Wild Deep [Blu-ray]

Gorgeous imagery, no subtitles
I know I'll get down-voted for posting a less-than-stellar review for this release simply because of this, but I wanted to warn other hearing impaired people that this release has no subtitle options. The photography is brilliant, the series is stunning, but stick to trying to catch it on Animal Planet itself, where the show is closed captioned.

STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY!!!
Ocean Lovers, will Enjoy this well done Visual Treat! Coral Reefs, my favorite, to Anartica are well covered. Enough here, unique, even if you own, the Blue Planet, and or other Sea life discs. Pushes your HDTV to visual limits.

Wild about Wild Deep!
the photography was stunning and the narration eductional without being boring. I would reccommend this to anyone who wants to know more about our reefs and their inhabitants.

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Definitive Guide To: The Mob

THE STORY OF ONE MOBSTER
When I was in high school I took a sudden interest in all things mob related. I read book after book beginning with THE VALACHI PAPERS. For a while it held my interest culminating with finally seeing the film and reading the book THE GODFATHER. While that movie is still one of the best ever made, my interests have dwindled a bit. But when something comes along I still make a point of watching whether it's a TV documentary or something like this new DVD release.

This new DVD first appeared on The History Channel a while back. While it purports to be the definitive guide, it actually gives some of the basics as seen through the eyes of one man, Michael Franzese. The DVD tells the story of how he was the son of a man already involved with the Mafia and how he eventually approached his father about joining himself.

Franzese is a well dressed, successful looking man in the film. He presents himself well but as it progresses he makes it clear that men like him...

An Interesting Documentary
The dust jacket shows that this documentary was originally made for the History channel/
A&E Networks and has now been released in a DVD version.

If you are one of millions that enjoyed watching Godfather, Scarface, Sopranos or the various
other dramatizations of the "Mafia", then you may be interested in this documentary. This
is mostly one man's story, and that man is Sonny Franzese, whose father was in the New York
Colombo family. Despite his father hoping that he'd pursue a more honest career, the acorn
didn't fall far from the tree as the saying goes, and Franzese ended up becoming a
"regimentcapo" or captain for the Colombo family during the late-golden years for the New York
mob families. Franzese is one of the very few "made" men who (he says) exited organized crime
without leaving in a coffin, dying in prison or being in the witness protection program.
Essentially how that happened was a combination of favorable...

Mafia survivor
This is a 90 minute DVD with English and Spanish subtitles. It also has extras of trailers.

Michael Franzese followed his family business with the Colombo family. He tells his story and with that the story of the Cosa Nostra is revealed and examined. There are graphic photos and films - shootings and the deaths of mobsters. There are interviews with other mob members.

We learn how to get into the mob and, make money - $2 million a weeks. Michael Franzese is known as the only man to survive quitting. He tells the story of the Colombo family. The history and structure from the Black Hand with period films, and photos is given with interviews of authors and police.

Franzese was probably able to survive because of the dwindling power of the mob. This is his story and that of a powerful crime syndicate. The film is done well and holds an interest for history buffs and those who are fascinated by this criminal family.

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Orphan Black: Season One

No-spoilers review--and you really need that for Orphan Black
If ever a TV show needed a no-spoilers review it's this one. The trouble is, everything's a spoiler when "Orphan Black" is concerned, and the less you know going in, the more fun you'll have with this show's onrushing tidal wave of plot twists and turns.

So--what can I tell you that will let you know whether you want to see this or not without spilling all those beans? Well, I'll try.

1. Don't see this if you need glossy, upbeat Hollywoody science fiction. There isn't a single Dudly Do-Right in the entire cast of characters. Everyone has issues. Everyone has baggage. Problems can't always be solved by sweet reason, Star Trek style. And who's a Good Guy or a Bad Guy isn't always clear, even when you learn just who and what they are. And with some of the more damaged characters, they can't necessarily be fixed--ever. Some things you can't come back from. And problems don't have quick fixes. That is, there's no pandering to your inner 12 year old. This is a show for...

Best beginning to a series.
I'm hard to impress about TV shows, especially beginnings. First episodes-- even for good ones-- can be awkward, with the cast and writers not yet finding the chemistry.

This one hit managed to hit maximum speed seconds after it began, and then spent the rest of the show proving there was more to spare. Somehow, it did this without sacrificing character development. Thanks to co-creator John Fawcett's taut direction, and remarkable performances by Tatiana Maslani as three physically identical women with distinct personalities, accents and mannerisms. She even plays one mimicking another, with her cockney accent wavering.

The story is about Sarah, a young woman surviving on the margins as a hustler and a drug dealer, who's just walked out on her boyfriend. She witnesses a stranger identical to herself, Beth, commit suicide. Sarah steals and assumes her identity. Despite the fact that Sarah had little to lose, it turns out this was not the best move. The mysterious...

Not the same clone.
Story seems at first to be something you've seen before but quickly intrugued me with its nuances and excelent preformance by the lead actress Tatiana Maslany. I realy believe when she's portraying the diffrent clones on screen at the same time. That they are their own unique characters.

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Power Rangers Samurai: The Ultimate Duel 5

Power Ranger Julie
I haven't watched this movie yet, but i THINK IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD. i LIKE HOW JAYDEN BATTLES DEKER. THE POWER RANGERS ARE AWESOME AND i THINK OTHER KIDS LI8KE THEM TOO. i HAVE ALMOST ALL OF THEM EXCEPT THIS ONE. MY FAVORITE RANGERS ARE EMILY, MIKE, JAYDEN, MIA, AND KEVIN. I THINK THEY ARE SO AWESOME WHEN THEY FIGHT. I HAVE GONE ON HERE MANY TIMES AND SOMETIMES I CAN'T FIND SOME DVDS OF THE POWER RANGERS SAMURAI. THEY ARE SO AWESOME.





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Flying Monkeys

Attack Of The Plastic Monkeys: Standard SyFy Silliness With A Surprising Amount Of Heart
4 stars: Lovers of Cheesy SyFy Fare
2 stars: Everyone Else

In approaching a SyFy channel original creature feature, there are only so many resultant options available in terms of entertainment value: (1) The movie can be unrelentingly and painfully bad, (2) it can be so delightfully horrendous that it's camp nirvana, or (3) it can be genuinely frightening or effective. Faithful fans of the network's slate of films will realize that most fall within the first category while only a minuscule few hit that third category. No, as a true SyFy fan, I generally hope for that second classification: cheesy goodness that makes bad movie magic! If you like pure silliness, you have to think that a movie entitled "Flying Monkeys" offers the potential for great fun. Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally), SyFy premiered this epic on the same weekend that the new Oz movie hit mainstream theaters. SyFy knows how to take advantage of these synergistic opportunities...

WHERE'S THE MONKEY?
After a quick glimpse of our flying monkey, the film opens with graduation in Gale, Kansas. Dad (David Kranig) was once again late for his daughter Joan's (Maika Monroe) event. This time it was graduation. So being the loving dad that he is, he makes up for it by throwing money at the issue and buys her a monkey from the local pet store that deals in illegal animals.

From the subplot in China we discover this is not an ordinary monkey, but one that turns into a flying demon at night with special effects that made be think of the harpies from "Jason and the Argonauts." Now the kicker is that this F-ing monkey demon can not be killed with ordinary weapons, but only those blessed in China 1000's of years ago. (I love it when bad plots collide.) Now how many of those do you find in gun crazy Gale, Kansas? Oh BTW, the monkey has taken a shine to Joan.

I think you see where this is going.

Part of the film is shown through a monkey's eye view which used a...

Above Avg SyFy Ch Movie
This movie steals from The Wizard of Oz, Gremlins, and Jeepers Creepers. And to top it off it is a "SyFy Channel Movie". Normally that is the kiss of death. But this one is actually not that bad. The story is decent. The acting is decent. And the CGI monkeys are decent. But some how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It just sort of works....against all odds!!! Bought the DVD for under $5 so I am keeping it and will watch it again some time.

Never thought I'd EVER give a SyFy Ch movie 3 stars!

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Kidnapped (1997): Standard Edition Remastered

Kidnapped aka Rabid Dogs
I'll admit that I've never seen films by Mario Bava. I've only recently gotten into Italian Cinema with the films of Dario Argento and other Giallo taken up my interest. Until now I had never tried any Bava. So hearing of this film and being intrigued with the premise I picked up the DVD.
The premise of the film is four criminals rob a pharmaceutical companies payroll during which the getaway driver is killed. The three remaining killers flee to a parking lot taking hostages, one of which they kill in order to escape. Afterwards in order not to be spotted by police in a familiar car they pull off and take more hostages this time a middle aged man and a sick child. At this point the films been a violent crime film. When it gets in the car the film is basically centered on the drive of the criminals and their hostages. Whats good in the film despite minor flaws is that even in its form (neither Rabid Dogs or the re-edited Kidnapped was completed with Bava's support due to...

Saved by the end
Note; this US Anchor Bay DVD has two alternate cuts, one finished by
Bava's son, called 'Kidnapped'. But almost all Bava fans and
professional critics prefer the rougher edged, less polished original
;'Rabid Dogs', so that's what I watched.

--vague possible mild spoilers ahead --

It's a film that is saved by the rare truly successful twist ending,
that changes everything you thought you saw. The acting is less than
great, and the film has a definite misogynistic tone (although everyone
in it is pretty awful on the humanity scale).

On the other hand, there's effectively high tension, as 3 murderous
robbers take two innocent people and a baby hostage. Especially
impressive that it never gets talky or visually dull, despite taking
place almost entirely inside a car.

But the over-acting and clunky dubbing (and writing) really hurt. Then
the end came and I was suddenly ready to forgive a lot.

Mario Bava takes a little drive in the country
Some films are just born unlucky. Mario Bava's 'lost' 1974 film Rabid Dogs is a classic case in point. Shooting started as A Man and a Boy with Al Lettieri and an extremely low budget: Lettieri dropped out after a week due to 'illness' and the money barely materialised only for the film to never get through post-production when the producer died and the film was seized by creditors for a quarter of a century. When co-star Lea Lander pulled together a deal to get Bava's rough cut restored, the only US deal she could get with it was with producer Alfred Leone, who, in a throwback to the old days when no foreign film could be allowed on US shores untouched, promptly re-edited, rescored and redubbed the film with new dialogue and added stock footage and new scenes shot by the director's son Lamberto Bava 'to complete it the way my old friend wanted it to be seen.' Sure... An attempt to make a more contemporary shocker in a more naturalistic setting as the European horror genre was hitting...

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Masterpiece Mystery: Endeavour Series 1

these are fabulous!!
i watched all of the Inspector Morse episodes and also read the novels. little was i expecting that he would be resurrected for uk tv as a much younger man, at the start of his career. and i certainly wasn't expecting to like it as much or more than the original series! but indeed i do. this is absolutely first rate in every single episode. shaun evans is wonderful as morse.

a smart decision they made was to make his mentor, detective Thursday, every bit as fascinating as Morse. this part is played by one of my very favorite actors from THE THICK OF IT, roger allam. allam played peter on that show and his deadpan humor was priceless. they couldn't have picked a better actor for Morse's mentor. i enjoy Thursday much more than i ever enjoyed lewis as morse's partner.

much like the uk show GEORGE GENTLY, this show also benefits by being set back in time, the sixties i believe.

each mystery is very complex and morse brings to it all of his erudite...

Beware - May Not Be the Original UK Edition
PBS edits 10-15 minutes out of each episode that they show on "Masterpiece Mystery." I am hesitant to purchase any version of "Endeavour Series 1" that does not say 'Original UK Edition' on the front of the DVD. Beware! You sure don't want to buy the edited versions! These programs are so fabulous, there isn't a single gratuitous instant in them that isn't required to fully understand the story. Caveat emptor!

Morse Meets Madame Butterfly
If you like Inspector Morse, you will love Endeavor. It is the story of how Morse begins the force and picks up his traits, including the Jaguar. I only wish they'd make more of these early years with the same actor. It's well worth the few quid that Endeavor costs!

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