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Stream A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Online. Movie Title: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Average customer review: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Great fun musical comedy loosely based on T. Maccius Plautus’ 2nd century B.C. comedy “Miles Gloriosus” (”Braggart Warrior”).
The widescreen format lets you see pratfalls and edge-of-scene antics that are missing in the pan and scan version. Zero Mostel was a comic genius; it’s a pity that he didn’t leave us more movies to enjoy. Michael Hordern is superb as Senex, as are Jack Gilford and Phil Silvers as Hysterium and Lycus. When I was a child I didn’t enjoy the musical numbers, I remember fast- forwarding through to get back to the comedy. I now appreciate the songs as well; they are genuinely funny and full of double-entendres that you have to hear repeatedly to fully enjoy. The entire movie, despite its classical setting, has a swinging-sixties feel that you’ll have to watch a Rat Pack film to match. You almost expect Frank Sinatra to walk into a scene, singing a song in between drags on his cigarette.

Not having seen the play, I am able to enjoy the film without comparison to other formats. It is hilarious, frantic and a perfect example of Richard Lester’s early work.

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The DVD transfer is crisp and colorful with very clear audio – way better than the version shown on TCM. Artifacting is barely existent. The transfer is anamorphic widescreen though the description provided by Amazon does not note this.

For a good, though bawdy, burlesque played broadly and strictly for laughs, you can’t go wrong.

Stream The Best of the Power Rangers – The Ultimate Rangers Online. Movie Title: The Best of the Power Rangers – The Ultimate Rangers Average customer review: The Best of the Power Rangers – The Ultimate Rangers is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download The Best of the Power Rangers – The Ultimate Rangers

Ok, the following episodes of Power Rangers are on this DVD:-

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers “White Light(Parts 1 & 2)”
Power Rangers in Space “Countdown to Destruction(Parts 1 & 2)”
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy “To The Tenth Power”
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue “Trakeena’s Revenge(Parts 1 & 2)”
Power Rangers Wild Force “Forever Red”

Pretty disappointing selection. First of all I think they could have had more episodes with this package. Here’s what I think of what they have chosen-

White Light (Parts 1 & 2)- When this episode came out it was a major episode because it introduced the White Ranger so it is quite understandable that it would be chosen for this selection.

Countdown To Destruction (Parts 1 & 2)- Simply the main reason to buy this DVD. It is the best two Power Rangers episodes ever made. It is quite epic in scope and featured the pivotal destruction of Zordon who originated the Power Rangers.

To The Tenth Power- Great choice again and one of the best crossover events in Power Rangers.

Trakeena’s Revenge (Parts 1 & 2)- Lightspeed Rescue was probably the weakest Power Rangers series, and this is one of the best episodes of that series. Nice to see a crossover with the Lost Galaxy Power Rangers but it just doesn’t live up to its potential. Still, not a bad choice.

Forever Red- The amazing episode that featured various Red Rangers teaming up together.

Now as you can see I’ve pretty much complimented every episode on the DVD. But my problem isn’t with the episodes they have, it’s with what they don’t have. There also should have been an episode from each series- where are Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Time Force? Another plus would have been to have the very first episode of Ninja Storm. They call this the Best of the Power Rangers, yet they forget to include some of the best episodes such as Ninja Quest (Parts 1, 2, 3 & 4) from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, as well as the final four episodes of Power Rangers Lost Galaxy and the opening and final episodes of Power Rangers Time Force. That’s why I’m disappointed with this DVD.

It probably won’t happen, but here’s hoping they have a volume 2, or start to bring out the entire series in boxsets.

My opinion as to why these episodes were picked:
White Light pt. 1 & 2-
This one is an old fan favorite. It introduces Tommy as the White Ranger, with new powers, weapons, and zord. Tommy is, as quoted by TJ in Forever Red, “A Legend”. First he came out as the perfect evil Green Ranger, who no one could defeat. He then turned good and fought Rita Repulsa. It has been rated # 9 at the top ten episodes list at [...]

Countdown to Destruction pt. 1 & 2-
This one is SOOOOOOOOO obviouse! This episode was the grand finale of not only Power Rangers in Space, but, the 6 year era of Zordon, 6 years worth of villains, all the active rangers, and most importanly, Zordon. He was the rangers’ mentor for 6 years and was the greatest mentor they will ever have. He was trapped long ago in a Time Warp by Rita Repulsa. Now, all the UAOE is attacking to invade the universe for Dark Spector. Who was chosen to attack earth, why, non other than Astronema, Andros’s long lost sister, brainwashed and turned evil. This dramatic, high action mini-series was a great pic to have on DVD!
It has been rated #2 as the top 10 episodes list at [...]!

To the Tenth Power-
This one was one of the greatest teamups ever, the Space Rangers vs the Galaxy Rangers! With the return of the Psycho Rangers, and an episode with…TRAKEENA!!! This one is a favorite by many fans! 2 of the greatest seasons!

Trakeena’s Revenge pt. 1 & 2-
This was released for a limited time on VHS at McDonalds. It was aired as a 2 part mini-series later on Fox Kids. It features the return of Trakeena, her new army of Goulds, a new villain…Triskull, the return of the Galaxy Rangers, and the current rangers and villains, etc. It is another fan favorite!

Forever Red-
This episode has been quoted by many fans as the greatest episode ever! It features the return of all red rangers!!!, The Machine Empire, Serpentura, Bulk and Skull, Alpha, The Astro Megaship, as well as many past references! In this episode the surviving members of the Machine Empire, lead by General Vengix, are on the moon digging up the remains of Serpentura, the most powerful zord ever built, with it they will have enough power to destroy earth, and avenge the defeat of King Mondo. It is up to all 10 red rangers (Jason (MMPR), Aurico (MMAR), Tommy (PRZ), TJ (PRT), Andros (PRiS), Leo (PRLG), Carter (PRLR), Wes (PRTF), Eric (PRTF), and Cole (PRWF) to defeat General Vengix before he and his army dig up Serpentura! This episode was the 10th Anniversuary special. It was a perfect choice to have on DVD!!! It has been rated #3 on the top ten episodes list at [...]!

Stream Cyborg Online. Movie Title: Cyborg Average customer review: Cyborg is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Cyborg

I hope you will forgive me when I tell you I have a crushing headache as I write this review. Why? Because I devoted several hours of this sunny day thinking about not one, but two, of Albert Pyun’s films. Pondering the importance of “Ticker” and “Cyborg” to the cinematic world wore me out in ways I would not think possible. Pyun, if you are not familiar with his oeuvre, constructed his B movie credentials by releasing such classics as “The Sword and The Sorcerer,” “Nemesis,” “Mean Guns,” and “Postmortem.” He’s a hack’s hack in the hack world of zero budget schlock. Not to pound you over the head with it, but watching a Pyun film often resembles in no little way craning your head out the window to see that car accident on the freeway. Initially, you are intrigued by what you might see only to realize later how low you feel as a human being for looking at scenes of abject horror. Ok, I am exaggerating slightly. “Cyborg,” the 1989 film that launched the dubious career of Jean-Claude Van Damme, is one of Pyun’s better efforts. In fact, it is one of the few movies in his canon I can watch on a regular basis and not feel too badly about it the next day.

Here’s another film dealing with life in a post-apocalyptic world. Gibson Rickenbacker (Van Damme) arises from the ruins to play the part of a Good Samaritan. He tries to help survivors of a plague flee from the ruined cities to the countryside, hopefully so they can reconstruct some semblance of a normal life. Rickenbacker, as the hero, of course has an unpleasant memory of one of his missions. He tried to save a family and ended up falling in love with a woman. You don’t need me to spell out what happened next. Ever since this unfortunate incident, Gibson struggles with what he should do next. When he runs into a woman named Pearl Prophet (Dale Haddon), a cyborg attempting to carry a cure for the plague back to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, he must decide whether to resume the role of hero. Why not take part in helping Pearl carry the antidote? This mission could turn Rickenbacker into the savior of the world. Unfortunately for Rickenbacker and Pearl, Fender Tremolo (Vincent Klyn), a scary looking dude with weird eyes and a mechanical voice, and his gang of like-minded cyborgs have their own ideas. They think if they can capture Pearl and get her to Atlanta, they will control the future of the world.

When Prophet falls into the hands of Tremolo’s gang, Rickenbacker decides to get her back. With the help of a mouthy young lady he picks up along the way named Nady Simmons (Deborah Richter), Gibson lurches from one violent confrontation to another. Thugs fall to the ground like leaves as the two pursue Tremolo with malevolent intent. Numerous showdowns in burnt out and broken down buildings provide Pyun and Van Damme with plenty of opportunities to showcase martial arts madness. Kicks, punches, and blunt and sharp instruments-anything you can think of that will cause damage to a human or cyborg body finds a use in this movie. And for the most part Pyun carries off the action well, much better than he has in many of his other movies. You are surprised that you actually root for this guy who speaks English like he just walked off a boat. Before feelings of giddiness carry you away, however, you need to reconcile yourself with a few of the cheesy aspects of the movie. Nearly all of the characters are named after musical instruments, the outfits look like the film crew robbed a New Wave band’s wardrobe closet, and the dialogue tends towards the insipid. Still, “Cyborg” entertains as few Pyun films do.

“Cyborg” works largely due to the gritty, blasted urban background that the characters move through. It is here, in the ruins of civilization, where most of the action takes place. Moreover, the picture quality of the film (probably as a result of poor film stock) has a dirty look to it, which actually gives the movie a better, more realistic atmosphere. I even thought Pyun tried to inject a philosophical statement in the film (yeah, right) when we see Rickenbacker staked to that ship’s mast. Is Gibson a Christ figure “rising” from the grave to help save the world? Maybe, but I’m probably reading more into “Cyborg” than the director intended. Sure, the acting could be better-lots better-and the fight scenes are a little over the top, but why else would you watch this movie? You don’t expect Oscar performances and you don’t get them. What you do get is an entertaining way to spend eighty plus minutes (the movie doesn’t run for even an hour and a half).

The DVD version is strictly bare bones. If memory serves me correctly, the only extra on this disc was a trailer. Too bad, but a bit surprising considering this is officially a cult classic. It’s interesting to note that none other than Cannon, the company that released TONS of low budget action flicks in the 1980s, helped fund this effort. Charles Bronson benefited from Cannon’s attentions back then, so why not Van Damme? I recommend “Cyborg” not only to fans of action films, but even to fans of science fiction since the movie takes a stab at incorporating both elements under one umbrella. Is it intelligent cinema? Nope, but who says it needs to be?

Restore it? Why?!

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I like the death

I like the MISERY

I LIKE THIS WOOORRRRRRRLLLLLDDD!!!

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this movie rocks!.. it has some AWESOME fight scenes, really well done. They may not be overly skillful (i don’t even think Van Damme is an overly skillful martial artist unlike Jet Li, Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee) But he has the ability to make his fight scenes just “look” so damn cool!

There are so many “cool” moments in this film

eg.

-Van Damme does the splits between 2 walls and waits for one of the pirates to walk under him, before killing him with his kickass knife

-Van Damme and one of the pirates eye each other off from a distance in a factory.. then run full pelt at each other screaming, then engage in an awesome knife fight (cool use of slow-mo too)

-the first appearance of Van Damme in the film is basically just a shot of his leg out of nowhere executing an awesome roundhouse kick to the face of the bad guys (soo cool)

and so many more quality scenes

Download Christmas Classics Box Set Online. Movie Title: Christmas Classics Box Set Average customer review: Christmas Classics Box Set is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Christmas Classics Box Set

This is a great bargain. Don’t get me wrong! I would buy this again if it got lost. Can’t beat the price for 4 good Christmas flicks.

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Although I do wish they had included a newer edition of HOME ALONE in here. This one is the older letterboxed edition that is not enhanced for widescreen TVs. If your DVD player/TV/projector has the picture zoom option like mine, you can escape the problem with the black frame all around the picture on a widescreen TV, but the resolution/picture quality is still poor, of course.

JINGLE ALL THE WAY was the same thing, despite the deceptive cover which stated that the movie on the DVD was included in both Full Frame and Anamorphic Widescreen versions. Not so! The same crippled leterboxed frame.

No complaints about either the MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, which is presented here in beautiful Anamorphic Widescreen, or A CHRISTMAS CAROL, which, as a made for TV movie, is presented in Full Frame, maintaining the original aspect ratio.

All in all, a great deal for the money.

This was a great buy. My sister wanted some christmas movies for christmas, so this was a perfect buy!

Download Galerians – Rion Online. Movie Title: Galerians – Rion Average customer review: Galerians – Rion is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Galerians – Rion

Galerians: Rion is the movie adaption of the survival horror game Galerians which was released in 2000 by Crave Entertainment. The movie basically expands all of the CG movies which were in the game, and takes all of the parts you would play and translates them into CG. The film clocks in at a short 73 minutes, but packs a huge amount of story and depth into each and every moment. The action is intense, the music is great, (both the japanese and new english remix soundtracks have been included), and the CG while note Shrek quality is still good enough to get the job done. I highly reccomend this movie to anyone who loves science fiction, and horror.

Galerians: Rion is a CGI movie based on the first Playstation game by the same name. Set in a dystopian future, the plot revolves around a 14-year-old boy named Rion who awakens in a strange hospital and discovers he has psychic powers. Hunted by others with similar abilities he must find a girl named Lillia and unravel the mystery of what has happened to him.

Although the story is derivative of many other sci-fi tales (Akira, Total Recall), it is of particular interest because of its dark, cyber-punk surroundings. This is an animated movie that would likely not be made in America. It features young people (teenagers, mostly) being experimented on and addicted to the use of drugs (the latter being necessary to enhance the psychic abilities of the characters). But the bleakness of the story strengthens the main character’s search for purpose and identity. It’s a search that leads towards the universal truth… are you a victim of fate?… or a participant in your own destiny? Are you what others want you to be?… or are you what you believe you can be? Questions that we all strive with every day.

If you are expecting a computer animated movie on the level of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, you’ll be disappointed. The company who made this obviously did not have a comparable budget. However, despite that, they have done an admirable job. The picture is sharp and vibrant, with backgrounds richly detailed. Characters, while not having the high detail of say the Spirits Within, are still distinctly rendered (one particular female quite alluringly so!). And though animation is not extravagant through many of the dialogue heavy scenes, its obvious the creators saved their best for the action sequences. The psychic battles are often quite spectacular and gut wrenching (literally… at least once!).

The voice acting, at least the English cast, is adequate (I’m afraid I don’t like reading subtitles… distracts me from the picture!). But, a few do rise above the rest… particularly Lia Sargent as Rita, Dave Mallow as Rainheart… and holding it all together… Dave Wittenberg as Rion (he’s at his best when Rion is pushed to the edge in his psychic confrontations).

The only real problem I had with Galerians: Rion was that there was just not enough of it. The story situation seems so ripe for more elaboration that I can only hope that the producers of this film can someday afford to do more… or that some bigger studio might be smart enough to snap up the film rights. Despite more money, they would be hard pressed to put in such a good effort as Director Masahiko Maesawa and Producers Enterbrain and Polygon Magic did.

Download Gilmore Girls – The Complete Third Season Online. Movie Title: Gilmore Girls – The Complete Third Season Average customer review: Gilmore Girls – The Complete Third Season is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Gilmore Girls – The Complete Third Season

The third season of “Gilmore Girls” offers a lot of ups and down for Lorelai and Rory, not to mention pretty much everybody else at Stars Hollow or Chilton. I was prepared to declare that this was my least favorite season of the series because I did not like Jess and I though Rory’s choice to ditch Dean for Jess was the lost of the innocence that made the character so endearing in the first place. Then I took into account that “Gilmore Girls” airs on the WB and from Felicity choosing Ben over Noel and Joey picking Pacey over Dawson I have been nothing but disappointed with the romantic choices of their ingénues. Buffy chose Angel and then she ended up killing him. If Lorelai and Luke do not end up happily ever after I might be compelled to give up on the show (consider this fair warning, WB), but if Rory could dump Dean I knew Jess could never go the distance and I could take heart in that fact.

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What defines this third season for Lorelai and Rory are not the men (or boys) in their lives but rather their goals of realizing their dreams. For Lorelai this means opening up her own inn with Sookie. That dream gets put on the front burner when a fire damages the Independence Inn (”A Tale of Poes and Fire”), but buying the Dragonfly Inn (the house from “The Waltons” if you know your television history) proves to be a problem (”Say Goodnight, Gracie”). When Lorelai insists on spending the money she got from her father on her daughter’s education at Yale it is Rory who has to cut her own deal with Richard and Emily so that her mother can get her dream too (”Those Are Strings, Pinocchio”). It is supposedly a “win-win-win” situation, but that remains to be seen.

Of course, Rory getting into the college of her dreams is the real defining element of the season. I came to the show late (mea culpa, mea maxima culpa) so I knew that Rory was at Yale and wondered what on earth had happened to keep her from going to Harvard. Well, in Season 3 we find out. The dream starts to turn into a nightmare when Rory’s application for Harvard has to be put together (”Application Anxiety”). When Paris did not get into Harvard (”The Big One”), I was terrified the same fate awaited Rory. But when Richard manipulates Rory into an interview at Yale (”Let the Games Begin”) my biggest surprise was that Lorelai was actually wrong in an argument with her father (the end of the episode indicates she knows that too). This one has two of Rory’s best moments in this season are when she tells Richard he did the right thing the wrong way in this episode and when she apologizes to Dean and I could feel she was still a good kid at heart. I also like it in the season finale when she tells Emily she is being stupid in shutting out Lorelai and if I could use my one free spin in this life to get Rory to say something it would be to tell Emily, “Grandma, I love you, but no matter what you do I will never love you more than I love my mother.”

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The best part of Rory and Jess was Lorelai giving Luke lessons on what it means to be a parent of a teenager in love. Other big moments are the dance marathon (”They Shoot Gilmores Don’t They?”), the poignant flashback’s to the pregnant young Lorelai (”Dear Emily and Richard”), and Emily standing up to Trix (”That’ll Do, Pig”). For me the funniest moment of the entire season is in “I Solemnly Swear” when Emily reads the transcript of Lorelai’s deposition. I almost busted a gut on that one. Yes, I cried when Rory talked about her mom in her graduation speech, but the sweetest moment of the season was when they came up with the great payoff for the running gag about the t-shirts Kirk was selling at the end of “A Tale of Poes and Fire” (Admit it: You wish you have a “Rory’s Going to Yale” t-shirt). Now we can send Rory off to college in Season 4 so that Luke and Lorelai can finally get on the same page and kiss already.

The DVD offers up extra scenes, which is certainly ample justification for fans of the show to check it out in this format. Besides, if you have waiting to see baby pictures of Lauren Graham or Alexis Bledel, Liz Torres and Kelly Bishop in their dancing days, or having a burning desire to see Sean Gunn do the robot again, then the featurettes on the childhood stories from the cast and their best 1980s dance moves are going to allow you to move on to having other images on your visual wish list.

I don’t know what it is about the third seasons of my all time favorite television shows. Their third years always seem to be one of their best, if not THE best, season of the series. And this one is no exception. By this time, Gilmore Girls has grown to be one of the more accomplished, sophisticated, witty, clever, and intelligent pieces of work on television. I am constantly amazed with every episode with the magnitude of clever writing, humor, and top of the line acting. Amy Sherman-Palladino is a writer/director of immense talent, and I am still thrilled to this day that she has given us the wonderful gift of the girls. Season 3 is, in my opinion, the best season of the show yet. Filled with the colorful characters and stories that have cemented the series’ reputation, season 3 delivers in all areas. Season 3 contains many of the show’s top best episodes to date. The season starts off with “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days”, a sunny opener. Rory’s college future is first taken on in the third episode, the hysterical “Application Anxiety”. One of the best episodes is “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?”, a dazzling episode that sees Lorelei and Rory participating in the town’s dance-a-thon, but things go bad when the ongoing Dean/Jess rivalry comes to a head. Fantastic. “Let The Games Begin” is a hilarious elder Gilmore centered episode that puts Rory’s future college plans into question. The holidays come into play with the wonderful “A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving”, where the girls are invited to 4 different Thanksgiving dinners. Lorelei’s backstory comes into play in the teriffic “Dear Emily And Richard”, a flashback rich episode that shows a young Lorelei getting pregnant with Rory, and the rift between her and her parents when she goes into labor. Old beau Max Medina comes back into Lor’s life in the unforgettable “Keg! Max!”, which also has a slamming party that causes mayhem for Rory and Lane. The character of Jess caused a lot of great mayhem with other characters, but was always a one note, one sided character himself with no real story for being the way he is. He was on book smart level with Rory, but other than that, they didn’t have anything in common and were wrong for each other. Jess’ departure starts in “Say Goodnight, Gracie”, when his dad shows up, and completely leaves in “Here Comes The Son”, which was supposed to set up his own spin-off, which never happened. The season ends with one of the shows’ greatest finales, “Those Are Strings, Pinocchio”, which sees Rory graduate from Chilton. It was a monumental and classic episode to go out on. One of the best. There is plenty more to relish in these 22 episodes, and those are just the tip of the iceberg. Other great pleasures include “The Big One”, which includes a hilarious after sex talk between Paris and Rory. “One’s Got Class & The Other One Dyes” is classic Gilmore, and it has Lorelei sweating bullets when her past comes into question when giving a talk to a high school class about getting pregnant at 16. The cast continues to shine and show that they are one of the finest and tighest ensembles on television. It continues to be a crime that they, and the show itself, doesn’t recogniting from the Emmy’s. Lauren Graham becomes more and more amazing with each passing season, and she is definitley one of the best actresses, with one of the best characters, on TV at the moment. Alexis Bledel is still the best kid on the tube, and everyone else showcases what a fine ensemble cast should be. The writing is still some of the most amazing on television, and you really need to know your stuff and pop culture to know some of the things they are talking about. Season 3 of Gilmore Girls is top notch, quality television, and it makes you wish that all TV shows could be this good.

Download Ballets Russes Online. Movie Title: Ballets Russes Average customer review: Ballets Russes is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Ballets Russes

The good news is that in Ballets Russes, viewers don’t need to know anything about ballet to enjoy this electrifying documentary by Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine, This is a lovingly and confidently made documentary that brings to life an era of unequaled artistic excitement. Equally heart-wrenching, and riveting and thoroughly entertaining the Ballet Russes unwinds like a historical thriller, laying bare the politics, rivalries, tremendous egos, and creative appetites that produced two of the world’s greatest ballet companies.

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Weaving actual historical footage of the companies with interviews of these dancers today, the film starts with a first-ever reunion of Ballets Russes dancers in New Orleans in 2000, and juxtaposes this with the various permutations of the troupes that started with impresario Serge Diaghilev’s legendary Paris-based Ballets Russes. When Diaghilev died in 1929, ballet came to a standstill until a pair of entrepreneurs began Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo two years later.

What follows is a beguiling journey through the intoxicating twists and turns of the next 30 years of ballet history, which involved competing companies, the legendary choreographers George Balanchine, Leonide Massine and David Lichine, and almost every major dancer you can think of, including dancers such as Alicia Markova and Alexandra Danilova. The guides through this world are the dancers themselves, many white-haired and elderly, offering up sharp and often-funny anecdotes. Some were barely in their teens at the time, from families who had lost everything in the Russian Revolution.

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These men and women, many of them now in their 80s and 90s, are still totally alive and articulate, including the regal Markova, the coquettish Nathalie Krassovska, and the red-convertible driving octogenarian Tatiana Riabouchinska, who continues to teach because “what will I do, sell fruit? This is my life.” These dancers, choreographers, and impresarios were shamelessly passionate in pursing their professional and personal lives, and the result is a story filled with enough backstage intrigues, romantic rivalries and unlikely assignations to make it the juiciest of artistic soap operas.

The male dancers are equally compelling, there’s Frederick Franklin, who talks movingly of his nearly 20-year partnership with Danilova and also the 90-year-old Marc Platt, who had his name changed to Platoff because everyone had to seem Russian, and the vital George Zoritch, captured reliving the past with Krassovska in a moment from “Giselle.” Their grainy performance clips give us an emotional quality that is not to be matched, and their interviews reflected an era of excitement, novelty, innovation, and yes, even sexiness!

The Ballets Russes is one of the best documentaries of the year, a wonderful story of a grand moment in high-art culture, the archival footage so breathtaking, and the reminiscences so piquant, that even a novice can’t help being swept up in this ode to one of the world’s greatest art forms. Mike Leonard February 06.

Today practically every one-horse town in America has a ballet studio: One room affairs with tinkly piano music and an aging grand dame leading rows of tu-tu-clad little girls. We take it for granted, but at the beginning of the last century ballet was almost nonexistent in the US, and elsewhere in the world it was in serious danger of dying out. When two banker-types decided to restart a legendary dance troupe and give the art of ballet a new, modern face, they single-handedly resurrected the art form and changed the world of dance forever.

“Ballet Russes” documents the golden years of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and its offshoot, the Original Ballet Russe. Through wonderful archival footage and delightful interviews with surviving dancers (of which there are a surprising amount; dancing is very good for your health) we witness incredible athleticism, heartbreaking artistry, and enough drama to fill ten seasons of “Desperate Housewives”.

There’s the machinations of warring choreographers Massine and Balanchine (he of the “baby ballerinas”), the love affairs and feuds of the dancers (”The Russians weren’t very nice to each other,” recalls Fredrick Franklin, still delightfully gossipy in his eighties) and of course recollections of playing a Salvador Dali ballet in Middle America (”Strange people dressed in strange costumes doing strange things”, as one dancer puts it.).

These were some spectactular-looking people, as the photos attest. Three ballerinas, now pushing ninety, get all giggly remembering the hunkiness of George Zoritch (who is still alive and looks at least twenty years younger than he is). Zoritch and his old partner Krassovaska dance out a scene from Giselle for the cameras in what has to be the documentary’s most adorable moment (he later recalls Krassovaska’s six week marriage to a Hollywood musician with a roll of his eyes). Every interview snippet with spitfire Tatiana Riabouchinska is also a treat. Her story of how she started taking ballet classes is hilarious (”No one said no to my Mother.”).

As they toured across America, the dancers ignited the love of ballet in young people of every background. The filmakers interview Native American Maria Tallchief (who inspired me to take up ballet), as well as the company’s first black ballerina, Raven Wilkinson (whose career was cut short thanks to the Klu Klux Klan). The troupe made a brief stop-off in Hollywood, where they casually cranked out a couple of films. None of them really stayed, though. Dancing was their love and their life, and even though they were treated more or less like circus animals, they all had the bug. Sixty years later, many of them tear up when they remember their time on the stage for the greatest ballet company in the world.

You don’t have to be a ballet nut to enjoy this film, and you don’t have to understand why a person would want to dedicate their entire life to prancing around in tights. The passion of these still-spry dancers will explain it for you. They did what they were born to do, and they had a blast doing it. We can all understand that, can’t we?

GRADE: A

NOTE: Watch for my favorite moment in the film, a clip of the Rita Hayworth film, “Tonight and Every Night” with Ballet Russe dancer Marc Platt. You think Gene Kelly was the greatest dancer in film? Think again.

Download VeggieTales – The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown Online. Movie Title: VeggieTales – The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown Average customer review: VeggieTales – The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download VeggieTales – The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown

Ever wondered which silly song from the Veggie Tales videos is the silliest? Well, you are just about to find out! Hosted by the Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything (aka Larry the cucumber, Pa Grape, and Mr. Lunt), “The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown” is, well… just what is says. The countdown to which song is the silliest of all! After collecting votes from Veggie Tales fans, you’ll be able to know the results. Is it “The Cheeseburger Song”? “I Love My Lips”? “The Hairbrush Song”? Find out as you watch this hilariously fun 43 minutes program!

For a while I’ve been thinking that the Veggie Tales are only for younger kids and especially not for teenagers. But after getting a few tapes from my friends and watching them, I realized I was totally wrong! I just really LOVE the videos and I’ve been enjoying watching them with my parents! And probably my most favorite Veggie Tale is “The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown”. The songs are just so silly that my parents and I were just laughing, laughing, and laughing! In our opinions though, are favorites are “Endangered Love” and “I Love My Lips”. The “Water Buffalo Song” is pretty fun, too. And it’s not just the songs which are great, whenever the countdown machine malfunctions, you get to watch the Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, who are also extremely silly. So if you like Veggie Tales, heard of it, or even if you’ve never even heard of it, I highly recommend you watch this tape! (And also, don’t miss the dance mixes of the silly songs at the very end.)

The other Veggie Tale videos are also very enjoyable with great Christian values, each teaching a very valuable lesson. One of my favorites is “King George and the Ducky”, which teaches about selfishness.

This video is a must-have for Silly Song Fans everywhere.

Hosted by “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything”, this is a countdown show from the #10 Silly Song to the #1 favorite Silly Song of all time. The votes (taken on the Veggie Tales website) have been tabulated by the “Astonishing Contraption of Silliness.” Occasionally, there is a glitch in the machine, which causes a very mixed-up title, but the Silly Songs on this video will no doubt be YOUR favorites from the Veggie Tales series.

You will get to see 10 full-length Silly Songs. This video is 43 minutes long, about 13 minutes longer than most Veggie Tales videos. If you have children who will want to watch the same songs over and over, obviously the DVD would be a better choice for you!

The only reason I gave this 4 stars and not 5 is that there isn’t any really new material. They do have an entertaining format in how they announce the next song, but the songs are all ones that Veggie Tales fans have heard before.

Be watching for Veggie Tales’ full-length movie, “Jonah” to appear in theaters in 2002!

Please check out my reviews of Christian videos, books, and music!

Download Sledge Hammer! – Season One Online. Movie Title: Sledge Hammer! – Season One Average customer review: Sledge Hammer! – Season One is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Sledge Hammer! – Season One

Whenever someone says, “Trust me, I know what I’m doing” with a big gun in his hand, you know you should be worried. Either all hell is going to break loose or slapstick of the Three Stooges variety is on the way. You should be worried in either case. “Sledge Hammer” took the Dirty Harry character, made him inept and planted him right in the middle of a comedy. Sledge (David Rasche) talks to his gun. He does just about everything with his gun. His partner Dori (Anne-Marie Martin) displays a little more common sense. Unfortunately, Sledge rarely listens to what she or his boss Captain Trunk (Harrison Page) have to say and the result is bedlam.

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A highlight of this series is “Miss of the Spider Woman” (if you love bad puns, you’ll love this show for examle one episode is entitled “Dori Day Afternoon”) where Sledge is mistaken for his neighbor. Unfortunately, his neighbor had a hit man after him. When the assassin poisons Sledge his reaction brought a smile to my face. “Great, when I finally die, I’m gonna see my neighbor’s life flash before my eyes!” Gotta love a series that takes bad puns, slapstick and witty asides and crams them all into a twenty-two minute episode.

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Anchor Bay does its usual stellar job here with a top-notch transfer. The images come at you just as fast and furious as the gags and there’s few analog or digital blemishes. It helps that this series was shot on film vs. videotape as the overall quality is higher. The sound comes across with considerable presence. The DVD is packing heat with a lot of extras shoved into its shoulder holster. First-hurray! There’s no laugh track on any of these. There’s a very good 30 minute documentary included with the primary cast of Rasche, Martin and Page as well as key members of the crew. There’s shared stories from the cast & crew about the trials they faced bringing the series to life. Also, the uncertainty they faced year to year as to whether they were going to be renewed, etc. We also get the promo spots, the “bumper” spots (i.e. “We’ll be right back”). There’s also a “case file” booklet with trivia, comments, etc. We also get a stills gallery, memorabilia gallery and “electronic” press kit where producer/writer Spenser discusses the show for sponsors and network affiliates. The icing onthe cake, though, are the 4 episode commentary tracks by writer/creator/producer Alan Spenser. A pity none of the actors were invited to participate.

A amusing show that many fans will be happy to finally have on DVD, “Sledge Hammer” looks very good on DVD with a sharp transfer and comes with a variety of strong extras. For folks who hate laugh tracks, the removal of the laugh track is a big plus. Additionally, stuffed in Sledge’s holster are a documentary, promo spots, the electronic press kit, a 16 page booklet with info and trivia and commentary on 4 tracks by the creator of the show. Oh, and I forgot to mention this–it has the unaired pilot episode as an added bonus as well. Enjoy!

A friend of mine got a review copy of “Sledge Hammer: Season One” and let me take a look yesterday since I’m a long time “Hammerhead.” Brother, let me tell you — this baby’s packed to the nines with special features. I thought I knew the show well but even I was surprised.

First off, the shows NEVER looked this good. Every episode looks brand new and has stereo audio (2.0 as opposed to 5.1.). What’s really great is that Anchor Bay went to the time and trouble to remove the network imposed laugh track that marred the first thirteen episodes of the show. (Based on the way he talks about it on the DVD, my guess is creator Alan Spencer insisted on that one.)

Time has treated the show well as it was WAY ahead of its time. While there are the occasional outdated 80’s references, there are plenty of topical wisecracks that prove strangely prophetic. At one point, Sledge Hammer rails about liberals mucking up his crime fighting system and literally daydreams about invading Iraq!

Time has also treated the cast well. They’re all featured on an all new documentary called “Go Ahead, Make Me Laugh” that was informative as well as touching. It’s clear that David Rasche, Anne-Marie Martin, Harrison Page and Alan Spencer all love each other.

Spencer does audio commentary on four episodes, supposedly completely unedited, and I think one of them will be the topic of much discussion. Here’s my appraisal of the commentaries:

“Under The Gun” (The Pilot Episode): Spencer talks a mile a minute at a Robin Williams pace on this. He doesn’t let up because he seems to want to cram in as much as possible for the fans who have waited so long for this release. Trust him, he knows what he’s doing. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth.

“Witless”: This famous episode spoofed the Harrison Ford thriller “Witness” and Spencer recounts his struggles with the network censors (who were sensitive to offending the Amish) as well as star Rasche’s kindness to a bit player. Spencer stream of consciousness comments about James Bond made me laugh out loud.

“All Shook Up”: Another well known episode is about Hammer’s attempt to thwart a serial killer knocking off Elvis impersonators around town. Spencer talks at length about his late friend Andy Kaufman and gives him full credit for getting him into the King of Rock & Roll.

“The Spa Who Loved Me”: Here’s the season finale with that insanely impossible cliffhanger. This is the commentary people will be talking about as something unexpected happens midway through and I can’t tell whether it’s a joke or not. The fact that Spencer was a good friend of Andy Kaufman makes me suspicious, although I’ve listen to it three times and it sounds totally convincing. The message blogs will have a field day with this and I’m eager to see how Spencer will respond in interviews when they ask him what the heck was going on. (I’d like to know the EXACT date he recorded audio in LA.)

“Sledge Hammer: Season One” was worth the wait. Alan Spencer dedicates the set to his three favorite “teachers” Oliver Hailey, Marty Feldman and Andy Kaufman. I think they’d be very proud of their prize student.