The Snow Queen (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently took this off the shelf at my local video rental store because the picture on the box showed a white haired Bridget Fonda dressed in a beautiful sparkly white dress and a snow white cloak made of feathers. It looked to me like Hallmark Entertainment was going to at least try to do this film up right.
As it turned out, a lavish budget did provide many beautiful costumes, sets, and location scenery, but the simplicity and innocence of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale got lost in three hours of so-so acting, a poor screen play, dreadful dialog, bad film editing and lousy direction from David Wu.
In the original fairy tale the protagonists are two children named Kay and Gerda. In this film Kay has been changed to Kai and both Kai and Gerda are young adults who are in love.
One day Kai gets beguiled by the Snow Queen who rules the season of Winter and he is kidnapped and taken to her Ice Palace. Gerda begins a long (and in this film I do mean LONG) quest to discover his whereabouts and to rescue him. In order to do this she must travel through the lands of the other Seasons. She meets with the eccentric denizens of Spring, Summer and Autumn and each of them attempts to kidnap her. The idiosyncratic Andersen's take on the seasons was odd enough in the original story, but in this film is all the more exaggerated.
Kai has a talking Polar Bear (crafted with skill by Jim Henson's Creature Works) for a prison guard. His involvment with the polar bear is one of the many reasons this movie drags. Several ridiculous minutes are spent with Kai teaching the bear to ice-skate, for example.
The actors portraying Wolfgang, the father, Gerda, and Kai are tolerable if not note-worthy. Bridget Fonda, in my opinion, was not right for the part of the Snow Queen. Her performance is lackluster and she delivers her lines as though she's LaFemme Nikita rather than a character in a fairy tale. She looks the part but she doesn't seem particularly frosty or seductive as the script calls for her to be. Her lines are delivered in a flat emotionless way that I suppose is meant to be icy, but comes off as dull. You really wonder how in the world Kai could have been beguiled by such a person.
The interior sets, the costumes, the lighting...all the cosmetic trim of this film are beautiful and they are what made me so want to love this movie, but the magic is missing and I was never able to get swept away by the story.
At three hours in length and with a plot that focuses on mature themes of love lost, grief and seduction, even suicide, this film is most decidedly NOT for children of any age. Yet, with the corny talking bear and a talking reindeer and some really silly robber characters, I can't say it is a film for adults, either.
There is some really cheesy dialog that is too much like modern slang for example when the Summer Princess comments on Gerda's dress by saying, "That peasant look is so last year," or later when she asks Gerda, "Do I look a porker in this dress?"
There is a whole lot of trite symbolism featuring red roses that further takes up time for no real benefit. In the original story Andersen has a "demon" creating havok with a magical mirror but in the film the minor league demon has been changed to Satan himself and they actually say the mirror is crafted in Hell. They make the devil look really cliche in this film and I feel it was too heavy-handed and out of sync with the rest of the picture. Sadly, this production just doesn't work. Even with a big budget, lavish decorations and costumes, talented actors, and a story that has enchanted people for over a century and a half, it still falls flat. I'd say skip this one...and for sure, do not try to make your kids sit through it. It's no fun.

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Masterpiece Theater: Anna Karenina (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a stunning, not-stuffy-at-all adaptation of Tolstoy's seminal work. The casting is excellent and the script is true to the story line. Anna is particularly well-cast. She's passionate, loved by men and women alike, smart and compelling to watch. The two men in Anna's life are well cast, as well. Anna's husband's character is portrayed with all of the depth that he has in the book, which is an impressive feat. The man who plays Vronsky was a perfect choice even if he is blond and in the book he is dark.
The Kitty/Konstantin parallel plot is very well done, and both characters are also very well cast. In the book, Kitty has more depth than is portrayed, but she is beautiful and charming here nonetheless.
They don't rush the plot. It is presented thoughtfully which does Tolstoy's masterpiece the due it deserves. Watch this over several nights if you want. You'll think about it all day, every day until you're done watching the whole thing.

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Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. This famous line commences a refreshingly modern interpretation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina--an epic tale of love, duty, marriage and infidelity. This richly detailed film charts the tragic romantic triangle formed when the dashing Count Vronsky defies social conventions and falls into forbidden love with Anna, the ignored wife of an aristocrat. Soon, Anna’s children-a son by Alexei and illegitimate daughter by Vronsky-become pawns in Alexei’s game to see that Anna pays a terrible price for her indiscretion.With its gripping narrative and unbridled romance, Anna Karenina reveals the uncontrollable passion, emotional betrayal and courage of a woman who violates moral strictures and risks everything to follow her heart.Helen McCrory stars as Anna, along with Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting) as Count Vronsky, the handsome object of her desires; and Tony Award-winner Stephen Dillane (The Real Thing) as Alexei Karenin, Anna’s callously principled husband.

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MPD Psycho: The Complete Miniseries (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)The third personality of a schizophrenic detective escapes his body, possesses others, and sets in motion a series of murders and dismemberments throughout a city. This is a 6-part (5 hour) miniseries directed by Takashi Miike, and is one of the weirdest, quirkiest films ever made (i.e., personality transfer, wacky detectives, stolen fetuses, people killed and planted in soil, bar-coded eyeballs, etc.). The greatest contribution is that the storyline is essentially a brainteaser that gives clues to many events that occur offscreen. Luckily, this is sharply intelligent and successfully executed since things make sense after the viewer works things out. In addition, the character of Nishizono Shinji is perhaps one of the more intriguing murderers in cinema. On the negative side, there is a noticeable lack of action and suspense sequences, but this series is very interesting for its massive quantities of originality as well as its seemingly endless layers of complexity.
It's debatable whether or not Miike intentionally used pixellations to cover up some of the gore. I think he did it on purpose because what little can be seen outside the pixellation range looked very fake. I seriously doubt that Miike would use a cheap plastic model for someone's brains. He probably used the pixellation to disturb the viewer by forcing them to use their imagination.
Buy this series. It's really good. And if you have difficulty figuring out what exactly is going on, head over to the IMDb message board for some explanations.


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Malice Spreads Like DiseaseYosuke Kobayashi a detective assigned to a homicide unit saw his wife killed by a serial killer Shinji Nishizono. From the shock of the incident he suffers from MPD (multiple personality disorder) and becomes Kazuhiko Amamiya. Soon after he manages to hunt down and kill his wife\'s murderer. Now a new series of murders have started and the suspect claims to be Shinji Nishizono. Could it really be him or is it a copycat?From cult filmmaker Takashi Miike (Gozu One Missed Call Audition).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:HORROR Rating:NR UPC:787364750993

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Traffic - The Miniseries (The Director's Cut) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)The original version was done by the Brits in 1990. Titled "Traffik" - it concerned the herion trade from Pakistan and its impact on life in Great Britain. It's a fascinating story with major characters in three distinct locations: Britian, Hamburg, and Pakistan. The characters of these three story-arcs interconnect and intertwine as the devastation of drug use and the futility of the drug war are laid bare.
If the story seems familiar, Steven Soderbergh retold it in his feature film "Traffic" in 1991. While shifting the locale to America, changing the drug to crack/cocaine and moving the source to Mexico, Soderbergh's version retains the essential elements of the British original:
A high ranking gov't official charged with fighting illegal drugs, his struggle as the problem hits close to home, the upscale wife of an arrested major drug dealer who steps into the drug trade to maintain her family's lifestyle, the local cops doing their best in the drug war, and the locals of the third world country - the source of the drugs - caught up in the dangerous business in their efforts to merely survive.
Now, 13 years later, USA network has updated the story yet again for the post-9/11 world. And a magnificent job they have done. While Soderbergh was content to do a straight remake, this newest version resets and recasts the characters and locations while only retaining the basic bullet-points of the plot. As dark, moody, and despairing as the original, the newest "Traffic" hits the mark.
I watched it as it ran on USA some months back and decided it would be a "must-buy" when it came out on DVD. To see that we will be getting a "director's cut" - well, that's just icing on an already delicious cake.
If your tastes run toward the gritty crime genre - Homicide:LotS / The Wire / French Connection / Prime Suspect - and you don't mind a little pessimism in your entertainment - you definitely want this latest telling of a story of our time.

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Go beyond the Academy Award-winning film, Traffic, in this electrifying USA Original Miniseries, Traffic: The Miniseries, from directors Stephen Hopkins (director of the thrilling TV show "24") and Eric Bross (On the Line). It's a life-and-death struggle for most secret agents on America's borders. In the sinister and seductive world of illegal trafficking, most supply and demand isn't for drugs it's for chemical goods, weapons and even human beings. When three men attempt to apprehend the elusive criminals behind these illicit trade organizations, they find their lives intertwined in ways they never could have imagined. Go deep undercover in this heart-pounding, edgy race for survival, and now, in the must-own Director's Cut, experience even more of the intense action with exclusive uncensored footage and an all-new, edge-of-your-seat twist ending.

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Reversible Errors (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I enjoyed this film. It's probably Tom Selleck's best role and Shamar Moore did his character justice as well. Once I saw the ending I replayed the entire DVD to go back and catch things the second time. Knowing what motivated the prinicpal characters made it even more enjoyable the second time through. This was a great film and it shows that a thriller can be great without the sex and extreme violence.

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This was a 4 hour mini-series based on scott turows best-selling novel. The suspense revolves around a corporate lawyer whose world is turned upside down when he is assigned to draft the final appeal of a potentially innocent inmate nearing his execution date.Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent.Release Date: 08/30/2005Starring: Wililam H Macy Tom SelleckRun time: 173 minutesRating: Nr

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Generation Kill (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)As an Iraq veteran I was skeptical about watching this at first, thinking that it would be a "Hollywoodized" version of the war. Then a buddy of mine told me it was by far one of the greatest shows he's ever seen, so I gave it a go. Halfway through the first episode I was awestruck. Like the title of my review states, this show is brutal, relentless, and above all AUTHENTIC. Though I was with the Army, our job was very similar to these Marines in that we rode around in Humvees searching for the bad guys.
Anyone who has served in Iraq in a combat role will relate to these Marines all-too-easily. Well talk the same, have the same frustrations with the chain-of-command and understanding our mission some days (though thankfully my unit did not have anyone like "Captain America"), and deal with the same issues regarding supplies, lack of sleep, and fighting an enemy who the day previously may have been begging you for food.
Some viewers may be turned off by the extreme vulgarity and profanity, but fact is that is the way most "grunts" talk. And I think every Platoon or Squad in theater has its own "CPL Pearson." Fact of the matter is, none of us are saints and war does bring out mankind at both its best and its worst. "Generation Kill" shows both sides to the Marines in the rawest sense. One thing I like is that it does not attempt to take a political stance one way or the other on the war. Some may view the series as anti-war, given the way some of the Marines question their mission and why they are there. But again that is another reality of this war.
I never thought I would ever want to watch a movie or series about Iraq, however this is by far one of the best series I have ever seen, period! For anyone who is a veteran, knows a veteran, or just wants to know what the war over in Iraq is really like, "Generation Kill" is a must see!
SFC James Mace, U.S. Army
OIF III, 2004-2005

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Based on the national best-selling book by Evan Wright, Generation Kill is an authentic and vividly detailed 7 part HBO mini-series event that presents a uniquely epic and intimate portrait of the first 40 days of the Iraq war from the perspective of the Marines of the First Recon Battalion – a new breed of American soldiers.
The mini-series tells the story of these young Marines physical and emotional journey into the heart of Baghdad in those initial weeks, and how the war reveals to be much more complicated, problematic and tragic than anyone had contemplated. Many of the complications and problems that arise are due to the unwieldy military bureaucracy which the Marines confront in the midst of the war, the challenges of over-zealous and incompetent commanding officers, ever-changing rules of engagement, a non-existent strategy, severe deficiencies in necessary armor and supplies, and an enemy they don’t understand.
Generation Kill is a humorous and frightening first hand account of these remarkable men, of the personal toll of victory, and of the brutality, camaraderie and bureaucracy of a new American war. It is a profoundly insightful and realistic look at the risk, costs and ultimately, the failures of the war.
Written and produced by Emmy-award winner David Simon (the Wire), and also produced by the award-winning George Faber (Elizabeth I).

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Arabian Nights (Edited Version) (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's very amazing that this was originally presented as a cable mini-series - as I eventually happened to watch it in its entirety and found it to be, in fact, quite extraordinary! I never thought, in all these years of watching movies, that such a film could be made from such a classic and intricate collection of stories - Ah - and how it has come to enthrall me! I truly am undone!
Scheherazade (Mili Avital) marries the Sultan Schahriar (Dougray Scott) even though she knows that his mad mind has contrived a plan to execute his new wife the morning after their wedding. After they are married, she proceeds to spend every wakeful night with him, feeding his imagination with wondrous tales!
This is based on the classic work of writing - A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, by Sir Richard Burton. It includes ancient tales that had been passed down for hundreds and even thousands of years! Five of these stories, including the tale of Ali Baba (Rufus Sewell) and Aladdin (Jason Scott Lee) are woven and portrayed upon the screen here in brilliant fashion! The special effects are far beyond what one would ever expect - even from a big-screen movie. I am sure, in fact, that this was only made for cable because it is a captivating 4-hours long!
The performances herein are as excellent as ever one can come by - Mili Avital and Dougray Scott are both so lovely and possess a wonderful chemistry - And the settings are nothing less than exquisite! If you have four or so hours of easy leisure - I recommend this for both its insight and its beauty~~

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House of Saddam (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)(NOTE:This review is in response to the original HBO presentation/airing and not of it's future home DVD release)
Presented and watched as one four hour block (with each of it's four parts averaging around 58 minutes each) this was one well cast and performed HBO/BBC production on the reign of Saddam Hussein. Showcasing the years between his take-over of the Presidency of Iraq in 1979 up thru his execution in 2006, this mini-series was well informative and even at it's length, not very dragging in parts. And don't think this is all about Saddam either, his family and fellow soldier/followers are in full force here too. And each part is extremely well-played, even reaching the point where recreated news-footage makes you think you're seeing the real thing. If there was any fault of this mini-series it lied in the final fourth act, basically showcasing Saddam's hiding exile, going from Iraq's largest leader to a pauper hiding in a hole (just like it was in real life). But not being a Hussein historian by any means (who'd want to?), I truly felt that this script followed the insane leader and those around him to a tee. Quite disturbing in parts without being too graphic (Saddam had a thing about his relatives getting to close to greatness...he didn't like it) and showing a side of the madman you may not expect (he loved film-making, especially if the star was playing him), this is one mini-series highly suggested to anyone who doubts taking him out of power wasn't the right thing to do or a neccesary evil. Would love to see some interviews with the cast on how each of them channeled these characters so well, will probably purchase this on DVD and sit through the dark-subject four hours even again.
(RedSabbath Rating:9.0/10)

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Revealing the private world of Saddam Hussein and his inner circle, this gripping 4-part, 4-hour miniseries charts the rise and fall of one of the most significant political figures in recent history. Over the course of 27 years, Saddam (Igal Naor) rose from peasant origins to the highest office in Iraq, consolidating his power by executing those who posed real or imagined threats, and surrounding himself with family members, ultimately his notorious sons Uday and Qusay. Along the way, Saddam pushed aside his wife Sajida (Oscar® nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo) for a young mistress, orchestrated the death of Sajidas brother Adnan (his closest confidante), and forced two cousins of high rank who had married his daughters to divorce their wives before meeting a grisly end. In the end, House of Saddam reveals its title character as a man of undeniable vision ultimately brought down by his own flaws especially an unquenchable thirst for power, attained at all costs, including the sacrifice of those who were closest to him.

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Boys Over Flowers Vol. 1 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, I absolutely adored this drama. It had its flaws and ran on a bit, but it was a delight to watch and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys kdramas. That said, I first watched a fansubbed version of this right after it had wrapped in Korea and while the subtitles were well done, I wanted an "official" region 1 version for my collection. Imagine my excitement when it became available! I bought both vol. 1 and vol. 2. The packaging is great, vol. 1 includes a lovely photobook of the F4 and Jan Di, the disk quality is great, and the subttles are OK (there are some discrepancies, i.e some names are not quite what they should be), but there is one MAJOR difference from the fansubbed version--the backround music is different! So BE WARNED! If you watched the original Korean release with fansubs, all the backround music from the O.S.T. is completely different. Usually things like this don't bother me and if you've never seen any other version of this you won't notice, but the original songs in the backround were really catchy ones performed by some great Kpop groups! For me, the different music really changes the mood of some of the scenes. I'm sure the original songs are not included due to liscensing issues or some such legal mumbo jumbo, but it kind of sucks for us, who have shelled out quite a bit cash and expected to get the original TV show with its original soundtrack and found that that is not the case. Oh well, all gripes aside, for those who are interested in watching this show for the first time--I highly recommend it. It had its silly eye rolling moments, but the cast (especially the F4 boys) were lovey to watch and the story was very entertaing. But if you are like me and have seen it before and just wanted to add it to your collection--I warn you now, changes have been made.


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TheBoys Over Flowers phenomenon comes to America! Join Jandi and the Boys of F4 as they learn the true meaning of friendship and love in the hit comedy sweeping across Asia.Jandi is a brave high school girl who fights for the rights of others no matter the cost. When she defends a friend against the elite Boys of F4 (Flower 4), they target Jandi as their next victim. But nothing stops Jandi. She fights back and wins the admiration of the extravagantly wealthy boys. In a comedy filled with entanglements and adventure, Jandi never stops helping others. And F4 never stops rescuing her! The Boys of F4 may be loyal to each other, but they all lose their hearts to Jandi.Boys Over Flowers is based on the hugely popular Japanese manga, Hana Yori Dango, by Yoko Kamio. The Korean TV adaptation dominated the ratings and continues to win fans with its combination of laughter, thrills and romance. On DVD with English subtitles.

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The Last Enemy (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was having a discussion with a much younger person, a college freshman, who was talking enthusiastically about how much she accomplishes on the internet: banking, investing, shopping, updating her information on Facebook. I suggested that she read George Orwell's 1984, Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale and watch the movie The Net. Also to check out what happened during the 2003 North East Blackout when debit cards wouldn't work, computers stopped, cell towers were overloaded so it was hard to make a call and if you needed a card to enter a building, you're out of luck. This BBC drama takes the whole scenario even further to demonstrate the good and the bad of using surveillance technology to protect us as long as we are considered "the good citizens." You don't have to be particularly paraniod to see how many of the things written about in 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale have become matters of course.
This series has excellent acting, plenty of suspense and makes you want to watch it all in one viewing. It's entertaining as well as thought-provoking.

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Item Name: The Last Enemy; Studio:WGBH - Preorder

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Bleak House (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)For once, I am happy to find a remake of a fine old Masterpiece Theatre offering that is as good as the original. "Bleak House" is currently available on an DVD with Diana Rigg as the most familiar name; and except for some incomprehensible line readings by a young character named Joe, it is a very good account of the Dickens novel. Having already appeared on Public Television, the remake has Gillian Anderson (yes, the one from "X-Files") as Lady Dedlock, and a cast of 80 speaking roles, many of which are played by actors that will send you searching the cast listings that go by too quickly at the end of each episode.The eight parts will be shown so that the first and last will run two hours and the four in between an hour each. I found the complex plot actually easier to follow in this version than I did in the earlier one. And while I prefer Rigg to Anderson, I think I can easily recommend this new adaptation over the other.The story--lawyers will hate it--involves the infamous Court of Chancery in which disputes over estates can be buried for years until the lawyers' fees make further legalizing unnecessary. Against this background, the case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce being a major part of it, we have the story of John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson), his ward Ada (Carey Mulligan), her companion Esther (Anna Maxwell Martin), and Ada's beloved Richard (Patrick Kennedy).The latter becomes obsessed with the case, while Esther becomes involved in the mysterious past of Lady Dedlock, who happens to recognize the handwriting on some legal documents delivered by the utterly immoral family solicitor Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance). I will not reveal any more of the plot, lest it spoil your enjoyment. You will wind up guessing much of it, but it is a lot of fun--unless you are a lawyer.Peripheral to the plot are the usual cast of Dickens "characters": Krook the junkman (Johnny Vegas) who finds some incriminating letters (and dies the strangest death in all fiction), Smallweed the moneylender (Phil Davis) who cannot walk by himself and must be "shaken up" by his weird niece every few minutes and who gets the letters, and Miss Flite ( Pauline Collins) who looks forward to "judgment day" when her case will finally be settled and she can set her birds free.Most interesting of all is the policeman Bucket (Alun Armstong), the first real detective in English fiction. Although he looks like a toady for the rich, he does his job and does it well, solving a murder case and being considerate to a certain lady who would suffer if her connection with the case should come out.Of course, the arm of coincidence in Dickens is a long one; and while a good deal of the plot does strain credulity, the acting and period ambience are of the highest level. The only thing that annoyed me was the director segmenting his "establishing shots" (exterior views of buildings to let us know where we are) into two or three rapid cuts with some electronic "whoosh" for each one. Pretentious and irritating after the first dozen or so.


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Studio: Warner Home VideoRelease Date: 02/28/2006

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Island at War (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)This BBC series is well written and well acted, and the Isle of Man location works perfectly as a substitute for the Channel Islands, but I would caution buyers that the series ends a bit abruptly, still in mid-war, with many plotlines dangling and unresolved. This is not a little frustrating, and causes me to subtract a star from what I would otherwise be inclined to award. The problem is one of conception -- this program was originally designed to continue for a second series, so the first batch of episodes ties up one plotline while leaving the rest in stasis as cliffhangers to draw viewers back for more. Bad idea! This is what I was told by my local PBS station: The series was evidently not as well received in the UK as hoped for and a second series was never produced. To make things worse, the screenwriter died. This leaves us with, unfortunately, a fascinating story with a very fine beginning and middle but no true ending. I suspect other viewers will be equally disappointed. Just like the animated Ralph Bakshi version of The Lord of the Rings story, half a movie is almost worse than no movie at all.
What there is is great, but be prepared to never know what finally happens to most of the chief characters. It's like sitting down to what looks like a wonderful, lavish meal and then having to leave the table after the first course.


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In the only part of Britain occupied by the Nazis during WWII, the nightmare began in June 1940. Hitler's army invaded the defenseless Channel Islands and held its residents hostage for five years. What would any of us do if we had to live side by side with the enemy? This Masterpiece Theatre drama draws on the real experiences of Channel Islanders as the hostile Nazi command imposed its will on every aspect of their daily lives. Set on the fictional island of St. Gregory, the story of the occupation is told through the eyes of three families. Heart-pounding suspense and unexpected romance unfold in an atmosphere suffused with the moral ambiguity of war. Starring James Wilby (Gosford Park), Clare Holman (Prime Suspect 6), Philip Glenister (Calendar Girls), and Saskia Reeves (Dune). Recommended for mature audiences.

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Tekwar (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been looking forward to this series for a while. Only one rant, where are the first 4 episodes. No Pilot, Tek Lab, Tek Lord or Tek Justice. How can it be a complete series without these.
It kind of pisses me off

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In the year 2045, an addictive computer-based reality drug called "tek" has ignited a war that stretches throughout society. Recruited by a mysterious benefactor to stop the advancing drug is Jake Cardigan (Melrose Place's Greg Evigan), a cop who teams up with a colorful array of partners as the government plots to stop him from revealing the truth. Also starring Eugene Clark (Land of the Dead) and Torri Higginson (Stargate: Atlantis), this riveting series is based on the hit sci-fi novel series by William Shatner (Star Trek, Boston Legal), who also makes special appearances throughout these 18 action-packed episodes!

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The Wire: The Complete Fifth Season (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)That quote by Bunk (Wendell Pierce) in the opening episode of the final season of David Simon's brilliant The Wire sets the stage for the events that unfold in these final ten episodes of the beloved HBO series.
Picking up from the fourth season, Mayor Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) is pouring money into the Baltimore school system, which prompts the police force to work without paid overtime, and also finds the ever self-destructive Jimmy McNulty's (Dominic West) wiretap on murderous drug dealer Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector) put to a premature end. Things begin to change however, when McNulty, along with Freamon's (Clarke Peters) help, manipulate and orchestrate an imaginary, homeless preying, serial killer that garners national attention, all in an effort to put Marlo away once and for all.
Also, much like the previous season focused on the broken education system, the fifth season focuses on the impact of the media in the form of the Baltimore Sun; as editor Gus Haynes (longtime series director Clark Johnson) deals with the downsizing of his staff, and the rise of a reporter (Thomas McCarthy) who may be making up his stories. In the meantime (proving that The Wire is indeed the most multilayered television drama ever created), other subplots abound, including a revenge driven Omar (Michael K. Williams) returning with Marlo in his sights; young Michael (Tristan Wilds) and Dukie (Jermaine Crawford) learn just how dire their situation is; Bubbles (Andre Royo) finds light at the end of the tunnel; and Daniels (Lance Reddick) prepares to take on the role of Commissioner. Most notably however is the impact of the actions of McNulty and Freamon; an impact that ends up effecting everyone in striking distance and beyond, and sets the stage for the final episode of the series, which is one of the most brilliant pieces of television to ever materialize. Not everyone walks away clean (or walks away at all) and rides into the sunset, but it is a perfect way to end a perfect series, and with appearances from familiar faces aplenty along the way, things couldn't have been wrapped up better.
All in all, the final season of The Wire further proves the frequently mentioned point of just how unbelievably good this show was, and how much of a shame it is that it never achieved the kind of uber-popularity that it deserved compared to many of HBO's other shows. Either way, longtime fan or late newcomer, there is nearly nothing better than The Wire, even to its bittersweet end.
"...you gotta keep the devil way down in the hole..."

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In the projects. On the docks. In City Hall. In the schools. And now, in the media. The places and faces have changed, but the game remains the same. Times are tough for the detail. Mayor Carcetti has slashed the departments budget to the bone. Police are operating without overtime some without cars and radios. Angered, McNulty is off the rails again and headed down a dangerous path of deception and lies that will ally him with an unscrupulous reporter. The drug trade still rules the corners, all you have to do is read between the lines.DVD Features:Audio CommentaryFeaturette

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Icon (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Being a Swayze fan and being sad about his health, and now his death, I was looking for some of his work I had not seen. The customer reviews of this movie spiked my interest. It is a very good movie, but it is long so plan the time to watch it accordingly. Swayze's charcter in this movie is similar to his character in his last work, "The Beast", which aired last season on A&E TV (exceptional work). My husband and I watched it together and both enjoyed it. We will keep it in our home media library to enjoy again. I recommend it both as a good movie and to Swayze fans.

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Item Name: Icon; Studio:Platinum Disc

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Beach Girls - The Complete Miniseries (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Absolutley awesome !! Has everything, romance, intrigue and great acting. Love Rob Lowe and Julia Ormand. The setting is beautiful and really brings me back to being young and enjoying summers at the beach. I watch this about 3-4x a year. So glad that put it for sale on DVD. I was waiting !! If you like great romance stories, this is a must have.......

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They were the BEACH GIRLS, an inseparable trio who spent their summers in the beautiful northeast coastal town of Hubbard's Point. But that was a long time ago. Now the past is about to resurface when Nell, the daughter of one of these women, returns to this same sand and surf with her widower dad. Two generations explore love, loss and friendship while discovering how past secrets affect the present. This scintillating six-hour series is based on Luanne Rice's best-selling novel.

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Meteor (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's unfortunate that Amazon doesn't allow for negative ratings, as this made-for-TV miniseries doesn't even deserve one star.
It's hard to know where to start with this one. First of all, the writing for this movie is atrocious. There are factual errors, logical errors and plot holes so bad that you'd swear they had to have been put there on purpose, because no one would mistakenly write something so wrong.
Then there's the direction. There are some very talented actors in this movie, and yet they act as if they're making a silent movie-era melodrama -- overacting to the extreme, making bizarre facial expressions, etc. Without revealing any spoilers, let's just say that one of the characters dies in the second half of the miniseries, and as he dies his body is wracked with convulsions that look like a stagehand is poking him with an electric cattle prod. It's actually funny. And what's with those unlabeled maps that seem to show the location of one of the scenarios? It's like the CGI department ran out of money and they left in half-finished interstitials.
I guess the most egregious fault with this miniseries, though, is the fact that it is completely BORING. So much of the narrative has nothing to do with anything else that occurs that it feels as if they took a two-hour TV movie and tried to stretch it to four hours by padding it with random unrelated storylines.
Oh, yeah, and the basic premise of this, a giant piece of space rock hurtling toward the Earth, has been done to death already.
So PLEASE don't waste your money on this piece of garbage. Buy DVDs of quality television. Heck, buy DVDs of mediocre television. Just don't reward the producers of this movie by giving them your money.

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Get ready for heart-pounding action, incredible special effects and edge-of-your-seat suspense! When renowned scientist Dr. Lehman (Christopher Lloyd, Back to the Future) makes the terrifying discovery that a meteor three times the size of Mount Everest is plummeting towards Earth, he begins a desperate quest to save humanity. Battling government corruption and racing against the clock, Lehman and his assistant (Marla Sokoloff, "The Practice") strive to uncover the truth and avoid disaster of unparalleled proportions. Featuring a powerhouse cast, including Stacy Keach ("Prison Break"), Billy Campbell ("Once and Again"), Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld") and Michael Rooker (JFK), Meteor is the ultimate adrenaline-charged adventure. Stills from Meteor (Click for larger image)

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