious peasant who desires fame and power as a swordsman. His dreams of glory in war sour when his army is routed and he becomes hunted by the authorities, but the "tough love" attentions of a kindly but severe monk help him develop from a hot-tempered outlaw to a thoughtful swordsman. Inagaki's somber color epic is very different from the energetic action of Kurosawa's films. The sword fights and battles are practically theatrical in their presentation, staged in long takes that emphasize form and movement over flash and flamboyance. Mifune brings a sad, almost tragic quality to the samurai warrior Musashi Miyamoto, whose dedication proscribes him to a lonely life on the road. Though the film stands well on its own, its stature takes on greater significance as the first act of Inagaki's stately, contemplative epic of the professional and spiritual development of Musashi, whose training and adventures continue in Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple. -Sean Axmaker.
Actors & Directors
- Franklin Adreon
- Susan Morrow
- Arthur Space
- Dale Van Sickel
- Pierre Watkin
- William Henry
Run time: 169 min.
Creator: Ronald Davidson
Price: $19.98
Review Canadian Mounties Vs Atomic Invaders / Republic Pictures:
Actors & Directors
- Rona Figueroa
- Doug Lefler
- Henry O
- Harry Van Gorkum
- Christopher Masterson
- Matt Hickey
Run time: 84 min.
Creator: Shari Goodhartz
Price: $99.98
Review Dragonheart - A New Beginning / Universal Studios:If you haven't seen the original Dragonheart, never fear-this story doesn't have much to do with it. Geoffrey (Chris Masterson) is a stable boy at a monastery, with dreams of knighthood-dreams that seem out of reach until he discovers a young dragon living in the monastery's dungeon, a scaly but kindly faced fellow named Drake (voiced by Robby Benson). Unfortunately, the king of the realm has fallen under the spell of an evil adviser, who has plans for this dragon. Fortunately, an old Chinese man and his ward-a very attractive girl with a stunning kung-fu kick-have arrived to keep the dragon from harm. The story is straightforward and clearly aimed at a younger audience, with an uncontroversial moral about friendship. The special effects are capable and at times expressive. Dragonheart: A New Beginning is kid-friendly and will probably be kid-appealing. -Bret Fetzer.
Price: $24.09
Review Superman Gold Anniversary 50th Collection 17 Cartoons the Original Animated Full-color Adventures of the Man of Steel By Max and Dave Fleischer / Bridgestone Productions:This special 50th birthday collectors inclusdes all 17 original vivid full color cartoons. The Man of steel was introduced to the public in June of 1938 by Action Comics. After a successful transition to radio, he made the leap into movies starring in these spectacular science fiction stories These episodes represent the pinnacle of anmation during its Golden Age.
Actors & Directors
- Tomisaburo Wakayama
- Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
- Tomoko Mayama
- Kenji Misumi
- Fumio Watanabe
- Tomoo Uchida
Creator: Kazuo Koike
Price: $24.24
Review Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance:"Child and expertise for rent," reads the banner flying from the wooden cart of rogue samurai Itto Ogami (Tomisaburo Wakayama). With his infant son and a baby carriage stocked with a veritable arsenal in tow, Ogami rents his services for 500 pieces of gold while awaiting his revenge on the corrupt clan that murdered his wife. Director Kenji Misumi draws his distinctive graphic style from the legendary manga series written by Kazuo Koike (who adapted his own work for the screen) and adds an inspired cinematic device: when Ogami enters battle, the world falls silent, literally, until his sword strikes. The fights are savage-blades slash, limbs fly, and blood spurts like geysers-yet the film relaxes in moments of serenity and tenderness as the cooing baby boy marvels at the wonder of the world. An essential of Japanese action cinema, it launched a classic six-film series. -Sean Axmaker.
Actors & Directors
- Charles 'Bud' Tingwell
- Nadine Garner
- John Waters
- Bill Kerr
- Dee Wallace
- George Miller
Run time: 87 min.
Creator: Jeff Peck
Price: $9.99
Review Miracle Down Under / Buena Vista Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Donovan Leitch
- Jennifer Runyon
- Mark Rosenthal
Run time: 96 min.
Price: $19.99
Review In Crowd, The (1988) / Orion Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Shin Kishida
- Shintarô Katsu
- Kihachi Okamoto
- Osamu Takizawa
- Ayako Wakao
- Masakane Yonekura
Review Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo:The collision of Japan's two most famous cinematic swordsmen-Shintarô Katsu's blind masseur, gambler, and rascally hero Ichi and Toshiro Mifune's unnamed wandering mercenary and scruffy antihero who goes by the appellation Yojimbo (which means, simply, bodyguard)-makes this one of the most riveting chapters in Zatoichi's long-running saga. Not quite friends and not really enemies, the rival swordsmen meet in a once-peaceful village caught between rival gangs, a swarm of government spies, and a fortune in stolen gold. Director Kihachi Okamoto gives Yojimbo a marvelous ambiguity that Mifune invests with a grubby sense of honor, whether growling and drinking and stirring things up or fearlessly strolling through the climactic gang war, dispatching attackers with a swipe and a grimace. But if the story belongs to Yojimbo, the film is Zatoichi's: his minor scams and clowning demeanor hide a reluctant warrior and a tragic hero. -Sean Axmaker.
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Chains of Gold, Kozure Ôkami: Jigoku e ikuzo! Daigoro, King of the Bullwhip, Taiko Vol.02, Point of No Return (Spanish), Tai Chi Fighting Set - 88 Posture Advanced Taijiquan 2-Person Matching Set (YMAA) Dr.Yang, Jwing-Ming, Xena Warrior Princess - Season One Video Set, Taiko Vol.01, White Hell of Pitz Palu, The Sword of Doom, Mifunes sidste sang, Loch Ness, Musashi Miyamoto, Canadian Mounties Vs Atomic Invaders, Dragonheart - A New Beginning, Superman Gold Anniversary 50th Collection 17 Cartoons the Original Animated Full-color Adventures of the Man of Steel By Max and Dave Fleischer, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance, Miracle Down Under, In Crowd, The (1988), Zatoichi Meets YojimboTop headlines: Book excerpt: Tips for successful investing: In Real Money, stock-market master and CNBC host Jim Cramer shares his tips for smart and successful investing. Read an excerpt. ›14:25 5 Jan, Mon Gov. Jeb Bush won't run for Senate in 2010: Former Gov. Jeb Bush says he won't run for the U.S. Senate in 2010 to replace the retiring Mel Martinez. ›20:55 Baby's corpse thrown out with hospital's trash: Police are searching garbage dumps in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for the body of a baby that was apparently thrown out with the trash at a Jersey City hospital. ›16:46 NBC: Obama picks Panetta for CIA director: NBC News has learned that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Clinton chief of staff Leon Panetta to be his CIA director. ›20:03 5 Jan, Mon Reports: Gupta approached for surgeon general: CNN says President-elect Barack Obama has approached its medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, to be the country's next surgeon general. ›21:34 How to deal with a moody man: It's women who have the rep for being the moody sex, but sometimes it's the guys who get grumpy. Cosmopolitan magazine offers the best tactics for dealing with his cranky frame of mind. ›15:28 Waistline war: 20 worst packaged foods: Battling the bulge? Watch out for these packaged perpetrators, says Men's Health editor Dave Zinczenko in his book, "Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide." ›15:12 2 Jan, Fri Griffin Bell, Carter's attorney general, dies: Griffin B. Bell, the shrewd lawyer who grew up with Jimmy Carter and became U.S. attorney general after Carter was elected president, died at an Atlanta hospital Monday. He was 90. ›20:38 5 Jan, Mon 'Jealous wife' charged in fatal genitals fire: An Australian woman accused of setting her husband's genitals on fire because she thought he was having an affair has been charged with murder. ›12:44 Europe hit with natural gas shortage: The Russia-Ukraine natural gas dispute hit Europe with the force of a winter storm Tuesday, cutting or limiting supplies to nearly a dozen nations. ›19:31 Boy, 6, misses bus, tries to drive to school: Having missed his bus, a 6-year-old Virginia boy tried to drive to school in his family's sedan and crashed. ›18:27 Kennedy missteps might not trip her up: Caroline Kennedy's missteps and halting speech patterns have been replayed endlessly since she announced her bid to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the U.S. Senate. ›14:20 Study: Hawaii's pygmy killer whales stay close: A new study of pygmy killer whales one of the least understood marine mammal species shows that those living off Hawaii tend to stay close to the islands and don't swim out to the open ocean. ›15:25 2 Jan, Fri Cuba allows access to Hemingway papers: Cuba on Monday began accepting requests for electronic access to more than 3,000 documents from Ernest Hemingway's home on the island, including the unpublished epilogue of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and coded messages the author sent when using his yacht to hunt for German submarines during World War II. ›16:22 10 parenting resolutions for the new year: From reclaiming your home to planning a long weekend getaway, resolve to live a happier and saner life in 2009! Parenting expert Stacey Boyd shares easy ways to transform your habits and provide a healthier environment for your little ones. ›21:05 Obama girls' first day at new school: Malia and Sasha Obama begin classes at Sidwell Friends under watchful eyes of, well, everyone. ›12:19 Is your sofa toxic? Switch to eco-furniture: Your couch may look harmless, but theres a good chance that its emitting harmful chemicals into your home. If you're ready to bring safe, green design home, GreenDAY's Marisa Belger advises you to start slowly. Here's how. ›22:10 5 Jan, Mon Bike stolen from crusader against bike thefts: A former Fort Lauderdale city commissioner who helped create a program to combat bicycle theft had his own bike stolen while trying to help people involved in a vehicle crash. ›21:44 1 Jan, Thu Half their size: 2 women shed 316 lbs. total: Stacie Guines and Lisa Dreher share a remarkable accomplishment: they both lost half their body weight, and they did it through plain old diet and exercise. Ive lost not only a person, but a good-sized person, Guines said. ›19:08 Author Johannes Mario Simmel dies at 84: Simmel's books regularly topped German-language best-seller lists before Nobel laureates such as Heinrich Boell and Guenter Grass. His works include the World War II spy novel "It Can't Always Be Caviar," and the Cold War thriller "Dear Fatherland." ›22:33 2 Jan, Fri Obama girls' first day at new school: Malia and Sasha Obama begin classes at Sidwell Friends under watchful eyes of, well, everyone. ›12:19 NYT: Panetta pick for CIA reveals divisions: Leon E. Panetta has been selected by President-elect Barack Obama to head the C.I.A. The choice immediately revealed divisions in the Democratic Party. ›08:36 When your kid wont friend you: Can parents and kids coexist peacefully on social networking sites? One mother joins a group called "Moms of Kids Who Are Embarrassed They Have a Facebook," and looks at the awkwardness that comes from sharing a social space. ›14:50 2 Jan, Fri Doctors stuck at Gaza border bottleneck: Frustration is mounting at Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip, where many local and foreign doctors are stuck after Egyptian authorities denied them entry into the coastal area. ›21:06 |
