Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde Review

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(More customer reviews)Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde was a pleasant surprise. We thought it would be the usual kung foo action film, instead found it to be full of gentle humor, Chinese medicine, and interesting characters. Adam Baldwin(Dr. Jekyll) and Chang Tseng(Dr. Chau) relate extremely well to each other and have a unique student-teacher relationship. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie.

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Streetcar Named Desire (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)While it will not replace the classic 1951 Kazan film version, this television production of Tennessee Williams' "Streetcar Named Desire" comes textually closer and remains more faithful to what Williams actually wrote (with the exception of a few minor deletions). The most noticeable restoration is the issue of homosexuality in regard to Blanche's dead husband, which in 1951 had to be sidestepped. The performances are all quite good. Diane Lane as Stella and John Goodman as Mitch are more human and less deliberate than their Kazan counterparts, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden. Alec Baldwin does quite well, especially considering the shadow of Brando which hangs over the role of Stanley Kowalski. Baldwin may lack the complete rawness and animal sexuality, but he improves over Brando in giving Stanley a sympathetic edge; another advantage is that Baldwin does not mumble.
Which brings us to Jessica Lange, whose portrayal of Blanche is both delicately shaded and strongly characterized; she is heart-breaking and luminous. Comparing her to Vivian Leigh, it is impossible to rank one over the other, as both performances seem "definitive" (now if we only had the performances of Jessica Tandy, Uta Hagen, and Tallulah Bankead preserved). The production design for once truly emphasizes the squalor in which Stella and Stanley live and which so shocks Blanche upon her arrival. Worth purchasing, especially for devotees of Williams.

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Shakespeare Collection (Hamlet 1996 / A Midsummer Night's Dream 1935 / Othello 1965 / Romeo & Juliet 1936) (1935) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was very pleased with my "Literary Classics Collection" and "Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection" that I purchased from Warner's, and it looks like the studio originally known for gritty urban dramas continues to go highbrow with this collection of four movies featuring interpretations of works by the Bard. The press release by Warner Home Video has the following extras listed for each movie:
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Cast includes James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland (in her screen debut), Joe E. Brown, and Mickey Rooney. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
DVD Special Features:
Commentary by film historian Scott MacQueen
Olivia de Havilland screen test
Vintage featurette "A Dream Comes True" (8 minutes)
Presenting... Gallery of 6 teaser trailers showcasing cast members
Warner Bros. Studio Café teaser trailer
Musical short "Shake Mr. Shakespeare"
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English, French and Portuguese (feature film only)
Romeo and Juliet (1936)
This was actually an MGM production. George Cukor directs with Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard in the title roles. Nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture.
DVD Special Features:
Vintage short "Master Will Shakespeare"
Classic MGM cartoon "Little Cheeser"
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English (feature film only)
Othello (1965)
Lawrence Olivier in the title role, Maggie Smith as Desdemona, Joyce Redman as Emilia, and Frank Finlay as Iago. All four performers were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances.
DVD Special Features:
Vintage featurette "Olivier Talks About Othello"
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English (feature film only)
Hamlet 2-Disc Special Edition (1996)
Cast includes actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Kate Winslet, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Robin Williams, Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal and Charlton Heston. This rendition is set in the 19th century.
DVD Special Features:
Introduction by director/star Kenneth Branagh
Commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson
New digital transfer from original 70mm elements
Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1
Featurette "To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet"
1996 Cannes Film Festival promo
Shakespeare movies trailer gallery
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish subtitles. (feature film only)

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HAMLET: "Hamlet has the kind of power, energy and excitement that movies can truly exploit," award-winning actor/director Kenneth Branagh says. In this first-ever full-text film of William Shakespeare's greatest work, the power surges through every scene. The timeless tale of murder, corruption and revenge is reset in an opulent 19th-century world, using sprawling Blenheim Palace as Elsinore and staging much of the action in shimmering mirrored and gold-filled interiors. The energy is electrifying, due to a luminous cast. The excitement of the Bard's words and an adventurous filmmaking style lift the story from its often shadowy ambience to fully-lit pageantry and rage. Now presented in an amazing 2-Disc Special Edition. ROMEO & JULIET: Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard in the title roles are "so good that one can forget they are too old for the roles" (Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide). Adding to this allure of this nominee for four Academy Awards?* including Best Picture are lavish sets and costumes (Botticelli paintings inspired Shearer's wardrobe) that fuel the film's then-astonishing $2-million budget. OTHELLO: The original cast and soul-shattering impact of the play's 1964 staging by the National Theatre of Great Britain are captured on film. As the valiant war hero swept into a maelstrom of jealousy and revenge, Olivier won his seventh Academy Award? nomination.* The movie's Desdemona (Maggie Smith), Emilia (Joyce Redman) and "honest Iago" (Frank Finlay) also captured Oscar? nominations.* And the result, Bosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times, is that "this Othello is one of the boldest you'll ever see." A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: Love is blind, fickle and true. And under the sway of capricious fairies it becomes blinder (a queen romances a donkey), more fickle (best friends swoon over each other's beau) and truest of all (lovers repledge their devotion). "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" in Shakespeare's bewitching comedy. James Cagney, screen-d

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Wall Street (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)When Oliver Stone made Wall Street, he was riding high from the commercial and critical success of Platoon (Special Edition). His father, Lou Stone, had been a stockbroker on Wall Street in New York City and this film was a son's way of paying tribute to his father. Almost twenty years later, it has become one of the quintessential snapshots of the financial scene in the United States and epitomizes the essence of capitalism, greed and materialism that was so prevalent in the 1980s.
Michael Douglas owns the role of Gekko and by extension dominates the movie with his larger than life character. He gets most of the film's best dialogue and delivers it with such conviction. There is a scene between Bud and Gekko in a limousine where he tells the younger man how the financial world works, how it operates and lays it all out, pushing Bud hard to go into business with him. It is one of the strongest scenes in the movie because you really believe what Gekko is saying and how Bud could be seduced by his words.
The culmination of Douglas' performance is his much lauded, often quoted, "Greed is good" speech that his character gives to a shareholders' meeting of Teldar Paper, a company he is planning to take over. He concludes by saying, "Greed is right; greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms, greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words -- will save not only Teldar Paper but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A." This is one of the best delivered monologues ever put to film as Douglas goes from charming to downright threatening and back again, succinctly summing up the essence of '80 capitalism and greed.
The original DVD did not have many extras but the quality of what was included was excellent. They have all been carried over to this new release (minus the trailers) but do the new extras really merit a double dip?
There is an audio commentary by co-writer and director Oliver Stone. Stone talks about Michael Douglas' early struggles with the huge amount of dialogue he had to deliver and how he dealt with it. The filmmaker is candid with his shortcomings and those of others (i.e. Daryl Hannah, Charlie Sheen, etc.). As always, Stone delivers the goods, offering all kinds of fascinating insights into the making of the film.
The second disc features a new introduction by Oliver Stone that is brief and really should have been put on the first disc.
Another new extra is "Greed is Good," an hour-long retrospective documentary with Hal Hoolbrook, John C. McGinley, Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas amongst others returning to offer their impressions of the financial world depicted in the movie. This substantial doc examines the appeal of Gekko and why he inspired people in the business world.
Also new to this edition is over 20 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Stone. There is a nice little scene with Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller as one of Bud's clients. Also included is an earlier scene where Bud and Darian (Hannah) meet in a bar but Stone cut it because the Hamptons scene at Gekko's house was stronger. The filmmaker puts all of these scenes into context and why there were cut.
Finally, carried over from the original edition is "Money Never Sleeps: The Making of Wall Street," a top-notch, 47-minute making of documentary. There is very little overlap with the "Greed is Good" documentary.
If you're a fan of this film and already own the previous edition, the new extras definitely warrant a double dip. They are quite substantial in nature and shed more light on this excellent film.

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Oliver Twist (1997) (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)As others have said, if you want a quality retelling of Dickens' "Oliver Twist," then turn to David Lean or the glorious musical version, and not this bland re-hash with possibly the weakest Oliver (not to mention writing and direction) that I have ever seen for this story. There are only two characters that partially redeem it: an earthy, maternal Nancy and an Artful Dodger that, as portrayed by Elijah Woods, may not be what Dickens had in mind, but certainly becomes someone you care about and want to save - much more so than the annoying Oliver, who has two facial expressions (wide-eyed and not wide-eyed), a shrill voice, and an unhealthy obsession with his mother's locket, which stalls the plot at the most unlikely moments. The double irony is that this rather stupid, greedy child (who discovers a conscience quite late) is rescued from the streets to enjoy a life of ease and comfort, while the infinitely more promising Artful Dodger (whose tender response to Oliver's bout of conscience is the most moving two minutes in the film) is carted off to jail - a quip from him being enough to stop this Oliver making any move to save him! It's enough to make you want the REAL film buried here - the one about Woods' Artful Dodger, caught between confused loyalties, sensitive and intelligent in a world merciless to both, protective of both Nancy and Oliver but powerless to help either, trying desperately to seem more callous than he is and to pretend to himself that he has chosen this life.... It's his tragedy that is almost buried in this dull film, but it's hard not to be grateful it was made, if only for those scenes lit from within by Woods' amazing talent.

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Adam Bede (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)It is just too bad that they condensed this fantastic story into so short a film. What they have done is done well, but there are so many layers to the characters that are just left out. I think if I had not read the book some of the character's choices and actions would have seemed too sudden or unjustified, due to the lack of character development.
I really enjoyed the portrayal of the characters and the acting itself with one exception. Patsy Kensit, though a fine actress, is too old to be playing Hetty. She also plays her as too worldly wise. Hetty is passionate and selfish, yes, but in spite of her desire to be worldly wise she is still very naive. She is described in the book as being like a soft downy peach with the stone hidden inside. I think the vain ignorance of her own naivitee is sadly lacking in this portrayal and makes you wonder what Adam ever saw in her at all.
Again, the rest of the movie is wonderful. Dinah and Adam and the other characters are spot on, but there needs to be more--especially if you have not read the book.

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Beneath the tranquil surface of George Eliot's tale, passions run deep and the bitter gall of betrayal is all too prevalent. Adam Bede is a hard-working carpenter, with his heart set on marrying his sweetheart, the pretty dairymaid, Hetty Sorrel. Unfortunately, Hetty's affections are captured by the local squire, Arthur Donnithorne.

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Last Call (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)Another great movie that I stumbled upon. I cannot believe that there was not more written about this one. The beautiful Neve Campbell delivers a remarkable performance and Jeremy Irons along with Cissy Spacek ensure that you will be taken on a highly interesting ride.
Jeremy Irons - arguably the best living actor - truly becomes "Scott" in this harrowing display of creative downward spirals with momentary glimpses of genius.
Instead of glorifying or overly romanticizing the subject, the director paints a picture of the subtle and not-so-subtle relationship dynamics among the characters; particularly the struggles of Fitzgerald and his lovely, devoted and talented assistant.
This is one of those rare finds in the world of movies that falls under the radar but once discovered, becomes a treasure to the viewer.
Very nicely done.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald spent a lifetime battling demons - alcohol and aschizophrenic wife - and yet, wrote some of the greatest novels in American Literature.Despite a tumultuous relationship with his mistress, his ailing wife, declining health, andhis daily drinking binges, Fitzgerald secretly wrote a scathing novel about the filmindustry which some call his best novel.It was his final triumph. Last Call is based on atrue story about this troubled genius, starring Oscar, Emmy, and golden globe winnerJeremy Irons, Neve Campbell, and Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek.

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Tennessee Williams Film Collection (A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 Two-Disc Special Edition / Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1958 Deluxe Edition / Sweet Bird of Youth / The Night of the Iguana / Baby Doll / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone) (1958) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review isn't of the great movies contained but the DVD set and their respective presentations.
first..let me say the bonus DVD "Tennesse Williams South"...is exceptional..its a film made about and with him in 1974 and besides his own readings of his work , which are illuminating, it features legends like Burl Ives and Jessica Tandy re-creating his dialog..simply timeless!
now..onto the Discs/Movies
the bonus featurettes are all very well done however, seemingly shorter than they should/could be. By that I mean...they have current interviews with Karl Malden and Eli Wallach for BABYDOLL and Rip Torn for Sweet Bird of Youth and the ever beautiful Jill St John for The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, and yet the amount of face time these actual stars of the films in question get is barely a line here or there? Not that the featurettes aren't good...they are..it just seems they could be a could 10minutes longer each...
now...the opposite problem is in the second disc of Streetcar Named Desire....the feature length (90min) Elia Kazan: A directors Journey is wonderful..its a decade or so old but was done while he was still with us and his participation raised it above the level of talking heads documentaries of the day. The strange thing is that the new featurettes on this disc feature way too much culled from the aforementioned feature. I don't understand....WB has wonderful featurettes on all the movies that seem truncated and then BLOATS out the Streetcar featurettes with duplicate material from itself? Only the current footage of Karl Malden saves the Streetcar featurettes from their own plagerism.
Now..the films themselves are all in very good shape considering they go back half a century. I wasn't a particular fan of Tennesse Williams..but after viewing all these films and the bonus film...i most certainly put him in the genius category and am looking for more.
Also, the press is making a big deal about Marlon Brando's screen test which is being included in the Streetcar DVD bonus features...its only a curiosity , not amazing by any stretch. What is far more interesting is Karl Malden's lovely memories of his friendship and admiration for Mr Brando....truly touching and mezmorizing. Malden is a treasure of an actor who starred in more fine films than any but the most ardent fan would know as he was usually second billed...but he IS the star of this set.
Great American films and unlike Universals shameless packaging..WB continues to present these types of films lovingly with extras..oh yeah..and the commentaries aren't bad either...much to enjoy in this set.

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Streetcar Named Desire 2 Disc SE Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Deluxe Edition Sweet Bird of Youth Night of the Iguana Baby Doll Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

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The Hound of the Baskervilles (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a wonderful story and production...originally. However, the BBC Video (company) version I purchased which is 100 minutes in length had been edited so much that there were entire scenes missing right from the begining! I know because I taped the original when it aired on Masterpiece Theatre.
Buyer beware: This is not the full length version of the otherwise excellent program.

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In this energetic and bold adaptation, Conan Doyle?s legendary characters are portrayed with a pace and vigor that capture the spirit of the original story. Sir Charles of Baskerville lies dead on the moors of his family estate. The look of abject fear on his face and the presence of animal footprints around his corpse suggest the impossible; that the ghost of a fearsome hound, long feared by the Baskerville family, is responsible for his death. As the new heir, Sir Henry Baskerville takes up residence at the estate, legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusted associate Dr. Watson arrive to investigate the mystery.

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Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle - The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Murder Rooms" consists of five episodes, starring Ian Richardson as Dr. Joseph Bell, the historical personage on whom Arthur Conan Doyle allegedly based Sherlock Holmes; with Dr. Watson based on Doyle himself. The 116-minute first episode ("Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle, The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes") was a BBC series pilot released in January 2000. In "Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle...," Robin Laing starred as the young Doyle in medical school. This pilot has been available in NTSC for two years (see Amazon's listing) and IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS PACKAGE. In the remaining four 90-minute episodes comprising this set (on BBC in September-October 2001), episode chronology begins three years later, Charles Edwards assuming Laing's role as the young, idealistic but adult Doyle with his own medical practice. Information on source books, author David Pirie, screen credits, histories, plot synopses and cast are available at murder-rooms.com
FOR BEST APPRECIATION, ONE MUST TREAT THIS SERIES AS AN INTEGRATED FIVE-PART, EIGHT-HOUR MINISERIES, beginning with the pilot "Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle..." setting the backdrop against which the other four, described IN ORDER below, play out. Missing "Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle...," this reviewer STRONGLY RECOMMENDS you purchase this set now and set it aside until that pilot can be seen. In "The Patient's Eyes," a black-shrouded cyclist repeatedly stalks a lady patient cycling to Dr. Doyle eye appointments through eerie wooded terrain, leading to a mysterious abandoned house, love-interest conflicts, betrayal, and murder. (There are striking scene similarities to "The Solitary Cyclist.") In "The Photographer's Chair," a series of murder victim corpses bearing strange marks lead to mesmerism, spiritualism, séances, apparitions, erotic mutilation, daguerreotype photography, and genuinely chilling moments. In "The Kingdom of Bones," the publicized spectacle of unwrapping an apparent Egyptian mummy for scientific study yields highly unexpected results leading to suicide, dinosaur bones, gypsies, kidnapping, attempted murder, multiple murders, and political terrorism. And in "The White Knight Stratagem," Doyle and Bell come to a near falling-out involving a Dickensian business climate leading to suicide and murder; with a curious chess enigma hovering over everything. This last episode concludes the miniseries and should be viewed last.
These adaptations get this reviewer's highest commendation, being at least the equal (or better?) of the David Suchet / Jeremy Brett adaptations in their prime.The general tone is exceedingly dark, uncompromising, and far more menacing than the light-hearted Poirot-Holmes adaptations. (The atmospherics remind this reviewer of that excellent film "From Hell.") Excepting as discussed below, nothing in these episodes is short of first-class: plots, incredible principal and supporting cast, direction, cinematography depicting 1880s Victorian Edinburgh, hauntingly mysterious musical score, period mood, and the appallingly brutal times with modern medicine in infancy. Sound is fine; extraneous background noise is nil; diction is clear with no accent barriers.
So superior is MPI's production that current PAL DVD owners may want to buy the NTSC release anyway! The widescreen 16x9 anamorphic picture is excellent, with night scenes sharp yet still mysterious. This reviewer doesn't know how the original episodes were recorded, but suspects that the widescreen image seen here was likely achieved by slicing off top and/or bottom portions of an original 4x3 TV image: some close-up shots have head-tops suspiciously out of range, a typical symptom. But such trimming is a small price for what one sees on an HDTV system as contrasted to the original PAL release. Unlike that release, MPI also provides both running time display and chapter breaks; and the periodic PAL scene blackout interruptions (presumably omitting advertisements) are gone, greatly enhancing the narrative flow. There are two DVDs contained in one keep-case with an inner leaf. Each DVD has two episodes on the same side with full menu accessibility.

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Item Name: Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle - The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes; Studio:Bfs Entertainment

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Oliver Twist (Masterpiece Theatre, 1999) (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)The poor reviews this movie has received (in both the DVD and VHS formats) I feel are totally unwarranted. This is my favorite put-to-film Dickens novel (except for the various "A Christmas Carol's" out there), and I am ecstatic that this version is finally available on DVD.
Now, in this adaption, I believe the prequel works very well. I think it makes this a much more comprehensive movie and gives the characters involved (especially Monks) much more depth. And, because of the length of this version that I am reviewing, it allows the viewer to get to know each character much deeper than the other filmed versions available. We get to know Oliver's parents and Aunt Rose up close, although it is done through liberties taken by the producer and not necessarily Dickens himself. I do feel, however, the great novelist would not particularly mind in this case.
The acting is as good, if not better, than pretty much most period epics I have seen. The actors play off of each other well - they match their roles perfectly. The costumes and sets are excellent. They have captured the early Victorian period so well - both the good and the bad - it's almost as if the viewer is peering through a looking glass into the past.
As for the story following Dickens' original novel...well, I have yet to see any movie follow a novel to a "T." It just doesn't happen, unfortunately, with virtually any put-to-film novel. But this follows the original, as a whole, much much closer than the other versions I have seen - definitely more than "Oliver," and infinitely more than the Disney version with Richard Dreyfuss, which was made into a totally different story than what Dickens had intended.
Don't let the nearly 6 hour length scare you off - there is no time during this whole version where one is bored (unless they are a child - definitely not a children's movie!). Being a fan of epic period movies, I found this to be as enticing as any other epic novels put to the screen.
Bravo to all involved!

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The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum (1960) Review

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(More customer reviews)These two films revolutionized AIP. No longer were they pumping out black and white Academy aspect ratio films that became double features. Now they were making color cinemascope features. Both of these films feature Poe stories with Vincent Price in the lead and Roger Corman behind the lens. And they truly remind us that Corman made some great movies during his time at AIP. The Pendulum is truly a scary set.
These are essentials for your DVD collection if you have a Psychotronic shelf.

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THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER: Audio Commentary by Director Roger Corman Original Theatrical Trailer THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM: Rare Prologue

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The Boris Karloff Collection (Tower of London / The Black Castle / The Climax / The Strange Door / Night Key) (1939) Review

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(More customer reviews)Not to be confused with the other Karloff collection this is the one to get. All the films here look extremely good. Occasionally specks and dirt appear but it's rare . Of all the films here "The Black Castle" looks a bit inconsistent but overall looks quite good. "The Climax" has deep rich color capturing the original Technicolor hues although flesh tones appear to be off a tad and probably should have been color corrected. Audio goods good with no distortion and dialogue is clear on all the films. Extras include the original theatrical trailers and nothing else.
"Tower of London" features Karloff in top form with Vincent Price appearing in one of his earliest film roles. Using the sets for "Son of Frankenstein" director Roland V. Lee tells the infamous story of King Richard III. Karloff plays Mort his club footed assistant and the executioner who kills those in the line of succession so that Richard can reach the throne. This features one of Karloff's finest performances from the 30's as Mort the Executioner. Rathbone and Price are also both terrific in their performances as well. This film certainly deserved an audio commentary but doesn't get one.
"The Black Castle" features Karloff with Lon Chaney Jr. with the real heavy being played by Stephen McNally. Sir Richard Burton (Richard Greene) investigates the disappearence of two of his friends. He suspects that Count Von Bruno (McNally) has murdered them. Karloff plays the court physician with Chaney playing a giant mute named Gargon. Director Nathan Juran ("The 7th Voyage of Sinbad")gets the most atmosphere out of this b-movie minor classic. Writer Jerry Sackheim creates an appealing script with witty dialogue (as he did on "The Strange Door")borrowing liberally from other films. Karloff's role in the film is small but memorable and sympathetic.
In "The Climax" Dr. Hohner (Karloff)plays a theater physician with a mysterious past. It seems he murdered his mistress who was the star soprano years before. When a young beautiful rising opera star appears she reminds Hohner of his mistress and he becomes obsessed with making her his own private songbird if not that he's prepared to murder her. Directed by George Waggner ("The Wolf Man", "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man")it's a period piece that will appeal to some Karloff fans. It's more melodrama than horror.
Originally "The Climax" was thought of as a thriller to follow up the Claude Rains version of "Phantom of the Opera" by its producer/director George Waggner ("The Wolf Man"). Using the same standing sets as "Phantom" the film has much larger production values than the budget for the film and looks terrific in this transfer. Fans should be aware that like "Phantom" there's a lot of singing (it is, after all, set in the world of opera). "The Climax" will be an acquired taste for Karloff fans as he's not front and center. "The Strange Door" was part of a package of two films that Karloff made in the 50's along with "The Black Castle" which use the same sets. Of the two "The Strange Door" is a very good gothic horror thrillerthat benefits from strong performances by Karloff and Charles Laughton. Filled with witty, droll dialogue and sharp direction by TV and film vet Joseph Pevney ("The Wild Wild West", "Star Trek")the film is a real winner. Dennis de Beaulieu (Richard Wyler)is kept hostage and forced to marry the niece (Sally Forest)of Sire de Maletroit (Charles Laughton ably chewing the scenery)as part of a bizarre plot of revenge against Maletroit's brother (Paul Cavanagh). With the help of Voltan (Karloff) a servant Dennis and Blanche hope to escape the mad Maletroit."Night Key" is one of the few films here I don't recall seeing before. Karloff plays an inventor who has a special alarm system. His ideas stolen he plots revenage with the help of crooks using his special night key that will circumvent older wire alarm systems he designed. Featuring nice performances "Night Key" provides a great vehicle for Karloff as an actor but it's not really a horror film. It's a solid B-movie that fans of Karloff and the crime genre will enjoy.
Karloff fans can rejoice even the least of these films have solid performances from Karloff and the other actors. Now if we can just have a DVD set with his TV performances and the classic series "Thriller" Karloff fans will be completely happy.

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BORIS KARLOFF COLLECTION - DVD Movie

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Bleak House (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)Excellent leading portrayals by Elliott Denholm and the great Diana Rigg. The general mood and the dark, misty ambiance of the film reflect the true reality of the Victorian era, its urban plight and pollution. It is truly a cinematic and poignant film about how the different lives were entangled under the whirlpool of the Chancery court. This adaptation has a different ending regarding cousin Richard, which is more dramatic and realistic on the screen. Whether or not you read the book, the ending will be a surprise. By the way, it is a very long book. The performance of Ms. Rigg is a piece of fine art, and it really shows her metier as a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Only she could have portrayed her undeniable love for Sir Leicester with such a delicate nuance and pure sincerity. Coupled with a haunting chamber music, it is the best 6 hs. one can spend, where one can be entertained with a fine piece of art and at the same time reflect about life's vicissitudes and historical periods. The conflicts and human relations depicted in this masterpiece of Charles Dickens are as timeless as the human condition.

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Lady Chatterley (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)It is rare that a novel can successfully be adapted to the screen without losing much of its force. Lady Chatterley, Ken Russell's adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, however, loses almost none of the force of the original source. The novel was banned when it came out, and one viewing of Lady Chatterley will explain why.
The British VHS box for Lady Chatterley boasts that it is filled with "very, very erotic sex." That is about the most accurate statement you can make about this movie. Lest one get the wrong idea, however, this made-for-TV movie is not pornography. It utilizes the original plot, cutting out some of the more social aspects of the novel, to tell a beautiful story about one woman's search for love -- sexual and otherwise -- outside of her marriage and class.
Joely Richardson, best known in the U.S. for cavorting with Mel Gibson in "The Patriot," here bares it all early and often with Sean Bean. Both of them shine in their respective roles. Ms. Richardson is brilliant as a strong, independent woman whose husband is crippled during WWI, thus basically ending her sexual life prematurely. Sean Bean plays her lowly, gamekeeper lover, Oliver Mellors. The dirty, scruffy, growling Mellors is the perfect vehicle for Sean Bean's talent -- part bad guy, part sensual lover, in many ways a guilty pleasure (much like Sean Bean himself!)
This is not a movie for immature audiences -- it is as beautiful a story as it is erotic, much the way D. H. Lawrence wrote it. Nor is it for the faint of heart -- the sex scenes are revealing and very intense. It is beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and overall, is an amazing cinematic experience. The 3.5 hours are well worth watching, at least for fans of Joely Richardson or Sean Bean.
Although the movie is extremely good, I would definitely recommend reading the original novel as well, particularly the unexpurgated version. Some of the best scenes in the novel were cut for censorship considerations and their inability to work onscreen. Nonetheless, fans of the novel will not be disappointed -- and those unacquainted with the novel will certainly be more than a little surprised at the force and eroticism of this movie.

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From the director of Women in Love and Altered States comes a retelling of the literary classic that launched the most celebrated obscenity trial of the 20th century. In adapting the famous tale of unbridled passion, Ken Russell has made a moving love story and some of the most talked about television of the 1990s. Joely Richardson (Return to Me, The Affair of the Necklace) stars as the young, sexually repressed Lady Chatterley, whose paralyzed husband (James Wilby, Gosford Park) urges her to find fulfillment and an heir for his fortune in the arms of another man. Sean Bean (Patriot Games, The Lord of the Rings) is the lowly gamekeeper whose scandalous attentions awaken her senses. DVD special features include an exclusive interview with writer/director Ken Russell, behind-the-scenes photo gallery, broadcast trailer, cast and crew filmographies and DH Lawrence biography.

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Lady Chatterley's Lover (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)A mainstay on HBO around 1982-83, "Lady Chatterly's Lover" is a soft-core romance, but not a sleazy one. It wasn't successful in theaters, maybe because nobody knew what audience it was targeted to (surely not literature addicts or art-house filmgoers; maybe Sylvia Kristel/"Emmanuelle" fans). Consequently, it was popular on cable and video, where viewing privacy can elicit whatever reactions necessary (mostly giggles). It isn't very well-made, but the acting is decent and the passion is convincing. The editing is sloppy, with some sequences, and the ending, cut short, but it does have a few steamy scenes, frisky nudity, and good location filming.

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Paralyzed from the waist down due to a war injury, Sir Clifford Chatterley (Shane Briant) urges his wife, Constance (Sylvia Kristel), to take a lover to satisfy her physical needs.But when she begins an intense affair with a man of shockingly lower class ­ the virile and rugged gamekeeper Mellors (Nicholas Clay) ­ the unexpected stirring of passions will rock not only their marriage, but all of society as well.

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Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical (1974) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm suspecting that there are two types of people who are approaching this DVD, a filmed version of the stage production of "Jekyll & Hyde". One, someone familiar with the show--perhaps saw it and liked it or has the soundtrack--and wants to check out this variation. Or two, someone discovering it anew. It tempts me to write two reviews because while I love "Jekyll & Hyde", it's slightly unfortunate that this is the production most people will get a chance to judge.
So let me preface this by saying that I really am a fan of this show. Some people consider "Jekyll" sort of a "Phantom-lite". I, myself, have never been the biggest supporter of "Phantom of the Opera". It's fine, full of bombast, but hardly the revolutionary experience that people give it credit for. "Jekyll" does play to similar themes, but has a stronger overall soundtrack. Instead of a couple of showstoppers like "Phantom", "Jekyll" is filled with memorable power ballads. Not the most complicated show musically, it is very accessible. And when you have great singers, these simpler and emotionally charged songs become pop opera and quite moving.
So, without hesitation, I recommend the original Broadway Cast recording!!! Robert Cuccioli, Linda Eder and Christiane Noll are superb. You couldn't hope for better.
But here's the problem with this DVD, it's not this great cast--NO, the star is David Hasselhoff. So you see my problem, don't you? Look, I'm not going to be unkind--it's an easy target. Let's just say this. If you're a fan of the show, he doesn't completely ruin it. And it's not like there are any other versions to add to your collections. If you are new to the show, I'm still recommending it provisionally. I wish there were another option. If you like the show, though--and I think you will--please rush over and buy the 1997 Cast recording. Treat yourself to how "Jekyll & Hyde" should really sound.KGHarris, 10/06.

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The longest-running show in the history of Broadway'sPlymouth Theatre, Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical brings new life to RobertLouis Stevenson's classic story of romance and the epic battle between goodand evil. A whirlwind odyssey pitting man against himself is set in motionwhen the brilliant Dr. Jekyll's medical experiment backfires, giving lifeto his evil alter ego, Edward Hyde. The show won a legion of repeatvisitors (dubbed by the press as

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