Actors & Directors
- Frances De La Tour
- Leonard Rossiter
- Rising Damp
Run time: 150 min.
List Price: $39.98
Price: $60.00
Review Rising Damp Collection, Set 4 (The Cocktail Hour/Suddenly At Home; Hello Young Lovers/Fire And Brimstone; Great Expectations/Pink Carnations) / Bfs Entertainment:
Actors & Directors
- David Elstein
- Martin Smith (VII)
- André Beaufre
- David Belchem
- Ted Childs
- Laurence Olivier
- John Pett
- Hugh Raggett
- Stephen Ambrose
- Sir Max Aitken
Run time: 999 min.
Creator: Eva Braun
List Price: $99.98
Price: $54.56
Review The World At War - 9 Volume Gift Set / Hbo Home Video:Sir Jeremy Isaacs highly deserves the numerous awards for documentaries he has earned: the Royal Television Society's Desmond Davis Award, l'Ordre National du Mérit, an Emmy, and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. His epic The World at War remains unsurpassed as the definitive visual history of World War II. The Second World War was different from other wars in thousands of ways, one of which was the unparalleled scope of visual documents kept by the Axis and Allies of all their activities. As a result, this war is understood as much through written histories as it is through its powerful images. The Nazis were particularly thorough in documenting even the most abhorrent of the atrocities they were committing-in a surprising amount of color footage. The World at War was one of the first television documentaries that exploited these resources so completely, giving viewers an unbelievable visual guide to the greatest event in the 20th century. This is to say nothing of the excellent, comprehensible narrative. Some highlights: A New Germany 1933-39: early German and Nazi documentation of Hitler's rise to power through the impending attack on Poland Whirlwind: the early British losses in the blitz in the skies over Britain and in North Africa Stalingrad: the turning point of the war and Germany's first defeat Inside the Reich-Germany 1940-44: one of the most fascinating documentaries that exists on life inside Nazi Germany, from Lebensborn to the Hitler Youth Morning: prior to Saving Private Ryan, one of the only unromanticized views of the Normandy invasion Genocide: this film is one of the most widely shown introductions to the Holocaust Japan 1941-45: although The World at War is decidedly focused more on the European theater, this is an important look into wartime Japan and its expansion-early 20th-century history that lead to Japan's role in World War II is superficial The bomb: another widely shown documentary of the Manhattan Project, the Enola Gay, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki The World at War will remain the definitive visual history of World War II, analogous to Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. No serious historian should be missing The World at War in a collection, and no student should leave school without having seen at least some of its salient episodes. Rarely is film so essential. [+]-Erik J. Macki.
Release date: 2003-08-05
Run time: 130 min.
List Price: $99.95
Price: $49.95
Review Just the Facts - The Emergence of Modern America (4-Pack) / Goldhil Home Media:
Actors & Directors
- Star Wars Weapon
- End Times Warfare
Run time: 262 min.
List Price: $49.95
Price: $47.45
Review Star Wars Weapons and End Times Warfare 3pk / UFO TV:
Actors & Directors
- Abebe Bikila
- Hirohito
- Kon Ichikawa
- Jack Douglas (IV)
Run time: 170 min.
Price: $49.95
Review Tokyo Olympiad / Homevision:In this classic documentary, one of the world's finest directors captures the colorful pageantry and emotional intensity of the 1964 Olympics. Kon Ichikawa's Tokyo Olympiad is both a celebration of Japan's postwar recovery and an artistic statement about athletic competition. To produce this epic work, Ichikawa (The Burmese Harp, Fires on the Plain) brings together an impressive team, including his wife and collaborator Natto Wada, renowned cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa (Rashomon), and 164 ubiquitous cameramen. Using his talents as a novelist, Ichikawa searches out the human side of the Olympics in such dramatic moments as Vera Caslavska's virtual sweep of the gymnastics medals and Billy Mills' astonishing, come-from-behind victory in the 10,000-meter race. The 1964 Olympics in Tokyo were a milestone as much for the intense athletic competition as the joyous commemoration of Japan's recovery following its defeat in World War II. Director Kon Ichikawa (The Burmese Harp, Fires on the Plain) created an epic film of the event, a documentary that covered the entire athletic competition while also capturing the surrounding atmosphere. Early in the film is a stunning aerial shot of Hiroshima, which first shows the devastated area, where destruction from the atom bomb has been preserved, before focusing on a beautiful park where an Olympic ceremony was being held. The scenes of athletic competition, some of which were shot by cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa (Rashomon), work beautifully on two levels. The camera frames the extreme effort expended by such athletes as the great American runner Bob Hayes, and thus the film functions as a credible sports documentary, yet the camera also goes in for close-ups, lingering on the athlete's muscled forms to provide images that would look perfectly at home on the wall of a photography gallery. The narration in Japanese is accompanied with English subtitles, and this edition retains the widescreen look of the original theatrical release (in a letterboxed format) as well as the complete 170-minute running time. [+]-Robert J. McNamara.
Release date: 1998-01-01
List Price: $22.98
Price: $49.95
Review Going My Way & Holiday Inn (2pc) / Universal Studios:
Actors & Directors
- Bill Bryson
- Stephan Brenninkmeijer
- Ger Van Der Grijn
- Hugo Haenen
Run time: 180 min.
Price: $39.95
Review Notes from a Small Island: An Affectionate Portrait of Britain Box Set / Kultur Video:Bill Bryson is the Charles Osgood of England, pointing out the offbeat pleasures of a land that makes him feel like he's "walking through yesterday. " Except, Bryson affectionately points out, he happens to like yesterday. Bryson builds on his 1995 book Notes from a Small Island as he narrates a quirky, fact-filled tour that quietly hops from one odd observation to the next, from taxi drivers to cricket ("the only sport that incorporates meal breaks"). Two segments of the six-part show are contained in this first volume. There's poetic analysis of Liverpool's shrinking population, an examination of a man obsessed with building tunnels, and a look at the British at play. "British people don't like pleasure, they like to pass the time," says Bryson, a Midwestern American who spent 20 years in the land he's chronicling. He's created a video love letter with a quirky smile at its heart. -Valerie J. Nelson.
Actors & Directors
- Laurie Lynd
- Michael DeCarlo
- Bruce McDonald
- Randy Harrison
- John Greyson
- Hal Sparks
- Gale Harold
- John Fawcett
Run time: 999 min.
Creator: Jonathan Tolins
List Price: $119.98
Price: $59.99
Review Queer as Folk - The Complete Second Season (Showtime) / Showtime Networks:They're still out and proud, and in their second season the boys (and girls) of Queer as Folk continued to break ground as the most gay-friendly show on television (sorry, Will and Grace). Some plot lines were a little over the top, others truly heartfelt, but they were never less than entertaining, even during their All My Children moments. Season two opened in the aftermath of the gay-bashing of Justin (Randy Harrison), the young artist who wondered if he'd ever be able to paint or draw again, and went on to face a variety of issues and plotlines as diverse as its characters. Some were timely (Michael negotiating a relationship with new HIV-positive boyfriend Ben), some romantic (lesbians Lindsay and Melanie tying the knot), some new to the show (Emmett embarks on a relationship with a-gasp!-older gentleman), and some, well, far-fetched (how many of you had to wrestle, like Ted did, with starting your own pornographic web site?). While the writing tended to flail about a bit, thankfully coalescing by the season's end, the show continued to be anchored by stellar actors, especially Peter Paige's Emmett, who grew the most during the second season; Michelle Clunie's Melanie, the alternately wry and sweet lesbian who became the show's secret weapon; and, as always, Gale Harold's Brian, the lothario with a heart of tarnished gold. Frustrating, fascinating, exasperating one moment and charming the next, Brian perfectly summed up the guilty pleasures of Queer as Folk, where humanity peeks out every now and then from behind the curtain of fabulous comedy and drama. -Mark Englehart.
Release date: 2000-07-07
Run time: 729 min.
List Price: $99.98
Price: $56.99
Review Black Adder - Complete Set / BBC Warner:Before Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson was Blackadder in hysterical sendups of the Middle Ages, the Elizabethan age, the Regency period, and World War I. One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury-a deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings, Black Death, witch smellers (who root out spell makers with their noses), and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in multiple episodes. Jump to the Elizabethan era and Atkinson picks up the saga as Lord Edmund, who is perpetually courting favor from mad Queen Bess (Miranda Richardson) and is always walking a tightrope from which he can either gain the world or lose his head. Subjected to bizarre services for her majesty (at one point, Edmund is asked to do for potatoes what Sir Walter Raleigh did for tobacco), Edmund-as with his ancestor-can never quite fulfill his larger ambitions. The next incarnation we encounter is in late-18th-century Regency England. This time, Blackadder is a mere butler to the idiotic Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie in a brilliantly buffoonish performance) and is caught in various misadventures with Samuel Johnson, Shakespearean actors, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and William Pitt the younger. With a brief stop in Victorian London for a Christmas special, the series concludes with several episodes set during the Great War. [+]The new Edmund is a career Army officer, but a scoundrel all the same. Shirking his duties whenever possible and taking advantage of any opportunity for undeserved reward, this final, deeply sour, and very funny Blackadder negotiates survival among a cadre of fools and dimwits. No small mention can be made of Atkinson's supporting cast, easily among the finest comic performers of their generation: besides Laurie and Richardson, Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson, and Tim McInnerny. -Tom Keogh.
Actors & Directors
- John Lurie
- Dennis Hopper
- Tom Waits
- John Lurie
- Jim Jarmusch
- Willem DaFoe
Run time: 152 min.
List Price: $29.95
Price: $45.00
Review Fishing with John, Vol. 1-3 / Homevision:John Lurie knows absolutely nothing about fishing, but that doesn't stop him from traveling with his guests to the most exotic and dangerous places on earth. Originally produced for the Independent Film Channel, John Lurie's idiosyncratic take on the classical fishing program places the genre in entirely alien terrain-and that doesn't just refer to the strange and exotic locations. Best known to filmgoers for roles in Stranger Than Paradise and The Last Temptation of Christ, Lurie is also a composer, a saxophonist, the leader of the jazz group the Lounge Lizards, and a painter. Fisherman, however, is nowhere to be seen on his résumé, so this city-bred hipster's foray into rod and reel country is obviously another kettle of fish. Reeling in buddies Tom Waits, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, and director Jim Jarmusch to join him on his fishing trips to such faraway locales as Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Thailand, Lurie takes his show completely out of the "how to" realm: imagine a talk show defined by its contemplative silences. Fishing with John teaches nothing about fishing. Instead, John simply enjoys the company of his buddies as they venture out into unfamiliar territory and drop a line in the water, tossing in a current of absurdist commentary (dryly intoned by Roy Webb) and surreal speculation for good measure. This is the ultimate fishing show for people who could not care less about fishing. -Sean Axmaker.
Release date: 2000-03-28
Run time: 390 min.
Price: $39.99
Review Great War: World War I (7pc) / Edi Video:
Actors & Directors
- Lew Landers
- Albert Herman
- Lambert Hillyer
- Eddie Davis (II)
- Sobey Martin
Run time: 510 min.
List Price: $39.99
Price: $27.95
Review Cisco Kid (7pc) / Edi Video:
Release date: 2001-09-13
List Price: $39.99
Price: $58.97
Review Semper Fidelis U.S. Marines / Entertainment Distributing:
Release date: 1997-07-01
List Price: $59.98
Price: $52.00
Review Mel Brooks Collector Set (7pc) (Coll) / 20th Century Fox:The movies included in this Mel Brooks box set are: High Anxiety History of the World, Part 1 Silent Movie Robin Hood : Men in Tights The Twelve Chairs To Be or Not to Be
Release date: 1992-03-02
Run time: 180 min.
List Price: $59.99
Price: $22.99
Review National Parks Set / International Video Network:
Release date: 2002-02-21
Run time: 530 min.
List Price: $19.99
Price: $22.99
Review Battles of the Civil War Video Series / United American Video:
Actors & Directors
- Travis Willingham
- Daisuke Nishio
- Jon Allen (II)
- Enuka Okuma
- Matthew Piersall
- Jessie Cody
Run time: 230 min.
Price: $19.95
Review Dragon Ball Z - Trunks - 4 Volume Gift Boxed Set (Uncut) / Funimation Prod:
Release date: 2000-06-27
Price: $89.95
Review Slapstick Encyclopedia Boxed Set 1 / Kino Video:Free-standing box set contains first four titles from the Slapstick Encyclopedia series: In the Beginning: Film Comedy Pioneers, Keystone Tonight!: The Mack Sennett Comedies, Funny Girls, and Keaton, Arbuckle & St. John.
Release date: 1997-08-26
Run time: 180 min.
List Price: $49.98
Price: $149.95
Review The Living Edens - In The Wild Series (3pc Gift Set) (Namib / Patagonia / Denali) / Pbs Home Video:
Release date: 2002-01-29
List Price: $24.95
Price: $59.99
Review Eddie Murphy Collection - Volume 1 (Beverly Hills Cop/48 HRS./Trading Places) / Paramount:
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Rising Damp Collection, Set 4 (The Cocktail Hour/Suddenly At Home; Hello Young Lovers/Fire And Brimstone; Great Expectations/Pink Carnations), The World At War - 9 Volume Gift Set, Just the Facts - The Emergence of Modern America (4-Pack), Star Wars Weapons and End Times Warfare 3pk, Tokyo Olympiad, Going My Way & Holiday Inn (2pc), Notes from a Small Island: An Affectionate Portrait of Britain Box Set, Queer as Folk - The Complete Second Season (Showtime), Black Adder - Complete Set, Fishing with John, Vol. 1-3, Great War: World War I (7pc), Cisco Kid (7pc), Semper Fidelis U.S. Marines, Mel Brooks Collector Set (7pc) (Coll), National Parks Set, Battles of the Civil War Video Series, Dragon Ball Z - Trunks - 4 Volume Gift Boxed Set (Uncut), Slapstick Encyclopedia Boxed Set 1, The Living Edens - In The Wild Series (3pc Gift Set) (Namib / Patagonia / Denali), Eddie Murphy Collection - Volume 1 (Beverly Hills Cop/48 HRS./Trading Places)Top headlines: Top 10 Sports Cars on MSN Autos: The most popular sports cars on MSN Autos, based on visits to the site's vehicle pages. ›07:00 18 Oct, Thu Lindsay Lohan wants deposition sealed: Lawyers for Lohan filed a motion on Wednesday seeking a judges order barring any filming of the actress upcoming deposition in a case filed by gal pal Samantha Ronson. ›22:03 9 Oct, Thu Ethics report: Palin abused authority: Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday. ›05:18 Big bats lift Phils to 2-0 NLCS lead over Dodgers: ›00:09 Britney asks, 'What the hell was I thinking?': Pop star Britney Spears plans to set the record straight about her personal and professional woes in a documentary to be aired shortly before the release of her new album "Circus" in December. ›15:37 10 Oct, Fri Slide show: The week in celebrity sightings: Jolie and Pitt back in the USA, Miley jumps for joy at Sweet 16th , the Boss backs Obama and more. ›11:16 7 Oct, Tue Bush: We can solve this crisis and we will: President George W. Bush said Friday that the U.S. government's financial rescue plan was aggressive enough and big enough to work, but would take time to fully kick in. ›15:12 10 Oct, Fri Quiz: Who will play Tonto in "Lone Ranger film?: Test your red-carpet savvy with our weekly quiz ›13:48 24 Sep, Wed When puppies play, it's ladies first: A new study has found that young male dogs playing with female pups will often let the females win, even if the males have a physical advantage. ›21:36 9 Oct, Thu 10,700 Chinese children hospitalized over milk: Nearly 10,700 Chinese infants and children were still in hospital after drinking toxic milk and milk formula, China said on Thursday, but urged foreign customers to take a "scientific" approach to the safety of its products. ›15:39 9 Oct, Thu Apple iPod Touch is T3's gadget of the year: Apple has swept the board at Britain's T3 technology magazine's annual awards, winning four top prizes, including gadget of the year for its iPod Touch. ›14:58 10 Oct, Fri Newsweek poll: Obama opens double-digit lead: With four weeks left in the presidential campaign, Barack Obama now leads John McCain by double digits, 52 percent to 41 percent among likely votersa marked shift from the last Newsweek poll, conducted one month ago, when the two candidates were tied at 46 percent. ›20:46 10 Oct, Fri Red Sox blank Rays in Game 1 of ALCS: Dice-K took a no-hitter into the 7th, but lost it. That was about the only thing that went wrong for the Red Sox in Game 1. ›04:53 Animals have personalities, too: We know our siblings and in-laws have personalities sometimes to a fault. But science recently has revealed that such individual differences are widespread in the animal kingdom, even reaching to spiders, birds, mice, squid, rats and pigs. ›22:20 10 Oct, Fri 2007 Tokyo Motor Show: Cars Makers Should Greenlight: The concept cars that we think should become production models. ›07:00 31 Oct, Wed Top 10 fantasy moves you must make: A big week for DeAngelo Williams lands the Carolina running back on Roger Rotter's list of 10 fantasy players to pick up. ›04:33 Greenspan pegs housing recovery to early 2009: Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said the U.S. housing market will begin to recover in the first half of 2009, according to an article he wrote for Emerging Markets magazine published on Friday. ›17:06 10 Oct, Fri Cuba limits food sales so all can eat: Cuba is limiting how much basic fruits and vegetables people can buy at farmers' markets, irritating some customers but ensuring there's enough barely to go around. ›23:01 10 Oct, Fri Ex-Finnish president wins peace Nobel: Finland's ex-president Martti Ahtisaari won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to build a lasting peace from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Middle East. ›09:19 10 Oct, Fri Evidence is in: Gil Grissom is irreplaceable: Everyones favorite CSI might be leaving the crime lab, but William Petersen's portrayal of Gil Grissom has left an indelible mark on the show. By Paige Newman ›14:02 9 Oct, Thu Is Angelina breastfeeding on W mag cover?: Jolie appears in a sleeveless top, which has been opened to reveal part of her left breast and a tiny hand ostensibly belonging to one of her twins. ›23:03 9 Oct, Thu Sundays of Our Lives: Sideline drama kings: Kissing a coach? Crying on the sideline? Kevin Hench can't help but wonder: Shouldn't players be concentrating on the game? ›17:14 10 Oct, Fri PR consultant helped Palin: Beginning this spring, a PR expert began pitching Sarah Palin as an "upstart governor" crusading against Big Oil. ›05:13 10 Oct, Fri Never to part: Devoted couples share life, death: Studies around the world confirm the ultimate love story the rate of death rises for a spouse soon after the passing of their partner. The reasons why may have medical roots. ›12:33 9 Oct, Thu |
