Boy Crush (2007) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This new anthology of gay male short films, from Wolfe Video, is better than most. As usual, I'll review each short individually, and the overall number of stars is simply an average:
* "Summer" (UK 2006) explores the common theme of unrequited love between a gay teenager and his best friend, who is straight. Sweet, give it 4 stars out of 5.
* "Night Swimming" (USA 2005) has a similar plot to the short above, but carries the gay boy's crush on the straight best friend a bit further, on an unplanned night together after the latter's vehicle breaks down en route to a concert, stranding them in the woods. The togetherness encourages the gay boy (Otter) to test the waters and see if his friend/idol (Darby) feels the same way. Realistic and emotional, give it five stars out of five.
* "Running Without Sound" (USA 2004) spotlights Sean, a gay deaf teen boy whose passion is cross country running. Already somewhat shy due to his inability to hear or speak, Sean has to rely on visual signs from his friends, which become more complicated when he develops a crush on a teammate. Sweet and creative short film; wish it had more time to develop the story. Four stars out of five.
* Small town, shy German teen Tom is considering being "Out Now" (Germany (20 min.) to his classmates, who already torment him as a sissy and outsider. He discusses his feelings with a boy he meets on the internet, including the fact that he has a crush on another boy who works at a nearby snack shop. A night out at a disco frequented by his classmates results in a revelation and a new resolve for the young man. In German with subtitles (Which unfortunately aren't that easy to read, since they often flash on the screen too briefly or are shown as white on a light background, rendering them near invisible). Three stars out of five.
* "The Bridge" (Australia 2006) - A young gay male couple leave their Russian homeland to escape homophobia, and relocate to Sydney Australia, awaiting approval to immigrate there. Their thoughts and emotions before (and after) the immigration decision is made are the subject of this intense, emotional film. Four stars out of five.
* "Hitchcocked" (USA 2006) is a sexy but somewhat scary story about two guys who meet on the internet for sex, with a very clever twist ending. Tempted to give it an extra star just for the title, but we'll stick with four stars out of five.
* "Oedipus N+1" (France 2003), likely boasting a production budget higher than the other six films put together, tells a creative and intriguing sci-fi story set in the distant future, when "The Circle" - the elite rich and educated part of the population - have essentially taken over control of the world, and push for conformity with its ideals and values. Thomas, a gay man, awakens to find out that he had died and, paid for my his mother, he has been cloned to live again ... but Mom wants a bigger say in that life, this time around. Impressive and generally well-acted, though a bit confusing as a 26 minute short. In French with English subtitles. I give it five stars out of five.
There are no DVD special features, other than trailers for other Wolfe releases.

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Summer (10 min.) Great BritainDirected by Hong Khaou What are you going to wish for? This intricately crafted short delicately explores the ache of unrequited love as Leung (Peter Peralta) reveals his true feelings for his beefy straight pal Will (Jay Brown).Night Swimming (19 min.) USADirected by Daniel FalconeThis terrific bittersweet teen drama depicts that perennial gay dilemma: falling for straight boys. Young Otter idolizes his alpha-male buddy Darby who just might have similar feelings for him. This exquisitely crafted story unfolds on a road-trip to New York City.Running Without Sound (13 min.) USADirected by Judd KingA deaf teen with a crush on his pal grapples with confusing emotions and tensions with his fellow cross-country runner team-mates in this finely crafted gay jock story.Out Now (20 min.) GermanyDirected by Sven J. MattenSmall town shy teen Tom is tormented by his high school classmates while he pines over the blond boy at the candy kiosk. German, with English subtitlesThe Bridge (8 min.) AustraliaDirected by George BarbakadzeA forboding dramatic snapshot of a bi-national gay couple who just want to be together in Sydney.Hitchcocked (8 min.) USADirected by David M YoungThis smart, sexy, scary short gives new meaning to the term: shower scene. Oedipus N+1 (26 min.) FranceDirected by Eric RognardKnockout French phenom Jalil Lespert (Tell No One, De Sade) stars as Thomas, a gay man who dies and then awakens as a clone in a terrifying sci-fi future (shades of Gattaca) only to have his mother deny him access to his boyfriend as she attempts to cure his sexual preference. French, with English subtitles

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Alien Anthology Review

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(More customer reviews)My local electronics store already had the Alien Anthology bluray on the shelves this Tuesday (October 19). At first I thought the street date had been changed at the last minute (it wouldn't be the first time). But it appears that all the websites still list the release date for next Tuesday (Oct 26), so I guess my local store must have made a mistake (it wouldn't be the first time for that either).
In either case, I already got my hands on the Alien Anthology set, and I thought that Alien fans who are still trying to decide whether it's worth the upgrade before next week's proper street date might want to know the following:
(Note: This review assumes that most of you have already seen the films, and there may be some very mild spoilers.)
[UPDATE: I've added LOTS more detail about the extras, including the extended Alien 3 doc. Find this under PROS section (3). In PROS section (1) I've also answered some questions from another customer.]
[UPDATE 4: More specifics on why the 3rd and 4th films' picture quality won't wow you as much as the first 2 films'. Under Cons section (1)]
[UPDATE 6: I've found more new extras on disc 6, including new deleted scenes from Aliens. Details in PROS section (3).]
PROS:
1) All four films look very good on bluray, and much better than the earlier DVDs, with the first two films looking the best. Alien almost looks brand new. Aliens still looks its age (sometimes), but it enjoys the single biggest improvement in picture quality in the jump from DVD to bluray that I have ever seen for a classic film (or pretty much any film for that matter). While there are still plenty of shots that still look soft or a bit grainy by today's standards, the entire film looks sharper than ever and the grain is far less distracting. Some sequences, like the marines' initial investigation of the abandoned colony, almost look like they could have been shot this year. The color quality and detail visible on the panning shot from the planet to Ripley's orbital hospital room at the beginning of the film totally blew my mind. Detail and texture are excellent throughout and I saw no signs that DNR had been overused. After experiencing Aliens on bluray, I wonder how I was ever able to tolerate the picture quality on the DVD.
[UPDATE: The Theatrical and Director's cuts of Alien both look equally great. It's my understanding that Ridley Scott made some minor alterations to things like contrast, etc. in the Director's cut, but I frankly didn't notice any difference between the two. I haven't watched the Theatrical cut of Aliens in years, as I much prefer the Extended version, so I may not remember which all scenes were added for the latter. However, I did not notice any correlation between picture quality and whether a scene was in the Theatrical cut or added in later, so I assume that they all come from the same source and are of more-or-less equal quality. If I have a chance to look at it again soon and do notice any differences, I'll post another update.]
[UPDATE 2: I've watched the first 25 minutes of the Theatrical cut of Aliens and can confirm that the picture quality is identical to the Special Edition. In other words, it will cause longtime Aliens fans' jaws to drop off right before they become temporarily blinded by its awe-inspiring glory. This is truly the greatest film restoration I've ever seen prepared for the transition from DVD to bluray. Because of the film stock used, I didn't think it would ever be possible for the film to look this good.]

2) All four films also sound greatly improved compared to the DVD. This is especially true for Alien 3. Dialogue which was hard to make out on the DVD is now much clearer and easier to understand. I did notice some audio sync issues with some of the third film's dialogue, but I think these are misalignments which were already present on previous DVD releases, and may therefore be inherent to the original film.
3) The new extras are extensive and excellent. Within the first couple minutes of sampling the new enhancement pods on disc 5, I learned a couple of tidbits I had been unaware of before. These are a wonderful extension of the already superb making-of documentaries. The MU-TH-UR interactive mode is easy to use and will probably prove helpful to those who are only interested in seeing certain parts of the behind-the-scenes material, but I haven't used it much. I've only sampled a couple minutes of the trivia track portion of this feature (titled "Datastream"), but so far it appears as though it will mostly be a re-hash of material you can find in disc 5's documentaries. The set also includes ALL of the extras from EVERY previous release of these films, as promised (at least as far as I can tell), in addition to the extended Alien Evolution and Alien 3 documentaries.
[UPDATE: The extended Alien 3 documentary includes significantly more footage of Fincher directing on the set (lenghtier character discussions with the actors, etc.) and more detail on the schism between him and the studio that I don't remember seeing on the Quadrilogy DVD. At one point during filming you see Fincher get on a microphone and say, "I can't believe Fox is the number one studio because they're all such a bunch of morons." Interestingly, while some of the new footage does reflect poorly on the studio, I think it also makes it easier to understand why some people had trouble working with Fincher. I personally find this longer cut much more interesting, but it hardly feels like an entirely new, revelatory version. Still, if you love a good behind-the-scenes documentary, the extended cut of "Wreckage and Rage: The Making of Alien 3" may help justify the upgrade to bluray.
By my estimate, disc 5 contains around 17 hours of documentaries, including an hour to an hour-and-a-half of new enhancement pods for each individual film (these are mostly extended interviews and production footage). I couldn't even tell you how many hours of content are on disc 6. So it's understandable, due to space limitations, that some of this material still appears to be in standard def. Although it's in SD, most of it has been enhanced so your bluray player will upconvert it (sometimes beautifully so) to fill a widescreen TV. I find the text slides on the still galleries of concept art on disc 6 (which ARE in FULL HD) much easier to read now. In disc 5's docs, most film clips, production artwork and photos, and many interviews will now fill the screen, while other interview clips appear pillarboxed with new imagery to the right and left instead of black bars (similar to the "Disneyview" feature on the Snow White and Pinocchio blurays, though mostly much less distracting than those were). It all looks good enough that I don't think many people will be too disappointed that some of these extras are still in SD.
BOTTOM LINE: The extras, both new and old, are a substantial improvement over the Quadrilogy DVD set (at least IMHO, your mileage may vary). I doubt many people will feel shortchanged here.]
[UPDATE 6: I've found more new extras on disc 6. There are some deleted scenes from Aliens, at least one of which - featuring Burke in a cocoon - I don't think I've seen before. The Patch and Logos image gallery will be appreciated by folks who love all the costuming/set dressing details. There's a video reproduction of a ride called "Aliens: Ride At The Speed of Fright" which is notable for two things: it's REALLY cheesy, and it features a very young Jeffrey Combs (I think this part is new - I don't remember seeing it on the DVD). The Parodies section is just some Alien-related clips from Spaceballs and Family Guy. You'll also want to keep an eye out for Easter Eggs on this disc.]
4) The set has a couple of impressive surprises that weren't mentioned in any of the studio press releases I've seen. Disc Unbound is an automatic feature: when you eject any disc from this set, the Weyland-Yutani logo will pop up on screen. You can then insert any other disc from the set and you'll go straight to the main menu - it will skip over all the studio logos and FBI Warning screens, making an Alien marathon slightly faster and less annoying.
I was aware that this set would include isolated score tracks for all four films (as well as alternate score tracks for the first two), but was unaware that you can also access each piece of music in any order from an index which includes even more unused music. I'm not certain, but I think I may have even spotted a couple of Bonus alternate tracks for Aliens that weren't even on the Deluxe Edition soundtrack CD.
5) For those who are hard of hearing, all 4 films and even the extras on discs 5 and 6 include subtitles in around 15 languages, including English and Spanish. Even the audio commentaries have subtitles in multiple languages! Each film also has multiple language audio tracks, though it appears that only the English receives a lossless one.
6) The packaging is the most elegantly beautiful I've ever seen for a bluray set. Inside the slipcase is a hardcover book with each disc held securely within its own page. These pages include photos from each film, as well as some basic info like plot synopses and director's credits. There's also a booklet and insert tucked in the back which explain how MU-TH-UR mode and Disc Unbound work, and list the content on each disc. It also has a note from Ridley Scott filled with tantalizing hints about what to expect in his upcoming prequel. Everyone will be happy to know that the package is very compact and will fit perfectly next to your other blurays. It's the same size as the Close Encounters of the Third Kind bluray, except that the spine is a little thicker since it holds more discs...Read more›

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Brace yourself for a whole new breed of Blu-ray: Four powerful films...eight thrilling versions...in dazzling, terrifying, high-def clarity with the purest digital sound on the planet. Two bonus dics and over 65 hours of archival and never-before-seen content, including the totally immersive MU-TH-UR mode feature, makes this definitive Alien collection!

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WWE: Summerslam: The Complete Anthology (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)*****Nov. 2008 - I just want to go on record and say that I think SUMMERSLAM 2008 is a great PPV. I have a more detailed review somewhere in my Profile, if you'd like to read it. My ANTHOLOGY review is below. *****I'm gonna give you two reviews for the price of one:
* SUMMERSLAM ANTHOLOGY REVIEW
* AN EXTRA TWO CENTS ON WWE DVD SETS
[Better sit back. This is gonna take me a while. Hope you like!]
SUMMMERSLAM ANTHOLOGY REVIEW
---I'd wager that most haven't seen the first few SUMMERSLAM PPVs. While they're not very memorable, they're still worth a look. For example, from the first SUMMERSLAM back in 1988, everyone knows how Ultimate Warrior squashed Intercontinental champion Honky Tonk Man in 30 seconds. But hopefully, newcomers will be more awed by the excellent Tag Team Titles Match between The Hart Foundation and Demolition. Plus, the main event between "Mega Powers" Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage against Ted Dibiase's "Mega Bucks" team is an entertaining star-power showcase. 1988 was a solid event, and definitely warranted a follow-up the next year.
Sadly, I think 1989 is best remembered for its outstanding opener and for its cheap finale. The Hart Foundation against The Brain Busters (Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson) is a classic that Tag Team fans will love. But I always thought that the main event (Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake against Zeus & Randy Savage) felt like an expensive plug for the movie 'No Holds Barred'. Besides, it wasn't an entertaining match.
Ultimate Warrior and Rick Rude have a solid Steel Cage Match for the WWF Title for 1990's SUMMERSLAM, and Hulk Hogan against Earthquake ain't too bad of a co-main event, either. But Demolition and Hart Foundation once again stole the show with another Tag Team Titles masterpiece. Man, tag action was the real deal back then.
Bret Hart and "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig were never boring to watch. But in August 1991, their technical classic was one of their best ever. If Hitman wasn't yet a superstar, then August 1991 was his biggest push. His IC Title victory got people almost as excited as the main event: a 3-on-2 Handicap Match with Sgt. Slaughter's "Iraqi" team against Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. Although Warrior's alleged backstage powerplay might cast a dark cloud over things, the match is quite entertaining in its own right. Oh, and I don't care what anyone else says...that Savage/Elizabeth wedding is touching...even if it was a few years late.
Big props to the World Wrestling Federation for letting Bret Hart and British Bulldog close the 1992 show with their IC Title masterpiece. Wembley Arena wanted to see this once more than any other on the card, and Hitman has always called this match his favorite. But another highlight you'll want to see is Randy Savage defend the WWF Title against Ultimate Warrior, a showdown I consider to be better than their 1991 Retirement Match. The storyline involving Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair is quite bizarre, but overall, it's good stuff. Also bizarre is some "no-face-hitting" encounter between Shawn Michaels and Rick "The Model" Martel. Don't ask...
So far, SUMMERSLAM has been an exceptional PPV series. But 1993's was probably their least successful at the time. There is some good stuff to watch, still. Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels delivered an outstanding IC Title Match. Bret Hart's grudge match against "Burger King" Jerry Lawler was hilariously delayed, as Hitman had to face Doink The Clown before he could get his hands on Lawler. Sean "1-2-3 Kid" Waltman's PPV debut against IRS is an admirable showing, as is Razor Ramon's opener against Ted Dibiase. Where most will disagree with me is on the Taker/Gonzales and Luger/Yokozuna matches. Even with his poor outfit and in-ring ability, I was never bored with Giant Gonzales when he faced Undertaker. And although I agree that Lex Luger never achieved the "American Hero" status WWF wanted, everyone got behind Luger during this summer. I think we all wanted to see Yokozuna dethroned of the title; at the time, Luger was the man for the job. This was a decent PPV amidst a subpar year for the WWF.
1994's presentation in the United Centre (my hometown of Chicago) was an excellent card, but also included two ridiculous scenarios. The first dumb thing is the Taker-vs-Taker main event. As Mark Calaway once said, "On paper, I thought it was a good idea, but we didn't get the mileage we wanted." The other problem is that Leslie Nielsen and George Kennedy bumble around trying to solve the mystery of The Undertaker......huh? This must've been a 'Naked Gun 33 1/3' promotion; I can't decide if I want WWE to edit this out or not. But the 1994 event features the priceless Bret/Owen Steel Cage Match; those two could steal the show by just looking at each other. Their rivalry remains a pinnacle among wrestling feuds. I also really enjoyed Razor Ramon challenging IC champion Diesel for his title, with HBK at ringside. A great PPV with a little WWF family-friendly garbage.
You only need to watch 1995's SUMMERSLAM for the HBK/Razor Ladder Match. Other than that, you can just break this disc into pieces to sell as knockoff jewelry. It's that bad.
1996 features a very good HBK/Vader main event, and a pretty solid undercard. What might hold this one back is the Boiler Room Brawl between Undertaker and Mankind. While this remains an awesome rivalry, the action hasn't aged well. At the time, these 30 minutes of violence were off the charts by WWF's standards. But now, the overall atmosphere and shocking finish are the best highlights. Still, 1996 warrants a peek.
The very first live PPV I purchased was 1997's SUMMERSLAM, in which the new Hart Foundation had a stipulation for each of their matches. Brian Pillman is still a frightening individual, which helps keep his gold-dress angle against Goldust entertaining. The British Bulldog's dog-food-eating angle with Ken Shamrock wasn't too bad, nor was the match itself. However, the last two matches are the real reason to watch. Sadly, this was the night that Owen Hart accidentally broke Stone Cold Steve Austin's neck via piledriver. However, it's still a very good contest with a sad finish. As for the main event, I'm not the biggest fan of Bret Hart and Undertaker's matches together, but this is an exception. Perhaps it was having Shawn Michaels as guest referee. I dunno, but out of all of the Taker/Hart encounters, this was easily my favorite. Oh, I almost forgot about the HHH/Mankind Steel Cage opener...in a word, awesome! One more thing, I hope that WWE doesn't cut the cash-giveaway-sweepstakes that happened in the middle...it was corny and funny as hell.
We kick off the Attitude Era of the package with 1998's edition. I was never a fan of the Attitude Era, but for this one, I really enjoyed myself. While The Rock and Triple H stole the show with their IC Title Ladder Match, everyone can look forward to the best Undertaker/Austin encounter in history. Those two men must've had to bust their tails when they had to follow the Ladder Match; they succeeded and then some. Throw in an X-Pac/Jarrett Hair-vs-Hair Match and a good opener between Val Venis and D'Lo Brown, and 1998 is a year you can look forward to.
You can also get revved up to watch 1999's SUMMERSLAM. Jesse Ventura officiates the Mankind/HHH/Austin main event with no particular set of rules. If he doesn't like what he sees, "The Body" makes the wrestler win under fairer methods. Also on this card is the Greenwich Street Fight between Test and Shane McMahon, where Stephanie McMahon's relationship with Test is in jeopardy. That's right: The Billion Dollar Princess was romantically tied to someone on TV before Paul Levesque entered the picture. Basically, Shane-O-Mac never had a better match until facing Kurt Angle in a Street Fight a couple years later. One more compliment to the PPV: Doesn't Undertaker & Big Show against Kane & X-Pac sound like a terrible match? Trust me, it's a most enjoyable showdown. The card gets rough during the 0:30-1:30 time period, but it's still a very good event.
2000's card is also pretty solid. It includes the first triangle TLC Match (my all-time favorite Ladder Match). Also included is a kicking 2-out-of-3 Falls showcase between Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. And the Angle/HHH/Rock main event, while mostly a one-on-one affair, is still entertaining. There are a few stinkers (like the repetitive and pointless Undertaker/Kane slugfest). But overall, I like this one.
The 2001 SUMMERSLAM featured the second PPV showdown between the WCW/ECW Alliance and the WWF. The "Invasion" angle has its critics, but the talent was rarely stronger, making this PPV one of the anthology's best. You get to see Edge's first singles title victory, The Rock's first WCW Title victory, Jeff Hardy and RVD in a Ladder Match...do I really need to go on? Well, I'll also let you get excited to watch Kurt Angle and Steve Austin just tear the house down. Angle (to my knowledge) has never received a stronger crowd reaction. Just watch the PPV; you won't regret it.
My favorite SUMMERSLAM of all time is easily the 2002 presentation from Long Island, NY. Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio almost steal the show with their fast-paced opener. But even better is Shawn Michaels' return to the WWE, as he faces Triple H in a classic Street Fight. Nobody thought HBK could still deliver a match this great, let alone just survive without killing his body. However, my strongest praise goes to Brock Lesnar and The Rock for their stellar main event. They put in a lot of hype and build-up going in, and the two men delivered the blockbuster we expected. The crowd went nuts for this, and I...Read more›

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For twenty years now, the hottest action during the hottest months could be found in only one place SummerSlam! The WWE s signature event of the summer has seen a number of memorable championship bouts and grudge matches, and for the first time, fans can get all 20 years in one DVD set more than 60 hours and 200 matches! The first 13 years have never been released on DVD.

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Rocky Anthology (Rocky / Rocky II / Rocky III / Rocky IV / Rocky V) (1990) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I saw that the Rocky Anthology - which originally came out in 2004 (look it up on Amazon, it is still available for order) - was being re-released, I was excited because I figured it would finally include special features for all the films. You see, this is the THIRD time they have packaged the entire series together - first in 2000 when the original Special Edition of the first film came out, then again in 2004 when the entire series was re-released with hi-def picture, and now again.
But guess what? There are no special features on the discs.
Which wouldn't bother me on the sequels - but when ROCKY: SPECIAL EDITION has just come out (with two discs and a free ticket to see Rocky Balboa), I consider it a major rip-off to find out the box set doesn't include any of the bonus material from this two-disc edition. They both came out on the same day, yet this Anthology was created without the inclusion of any of the other edition's extra features.
Essentially this is the EXACT same box set as the one from 2004, with identical artwork (the tagline on the back of the box is even the same), only this newer 2006 edition has smaller cases inside (those new, tacky, plastic snap-cases that TV shows are often issued with).
So, if you bought the last Anthology box set, skip this and just buy the Special Edition of the first film, which is also available now and has far better packaging and bonus features.
If you don't own the anthology already, I'd still recommend waiting for the price to drop and just get the Special Edition of Rocky.

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Disc 1: **ROCKY 1976 Rating: PG Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 120 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1English Audio: 5.1 DTS Surround, 5.1 Dolby Surround, & Original Mono French Audio: 5.1 Surround Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & SpanishDisc 2: **ROCKY II 1979 Rating: PG Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 119 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1English Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround French Audio: Mono Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & SpanishDisc 3: **ROCKY III 1982 Rating: PG Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 100 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1English Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround French Audio: Mono Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & SpanishDisc 4: **ROCKY IV 1985 Rating: PG Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 91 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1English Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround French Audio: Mono Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & SpanishDisc 5: **ROCKY V 1990 Rating: PG-13 Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 111 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 English Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround French Audio: Stereo Surround Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & Spanish

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WWE: Satan's Prison - The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)World Champion Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Booker T vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Kane vs. Chris Jericho - This was the first ever Chamber match & everyone looked like they legitly could win the belt as one point or another and this match had alot of moments in itself. Like RVD jumping off the walls like he was SpiderMan and even leaping off the top of one of the cells onto HHH & injuring his throat in the process...and even HHH's performance after that injury is something worth watching.
Survivor Series 02
World Champion Triple H vs. Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton - This was suppost to be Goldberg vs. Triple H however Triple H suffered a groining injury so it was turned into a Chamber match. This was a match that had multiple stories being told such as Randy Orton protecting Triple H's championship, Kevin Nash going for revenge against Chris Jericho for his recent haircut, Shawn Michaels ultimately showing his best friend Nash that it's every man for himself, Nash doing heavy damage before walking out of what would be his last WWE match, and Goldberg being a dominate monster such as taking Chris Jericho through one of the pods. This was one of those matches where you have to understand the story they're telling as Goldberg just wasn't getting over as hoped in WWE (weather that's WWE's creative or Goldberg's own fault is another debate for another time) so this was booked to have Goldberg return to his old WCW dominate monster character to get him over...again, a match where you have to understand what they're doing to value it.
Summerslam 03
World Championship Match w/Special Referee Shawn Michaels: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Edge vs. Triple H - After a controversal ending to a title match, this was setup to crown a new champion. Various highlights including Jericho & Benoit starting out the match with Jericho delivering one heck of superplex, various wrestlers feeling the impact of being dropped on the Chamber floor, Edge spearing everyone in sight...and I mean EVERYONE, the HHH/Benoit/Orton sequence that went from a crossface to a sharpshooter to an RKO, Benoit's diving headbutt from the top of one of the holding cells, Jericho being Batista-bombed ontop of Benoit, and the issues between Orton & Evolution...along with the tease between Triple H & Batista...continuing. Overall, great Chamber match.
New Years Revolution 05
WWE Champion John Cena vs. Kane vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle vs. Carlito vs. Chris Masters - This was the first time the WWE Championship was defended in the Chamber match & had multiple stories being told throughout this match such as Shawn Michaels starting out first at the orders of Mr. McMahon while Carlito & Chris Masters agreed before hand to remain a team throughout the contest. Various moments include Carlito sacrificing himself while doing a somersault senton to the Chamber floor, Angle german suplexing everyone he could get his hands on, and the teamwork of Carlito & Masters dominating before they divided & were conqured. This is one of those Chamber matches just like SummerSlam '03 in that the purpose was to get a talent over in one match by being so dominate & in this case, it was Carlito & Masters..but it was the aftermath of this match that resulted in in WWE receiving their highest television ratings in years.
New Years Revolution 06
ECW Champion Big Show vs. Bobby Lashley vs. C.M. Punk vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Test vs. Hardcore Holly - This chamber was full of first as this was the first time the ECW Championship was defended in a chamber, first time this match ever happened on an ECW branded PPV, and the first time this was match was converted into an "Extreme" Elimination Chamber which ment that each holding cell held a weapons such as a chair (Punk) & barbed wire baseball bat (Show) & table (Lashley) & Crowbar (Test)...and it turns out this was also be the last & only time an Elimination Chamber would happen under all these circumstances. Before the match, it was revealed that Sabu had been attacked & be unable to compete so he was replaced with Hardcore Holly while Paul Heyman it was made clear that it was Test & Holly's jobs to keep the championship secure for Big Show. Moments during his match include RVD once again showcasing the abilities of "Spiderman", Punk's matchup against RVD that involved his steel chair, Test taking a page out of Carlito's playbook from the previous year when it came to Holly (and the referee botching the count on top of that), Test delievering one hell of an elbow job onto RVD with the end result being the fans chanting "Where's My Refund", and Lashley's dominate performance. This chamber match is more well-known for everything that's happened behind the scenes in regards to the conflicting views of how this match (along with the entire PPV & brand itself) should be booked as it was filled with various disapointments from the crowd such as Sabu being replaced by Holly, the eliminations of Punk & RVD, and how this proabably ended up becoming one of the most predictable Chamber matches in history.
December to Dismember 06
Undertaker vs. Batista vs. Finlay vs. Great Khali vs. Big Daddy V vs. M.V.P. - Taker & Batista started it off & continued their "on again/off again" feud that been going on for the past year throughout the match with everyone else being bodies for Taker & Batista to go though throughout the match & keep them strong. Big Daddy V & Khali were the first two from pods to come out & didn't even make it to the next period with the only thing memorable about their time in the match was Undertaker falling out of the chamber after a Daddy V headbutt that didn't look planned. Other moments to look out for were Hornswoggle creeping out from the bottom of the chamber to hand Finlay the weapon (sorry, cam't remember how to spell it), M.V.P.'s interaction with Undertaker from Taker waiting for his pod to open to his elimination via a chokeslam off the top of the pod, and the final moments with Taker finally getting the victory.
No Way Out 08
Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels vs. J.B.L. vs. Umaga - Jericho & Michaels started until Umaga entered & dominated with moves such as a double Samoan Drop on Jericho & Michaels hitting his Samoan Wrecking Ball to Jericho through one of the pods later in the match. Other moments to look out for here was the old school Jericho/Benoit "Walls Of Jericho/Crossface" combination done by Jericho & HBK onto Umaga, what J.B.L. did after being elminated, Umaga's elimination before Jericho & Michaels got eliminated back to back, and the final minutes between Triple H & Jeff Hardy before Triple H finally got the victory with a pedigree on a chair. Unlike the other chamber where everyone else was just a body to put over Taker & Batista, Umaga was re-established as a "Samoan Bulldozer" & Hardy was still put over strong in defeat.
No Way Out 08
WWE Champion Edge vs. Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Undertaker vs. Big Show vs. Vladimir Kozlov - I feel that this is easily the worst Chamber match they've done because due to the 10 min. period where it was first Kozlov just beating up Jeff Hardy who didn't get in any legit offense before Big Show entered & just joined in taking turns beating up Hardy. Normally, the Chamber match is like how the Royal Rumble or Money In The Bank Ladder Match is where it's just non-stop action but that wasn't the case here as that Big/Kozlov/Hardy period just seemed to drag, got boring, and took the audience (the crowd & me personally) out of it. Eventhough this match had a bunch of fun highlights like the shocking first elimination along with the final showdown at the end, it wasn't a bad chamber match but all the other ones they've done have were better. And for those history buffs, this is the first time in the history of the WWE Championship that it's ever changed hands in some type of official cage match.
No Way Out 09
World Champion John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kane vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Mike Knox - As the chamber match earlier in the night (or the previous match on this disc) wasn't full of suprises & certain highlights, this one topped it. Various highlights include what happened to Kofi Kingston, John Cena's time (or lack of) in the chamber, and Rey Mysterio being the M.V.P. of the match by putting on his best in-ring performance in over a year with his various "spiderman" moments using the chamber walls & his interaction with Edge throughout the match. This was the best chamber of the night as it had non-stop action from the beginning to middle to the end.
No Way Out 09
WWE Champion Sheamus vs. Triple H vs. John Cena vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase - Before the match started, you got a bit of a "chuckle" moment as Kofi Kingston made his way to the ring & checked behind himself to make sure he didn't get jumped again like how he was by Edge the previous year. This Chamber match made history as it was the first time that all six participants where in the match at the same time with no previous eliminations which made for such moments as both Kofi & Cena & Orton performing signature moves over the top rope onto the chamber floor, Randy Orton focusing on Sheamus to the a positive reaction from the crowd, the relationship between Legacy in the match before Cody Rhodes made an appearence that resulted in Ted Dibiase "picking his poision", Kofi in an usual position of being in a boston crab while his head was wedged inbetween the chamber walls of chains, Cena coming out of his chamber swinging, and the back to back to back eliminations before we had a new WWE Champion....before Mr. McMahon appeared after the match resulting in an aftermath that resulted in another new WWE...Read more›

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SATAN'S PRISON:ANTHOLOGY OF THE ELIMI - DVD Movie

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Campfire Tales Review

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(More customer reviews)This is, simply put, a strong contender for the title of best horror anthology movie ever made. With high-level production values throughout and a series of framing sequences that enhances the overall flow of the whole better than any anthology I can think of, "Campfire Tales" offers a pretty diverse mix of spooky/horror/suspense shorts. The most disturbing and uncomfortable of the tales involves a human predator stalking a family, with his primary target seeming to be the child. Given the subject matter, I think it was smart of the filmmakers to have regned this segment in a bit, relying on suspense and implied creepiness rather than anything overt or onscreen violent. In 99.5% of horror fiction I don't think there's any such thing as going too far, but in a case (not to give too much away) like this it could have come off tasteless if not handled with care. In the other segments of the movie the tales are given freer reign in terms of carnage and sexuality, resulting in a variety of moods. The plots of the stories are not groundbreaking - and that's in fact the point, they're designed to come off as familiar ideas that the individual teller around the likes of a campfire would put their own twists and spins on - with themes like the 'hook-handed killer' being trotted out. Despite the familiarity of the stories, the twists and nuances are there to keep them fresh and they're simply done better than most other explorations of similar ground (although the 'hook-handed killer' motif was, obviously, handled to perfection in the first two "Candyman" movies). Combined, the various segments and the 'framing' story run the gamut through scariness, appropriate humor, sexiness, eerie atmospherics, dark psychological and 'unexpected turns' territoty, with occasional dashes of 'supernatural fantasy' type moments added in as well for an even better blend. The movie certainly isn't hurt by having one of the best-looking ensembles of female cast members either. All tolled, it rises to the level of an anthology that achieves true greatness.

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Teenagers telling ghost stories while stranded in the middle of nowhere sets the scene for this collection of horror tales such as a girl terrorized by a psycho she "met" on the Internet and a biker visiting a haunted farmhouse.

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Twilight Zone - The Movie (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Our film begins with a prologue directed by John Landis ("An American Werewolf in London", "Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Animal House") pair of friends (Dan Ackroyd and Albert Brooks) who play TV trivia in the car as they drive and also a special scaring contest for each other then our stories begin. In the first story directed also directed by John Landis, a racist business man (Vic Morrow) who gets travled back in time to the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's where he becomes the three races he hates the most and becomes the one being hunted. The second story directed by Steven Spielburg is a gentle tale of a special magical old man (Scatman Crothers) that helps a group of senior citizens at a retirement home to make them young again, the third story is directed by Joe Dante ("Gremlins", "The Howling", "Pirahna") about a traveling school teacher (Kathleen Quinlan) that accidently hits but doesn't injure a young boy as he gives him a ride home where he invites him to stay for a while with his strange family and discovers that the boy has magical powers that can alter reality and make wishes come true. And the final story directed by George Miller ("Mad Max") is a terrying story of a nervous airflight passenger (John Lithgow) that sees a strange creature on the wing of the plane trying to destroy the airplane.
A splendid anthology of horror and fantasy stories from four directors and inspired by the classic TV series by Rod Sterling. The stories except the first one are based on classic episodes from the TV series while the first tale is a very original story, this movie got me hooked into watching the classic TV series and is a great anthology movie in it's own right. In fact, this was Vic Morrow's last movie cause he died during filming and the film is narrated by Burgess Merideth, this is a must have for fans of the series and anthology movies like "Creepshow", "Grindhouse", "Heavy Metal", "Cat's Eye", "Dead of Night" etc. This one of my personal favorites since i was a kid.
The DVD contains great picture and sound quality and the only extra is the theatrical trailer.

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Four short horrorific tales are anthologized in this film as a tributeto rod serling and his popular tv series.

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