price：$4.99
DVD)
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Terrible follow up) 『The show was amazing... I loved it! The movie, however, is a turd.
Everything seemed rushed, and the story was terrible. Laura Harris isn't in the movie, yet Daisy is still in the show (they replaced her with Sarah Wynter... who did a terrible job.)
All I can say is that the movie disgraces the show. Watch it at your own risk!』
(Loved The TV Show... Hated The Movie... SO Disappointed!) 『I've watched Season One of Dead Like Me over and over... what a brilliant and original show!! I can't wait to see the second season, I'm sure it will rock. But having just watched the movie, I feel totally cheated. Judging by other comments I'm not the only one. I REALLY wanted to like this movie after reading some bad reviews but I simply can't, it is a disgrace to the original show. There is so much wrong with it, it's like they took the souls out of Mason and Roxy... George turned into some flashy high powered office b!@tch... And the actress that played Daisy was so bad, not just for dumbing her down but her sheer acting ability made me cringe every time she opened her mouth. Why did they cast her! WHY!?!!?
Then there's ALL the laws they broke. Season one set us up with a world of reapers and we "got it". Then they tore it all down in the movie, making Roxy mess with the laws the way she did was outrageous. And how the heck could George tell Reggie about her memories, that was so lame and disappointing. I am still reeling from it now. TO add insult to injury, not only did they pee all over the original rules laid down by the TV show, they changed all the sets so absolutely nothing was familiar. Der Waffle House was burned down without explanation, and the set of Happy Time, the Lass House, and even George's grave were all new unfamiliar sets. It was like they were deliberately trying to mess it all up.
The ONLY good thing about this movie was the story about Hart dying in the hospital, how she couldn't take his soul and had to "solve the mystery". But there was also a lot of messed up things about that storyline as well. Basically, I'm so disappointed with the way they butchered the characters. I really wanted to like this movie. I really did. What a shame.........』
(Disappointed in Daisy.) 『I wanted to love this movie, because I am a huge fan of the series. While it does add on to the story, it's just disappointing. For me, the whole movie was pretty much ruined by Daisy Adair being played by a new actress who didn't understand the character. Daisy is definitely "friendly" in the series, but she has a heart and insecurities, and that's why people love her. This movie's version of Daisy doesn't have the heart, and loses her charm. It might have been better to leave the series as it was. This movie has it's moments, but it's too far from the show.』
(Loved it! Its about time too!) 『I loved the Dead Like Me series and was very bummed out when they stopped after the second season. This was the only show that I liked even better than Buffy. When I heard that they had made a fallow up movie I had to have it. It doesn't have the same Daisy in it and I don't like this one any better than the other one either. George is as good looking as ever and has grown up a lot. Roxy is the same as ever to start with, gets lost for awhile then starts kicking ass again. Mason has grown up a little but is still pretty much the same. I miss the Der Waffle House but it wouldn't be the same without Rube in it. I miss Rube and cant stand the guy that takes his place so what they do to him in the end is fine. Overall I really liked the movie and I'm glad that I bought the DVD. A lot of people have said that they don't like this one but I did. I just wish they would bring the series back.』
(Amusing.) 『Dead Like Me: After Death (Stephen Herek, 2009)
So I'm probably one of the handful, at most, of people who came into this having never seen a single episode of the TV show to which this is an extended epilogue. This despite thinking that Ellen Muth is outrageously cute. But what can you do? I never had Showtime. I actually recorded this thinking it was the original pilot (and that someone was finally going to show the series on basic cable). Seems I was, well, a tad wrong. I've spent pieces of the last half-hour reading about how much worse than the show it is. Must have been an incredible show. I missed all the plot inconsistencies and the like, obviously. I have no idea about the rules of this universe. Coming into it cold, it wasn't bad. It wasn't good, mind you, but it wasn't bad.
I'm not going to stick to my usual review format for this, because giving a plot synopsis seems redundant. And because of all the stuff I read about plot holes, etc., which makes me think that if you haven't seen the series, pretty much anything I say about the movie is going to be a spoiler. Thus I'll stick with commenting on the acting (generally decent, though no one was truly great), the script (I'll leave it to the experts to discover plot inconsistencies; I found it half-witty and half-treacle), the the direction (competent). My usual stuff, in other words. I did kind of expect more, after all the wonderful things I've heard about the show, but rather than taking it as a feature film I took it as an extended TV show episode; looked at that way, I found it at least enjoyable enough to keep watching. It ain't House, or even the last few seasons of The X-Files, but watchable nonetheless. **½ 』 『Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 02/17/2009 Run time: 87 minutes Rating: R』 『STORY SYNOPSIS When George and her colleagues get a new boss whose focus is on moving souls quickly and enjoying life without consequences, the team begins to break the strict reaper rules. While her friends fall victim to their desires for money, success, and fame, George breaks another rule by revealing her true identity to her living family. As the reapers struggle with their roles on Earth, they each find that death can be just as complicated as life. Through its strong storyline,Dead Like Medelves into the intricate mythology and dark comedy created by the TV series and appeals to the show’s legions of fans as well as those new to the world of the reapers.
BeyondDead Like Me: Life After Death
Dead Like Me: The Complete Collection
Dead Like Me - The Complete First Season
Dead Like Me - The Complete Second Season
Stills fromDead Like Me: Life After Death(Click for larger image)
price：$10.99
WB Television Network, The
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Buffy goes to college) 『Buffy and the gang head off to college. Still fighting Vamps and demons, Buffy has a new lover in Riley from the ultra secret Initiative. More depth in the supporting characters and their lives. I still thoroughly enjoyed this season and highly recommend it to fans.』
(Received what I asked for) 『No complaints about this product or sender. I received what I wanted in the allotted amount of time.』
(Happy client) 『I got my package in tip top condition, no complaints. I would purchase from this sellar again.』
(All about the villians) 『This is a very bare bones dvd, but that is what I was looking for. I just want to watch the episodes and enjoy, and there was a lot to enjoy in season four. To me,this was the second best season, slowly building up to my favorite season, five. Spike, the Gentlemen, the Initiative, to the intelligent but evil Adam make this the best season ,villian wise. They all had their reasons and all had distinct personalities.』
(buffy4) 『I was happy with the condition of the product and the timeliness of it coming』 『Buffy begins college feeling completely overwhelmed. But once the monsters show up, its just like old times. Then she starts dating Riley, a handsome commando battling the same monsters. He's a part of a secret organization called The Initiative and Buffy is all too happy to join the team. But she soon suspects The Initiative maybe more dangerous than the monsters they are supposed to be battling...』
price：$7.99
Starz / Anchor Bay
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Evil Dead II-Still Gore-iffic.) 『Evil Dead 2 is a movie(like the first) I don't appreciate, Is pointless and no plot, just gore and of course Young dumb people staying in the woods, Why would you stay in a creepy cabin? Mama didn't raise no fool, But that's horror movies, people doing dumb stuff. Although Bruce Campbell is a legend.don't watch if your queasy.』
("That's right. Who's laughing now?!") 『Whether it's a sequel or a remake, it doesn't matter once the film starts. This is the second installment in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series, and it's one of the few sequels (or "remake" if you want to call that) that is equal to the original. It's just as diabolical, with some twisted moments that will no doubt be implanted in the brains of those who watch them. I think the only difference here is that the black humor is more constant than in the original. There is one scene in which Ash (Bruce Campbell) discovers that his hand is possessed by an evil spirit, and from then on, some diabolical hilarity ensues. The entire film is basically a perfect mix of horror, blood, slapstick, gore, and over-the-top edginess. It's actually one of the better horror films in recent decades. Sure, it may not be like The Exorcist, The Shining, or George A. Romero's zombie films, but the entire Evil Dead series stands on its own as a scary&darkly hilarious bloodfest. Kudos to Raimi and Campbell.』
(The Worst Blu Ray Ever Made) 『Big fan of the film and Raimi's low-budget comedy horror stylings, but this has to rank as the worst blu ray I regret to own. If you upgraded to hi def for the picture quality, don't bother with this one. Its absolutely shocking, with terrible use of noise reduction that gives everything a wax-like appearance. Go with the book of the dead edition until Anchor Bay fixes this mess.』
(Bobby Joe!) 『This movie has a lot of splatter but very little scares but that's okay. It's an entertaining movie. I haven't seen the first Evil Dead movie but from what I've read the plot is very similar. On the audio commentary it is funny to hear Bruce Campbell talk about filming the movie and mention that it was pretty much the exact same cabin from the first movie. Ash, that durn fool. Why did he go back? Seeing Ash put a chainsaw on his severed stump was pretty cool. Another funny bit was when one of the female characters gets lost in the woods and the dumb fat guy forces the others to look for her shouting "BOBBY JOE!" repeatedly. For a few days after viewing the movie whenever I was looking for something be it keys or wallet I would yell "BOBBY JOE!" It is a funny film with over the top energy.
P.S.Ash didn't seem to show much hesitation in decapitating his girlfriend did he? I mean she's clearly possessed but you would expect a little hand wringing before brutally murdering your lover not 'oh she's evil now...kill.' P.P.S."BOOOOBBBBYYYY JOOOOOOOEEEE!!!! Where are ya girl? BOOOOOOBBBBBYYY JOOOOOOEEEE!"』
(Goood movie, but not a good BR buy) 『Well I already knew the movie and I liked it before, but now that I think about it, what's the purpose of buying a BR of a grainy old movie? To see it "clearly" grainy? Anyways, think I would've been better off just buying the regular DVD. So, movies OK, but BR what's the point?』 『Ash (Bruce Campbell), the sole survivor of The Evil Dead, continues his struggle with the forces of the dead. With his girlfriend possessed by demons and his body parts runnning amok, Ash is forced to single-handedly battle the legions of the damned as the most lethal -- and groovy -- hero in horror movie history!
Welcome to Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, director Sam Raimi's infamous sequel to The Evil Dead and outrageous prequel to Army of Darkness! This unhinged horror classic is now fully remastered in state-of-the-art Dolby Digital 5.1 supervised by THX and packed with extras. So, sit back, strap in and rev up the chainsaw: Evil Dead II has returned...like you've never seen or heard it before!』
『Writer-director Sam Raimi's extremely stylized, blood-soaked follow-up to his creepyEvil Deadisn't really a sequel; rather, it's a remake on a better budget. It also isn't really a horror film (though there are plenty of decapitations, zombies, supernatural demons, and gore) as much as it is a hilarious, sophisticated slapstick send-up of the terror genre. Raimi takes every horror convention that exists and exaggerates it with mind-blowing special effects, crossed with mocking Three Stooges humor. The plot alone is a genre cliché right out of any number of horror films. Several teens (including our hero, Ash, played by Bruce Campbell in a manic tour-de-force of physical comedy) visit a broken-down cottage in the woods--miles from civilization--find a copy of the Book of the Dead, and unleash supernatural powers that gut every character in sight. All, that is, except Ash, who takes this very personally and spends much of the of the film getting his head smashed while battling the unseen forces. Raimi uses this bare-bones story as a stage to showcase dazzling special effects and eye-popping visuals, including some ofthe most spectacular point-of-view Steadicam work ever (done by Peter Deming). Although it went unnoticed in the theaters, the film has since become an influential cult-video favorite, paving the way for over-the-top comic gross-out films like Peter Jackson'sDead Alive.--Dave McCoy』
price：$4.00
Touchstone Pictures
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Good Character Study) 『An alien invasion of Earth makes a lapsed clergyman reexamine the doubts he has about his faith. Sort of a cross between "War of the Worlds" and "ET", except the focus is not so much on the aliens (must they always be slender and bug-eyed?) as on the Mel Gibson character, whose wifes' accidental death had led him to leave the ministry. Plot is a bit incoherent, but characters are compelling.』
(Won't Sleep For Days!) 『I saw this movie in the theaters once when it first came out and I haden't seen it since that day until the other night.When I first saw Signs I was scared out of my mind.I couldn't do anything without thinking that some alien was outside of my roof or one was going to pop out from behind a tree in my backyard.I couldn't even stay calm watching it in the theater,I was so freaked out.Anyway a few days ago I decided I needed to cure myself of this fear of aliens that I have and get the sounds and faces of these aliens from Signs out of my head.(keep in mind that I'm 21 and I live alone...I get creeped out by my own shadow)So I watched the movie and in all honesty I can see why I was scared of the movie back then,it's not so much a scary,OMG,horror movie,it's more suspense,sci fi.This movie isnt showing aliens from begining to end and the aliens arn't killing and eating everyone.It's just suttle things that make you jump.You get chills before you even see the aliens,the fact that you know their there and you can't see them is the scary part.Finally I have gotten over the Signs curse and I'm ok watching the movie now.I'm not freaking out and honestly this is now one of my favorite Shyamalan movies.You have to see this movie.』
(A truly scary yet wholesome and meaningful thriller/drama.) 『Signs, directed by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, The Village) is of course about the threat of alien invasion, but there's much more to it than just that. Mel Gibson stars as Graham Hess, a simple farmer and former reverend who has recently left the church in the wake of his wife's tragic death. He and his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) wake up one morning to the screams of the children (Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin), who have just discovered a 500-foot crop circle in their rural Pennsylvania field. Soon a string of strange events, or 'signs', unfold that suggest the possibility of alien invasion. However, this movie doesn't feature the mindless action violence of Independence Day or War Of The Worlds, but instead focuses on this one family and the challenges they are facing. To quote movie critic Richard Roeper, "It's easy for a filmmaker to blow up the world - but what Shyamalan does is much riskier; he tries to blow our minds". Indeed, the film has many important messages, such as 'everything happens for a reason' and 'there is always someone looking out for you'. These messages are foreshadowed throughout the movie, but are made clear in the emotional surprise ending. Signs is an intelligent and suspenseful thriller which understands that we are scared most by what we can't see and that a movie doesn't have to be bloody and violent to be truly terrifying. This is a movie the whole family can watch together and is only rated PG-13 because it is scary and for brief, mild language. Good Morning America called it "A suspense-filled twilight zone thriller" and Rolling Stone proclaimed it as "A dazzling white-knuckler", whatever that means. According to CNN, "You will have to see it twice". Special features include deleted scenes, a six-part making-of documentary, a multi-angle storyboard featurette, and even a clip from Shyamalan's short film 'Pictures', billed as his 'first alien movie', made when he was 'just a little kid'. This DVD is well worth buying and I strongly recommend it to fans of any type of movie.』
(Ugly Evil Aliens) 『Signs is a great Sci-Fi drama. It has suspense and a very good transition until the end of the movie. It is a great Sci-Fi movie to own for your collection.』
(WHY can't hollywood make a believable alien invasion movie?) 『What is it about hollywood that they cannot make a decent alien invasion movie, every one of them just seems to stink. About signs:
1. Reverend looses faith after wife is tragically killed in a car accident. Couldn't have been very faithful to begin with, most people of faith that I know personally do not lose their faith because some loved one dies "before their time", much less a reverend. I realize this is largly anecdotal but it still may be accurate. 2. No one ever seems to have a gun. Would someone care to explain to me where in middle America there is a corn farmer with no shotgun, ever hear of crows anyone. This actually seems to be a recurrent theme in these movies. There are 80 to 100 million guns owned by Americans, but they never seem be anywhere in the movie when the aliens invade. Are we actually supposed to belive that when aliens invade the earth that no one ever seems to have a gun handy but the police (who are usually portrayed as way to competent) and the military (who are usually portrayed as way to incompetant). If a average American actually does have a gun they are usually portrayed as some kind of whack job (Tim Robbins in War Of The Worlds). 3. Aliens invade to supposedly take us for food but are so allergic to water that it burns them. Okay this has been talked about endlessly in the 1 star reviews but they are going to eat people that are made up of more than 90% water, can I have a glass of suphuric acid please. 4. The baby monitor. This is even worse than Independance Day's signals being deciphered by the cable guy. 5. The aliens are not armed with anything other than a poison gas squirted from their wrists. See point #2 6. Alien is so lame that it cannot break down the pantry door. Again, see point # 2 7. Just where is the military? Lame aliens should have been kicked off earth in less than a day by the military of even the smallest third world country.
This movie is so bad that cannot waste anymore time talking about how lame it is and I cannot give it no stars. They tried to rely to much on the star power of Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix to try and salvage this piece of crap. My disdain for this movie goes farther than just Signs itself but to the whole genre of alien invasion movies, They all seem to stink.』 『From M. Night Shyamalan, the writer/director of THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE, comes the story of the Hess family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who wake up one morning to find a 500-foot crop circle in their backyard. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) and his family are told extraterrestrials are responsible for the sign in their field. They watch, with growing dread, the news of crop circles being found all over the world. SIGNS is the emotional story of one family on one farm as they encounter the terrifying last moments of life as the world is being invaded. "It's easy for a filmmaker to blow up the world -- but what Shyamalan does is much riskier. He tries to blow our minds. I was engaged by every inch of SIGNS." - Richard Roeper, Ebert&Roeper.』 『This B movie with noble aspirations is the work of a gifted filmmaker whose storytelling falls short of his considerable stylistic flair. While addressing crises of faith in the framework of an alien-invasion thriller, M. Night Shyamalan (in his follow-up toThe Sixth SenseandUnbreakable) favors atmospheric tension over explanatory plotting. He injects subtle humor into expertly spooky scenes, but the story suffers from too many lapses in logic. The film's faults are greatly compensated by the performance of Mel Gibson as a widower whose own crisis of faith coincides with the appearance of mysterious crop circles in his Pennsylvania cornfield... and hundreds of UFOs around the globe. With his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) and two young children (Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin), the lapsed minister perceives this phenomenal occurrence as a series of signs and portents, while Shyamalan pursues a spookfest withWar of the Worldsovertones. It's effective to a point, but vaguely hollow at its core.--Jeff Shannon』
price：$9.99
20th Century Fox
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (very happy) 『I am very haqppy with the product and how fast i got it. This shows final season was great and for being used it was in great condition. The price was great too and i will order from that company again and through amazon in general.』
(Too Bad This Was the Last Season) 『From the pilot episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" all the way through this last season of "Angel", I always had one or the other, or both, to enjoy and keep my work week rolling along. Getting to watch Season 5 again after all these years was a real treat and I highly recommend "Angel" to anyone who is/was a "Buffy" fan and didn't give "Angel" a chance. I feel that "Angel" was consistently good from episode-to-episode and season-to-season. Something I always appreciated was how the writers (and Joss Whedon) never shied away from making fun of the show and/or the characters at times, even if the plot was dark. And when things got dark, they were really dark. But there's always a subtle sense of hope that runs through the episodes and seasons that, in conjunction with the great story-lines and writing, helped to bind the show together and keep things flowing along.
I hated to see the show end, but it's always better to go out with a roar instead of a whimper. Enjoy!』
(SERIOUSLY OVER RATED!) 『First I want to say I LOVE this series (even better then Buffy). Angel is my #1 favorite series ever (Buffy's #2), but I didn't like this season. It was a completely different show all together. In season 4 they BUTCHERED Cordy's character (making her have sex with Connor, even if she was possessed it was just disgusting) and in season 5 they totally butchered Angel and Spike's characters and killed 3 of my favorite characters. Spike was my favorite character off of Buffy. He was actually the reason I watched the show his character was so fun to watch and funny (you laugh at almost everything he says), but his character went from the funny, rebel of Buffy that never really fit in and didn't really care to almost boring on Angel. And Angel wasn't the character I grew to love watching on his own show through the years either. He became kind of an ass and a lot darker of a character (not Angelus dark and not "poor me" Buffy series dark, but kind of like he's just drained and hasn't really care anymore). The show was definitely missing that lighter vibe Cordy brought that they tried to fill by bringing Harmony into the cast (they failed) and it was obvious they tried to make Spike fill in for Gunn (since they change Gunn's charater too), but it doesn't work because like I said they loose the character of Spike in doing so. The only things I liked about the show was the closure it gave to Angel and Connor's relationship and Illyria was actually a pretty cool character (but I would have traded her for a Wes/Fred ship for the season).
I also thought Joss was in such a hurry to try and get over the Angel/ Cordy thing once they finished her character that no one seemed to care at all when she died, no one really mentioned it (except Angel a couple times here and there) and Angel within the next couple of episodes is already dating someone else (which I think was a huge disrespect to the character of Cordelia). Even if you don't count the fact that they were in love she was his best and dearest friend and I honestly don't think Angel had he have been himself that season would have gotten over it so fast. I think Joss handled it not only disrespectful to the character of Cordelia, but to Angel's character as well.
If you're just watching to see if Angel and Buffy end up together or Buffy and Spike it's a total waste of time as well. She does love BOTH of them, but there is no real closure on the love triangle.
In seasons 1-3 they have a mission and it's all like one big novel (like the Harry Potter series) with season 4 rounding it out. Season 5 was just completely different! No more Angel Investigations, no more champions, no more fighting for redemption or to help the helpless, no more working for/with the powers the be, none of the things that made the series, the series. EVERYTHING is gone and everyone's personality changes (or they die, or both). It's like if you watched "Gone with the Wind" and everyone wants to know what happens next, but then years after the author dies, some women gets the rights from a relative of the author to do a sequel and it's horrible! They change Scarlett and Rhett's personalites, they have them doing things their characters would never do, and acting in ways their characters would never act and it's just so badly ruined the story for you that you wished you'd never even seen it. That's what they do to the characters in season 5 as continuing of the Buffy&Angel series. I hated the fact that Spike died at the end of season 7 of Buffy, but if I knew they'd butcher his character in season 5 of Angel I would've just rathered they kept him the way he was and ended the Angel series at season 3 or 4.
I think the people excited about Spike are just so excited because he's back that they don't even realize that he's not the same character anymore. Also fans of Cordy's probably wont like season 5 and will probably feel the energy missing from it not having her character around. Angel's character also changes drastically not having her around (as I mentioned earlier). Gunn's character totally changes, so fans of Gunn may or may not like the new Gunn, etc. etc.
The point to my ramblings is that this season really should not have even happened (Plus the ending sucks). But it got 2 points from me (only because the Illyria character was cool and they ended Connor and Angel really nicely, in my opinion).』
(very happy with this product) 『Sorry this took so long. I didn't have the internet for some time. I was very happy with this purchase. It was in perfect condiction. Thanks!!!』
(Angel Season 5 - Wow) 『I loved it! For Angel fans the what happens next. Taking over Wolfram $ Hart and how it effects everyone. It was really great! 』 『The Angel Investigations team is stunned when the Senior Partners of Wolfram and Hart give them control of the L.A. office. The gang quickly moves in, and although everyone is delighted at the amazing resources they now have at their command, they can’t stop wondering what the catch is. But the biggest mystery of all revolves around a small package Angel receives containing an amulet and a handful of dust—which coalesces into a very-much-alive Spike.』 『Lives were upended--and some co-opted--in the fifth and final season ofAngel, as the denizens of Angel Investigations found themselves taking on one of their scariest endeavors ever: corporate life. After making a literal deal with the devil (or something distinctly devil-like), Angel (David Boreanaz) moved his team from their crumbling hotel to the high-rise digs of law-firm-from-hell Wolfram&Hart, his reasoning being they could better fight the forces of evil from the inside, and with more resources to boot. Clever maneuvering or easy rationalization? Not a few members of Angel's team accused him of selling out (as did a number of viewers), but as with most of the show's previous four seasons,Angelsomehow took a dubious premise and mined it for gold. And with one core cast member gone (Charisma Carpenter, whose Cordelia was immersed in a deep coma), it seemed as if the show, from within and without, would suddenly fall apart--that is, until Angel's longtime nemesis Spike (James Marsters) showed up, freshfrom his sacrificial roasting at the series finale ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer. Let the vampire games begin!
WithBuffyoff the air, fans flocked toAngel's last season to get their fix of Joss Whedon's "Buffyverse" in any form they could, and the addition of Spike was a shrewd one, albeit not enough to keep the show from getting canceled. And for the first half of the season, the creative forces behind the show seemed to be toying ruthlessly with the audience. Spike was around, but not entirely corporeal; Angel himself became sullen and withdrawn; and most horrifically, sweetheart scientist Fred (Amy Acker) and former watcher Wesley (Alexis Denisof) underwent traumas that would test even the most devoted viewer. However, just when you'd be about to throw in the towel, things started changing for the better--Spike became a permanent fixture (both in the flesh and on the show), Angel's secret motives were revealed, and the introduction of demon warrior Illyria, who proved to be the show's answer toBuffy's sardonic demon-made-human Anya, was a welcome breath of fresh air. Creatively,Angelalso came up with some of its best episodes, including "Smile Time" (where Angel is turned into a puppet– really!) and "You're Welcome" (the show's 100th episode, which marked the bittersweet return of Carpenter's Cordelia). The ending of the series was deliberately ambiguous, and not everyone made it through alive, but in going out kicking, it was a proper sendoff for a show that always fought thegood fight.--Mark Englehart』
price：$5.50
Dimension
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Could Have Been A Classic) 『The movie starts off great. Instantly you hate George Clooney's character but are intrigued at the same time because he does a bad guy so well. I have always liked Harvey Keitel and Juliet Lewis as well. The acting was pretty good across the board, the music was great, the special effects were good (some really cool looking vampires in this one), and the gore was over the top, so why the low rating? Simple, this movie takes a nose dive when it turns into a vampire movie. Not because vampires aren't cool, and not because they're done poorly (they're not), but at the unbelievable reactions of the patrons. All of a sudden it's as though all of them (the ones not initially eaten) have been expert vampire killers their whole life. There is no surprise, no sense of fear, no sense of amazement, just a sort of attitude of "okay, time to kill a bunch of vampires, yawn" As another reviewer put it, if I saw a vampire, no, make that if anyone saw a vampire they would be gripped with fear. I wanted to see some of that. The completely unrealistic reactions of the patrons turned what could have been a scary, amazing vampire thriller into a cartoon. It was even more cartoon like how they went about killing the vampires. Dropping them on a table leg with a completely flat bottom. Excuse me, but how exactly is that supposed to go through a body, unless the body is made of play dough? The vampires are so easy to kill in this movie it's only their numbers that make them a nuisance.
It is apparent the decision was made to turn the vampire half of the movie into a kind of tongue in cheek, comedy, but it didn't work. Robert Rodriquez is a fantastic director. Planet Terror is one of my all time favorite horror movie's ever. That film managed to expertly combine humor and horror, from Dusk Till Dawn does not. This movie deserved a much better treatment of the vampire half. Serious, not "okay, the vampires are here let's start killing em." For the male viewers the movie is worth watching right till the end of the drop gorgeous Selma Hayek's sexy dance, then it can be safely turned off.』
("All right . . . let's go kill some f***ing vampires!") 『If you're sick of all this Twilight phenomenon that's still occurring as of today, and are looking for different and far more bad@** vampires, then you've made the right decision by finding the movie From Dusk Till Dawn here on Amazon. In this film, we not only see vampires and blood, but also some awesome action and some very dark humor. The first half of the film is basically an action adventure with George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino. The second half is where the bigger mayhem is found: vampires, guns, gore, explosions, etc. And it all happens in a strip club: can it get any stranger than that? Everyone does an extraordinary job here: Clooney and Tarantino as the main protagonist; Keitel, Lewis, and Liu as supporting characters; Hayek as the sexy Satanico Pandemonium; Marin as comic relief; the direction, the music, the editing, the cinematography, everything is done with flair and verve. So forget Twilight and its "sparkly" vampires that only teenage girls will love; From Dusk Till Dawn is a real treat if you're into REAL awesome vampires.』
(How could I have neglected to see this movie for so long??) 『Wow, this is a wonderfully campy, trashy, occasionally sexy, gory grindhouse-style romp.
This movie's definitely for the adults in the audience. It's got nudity. It's got vampires, it's got Cheech (a lot of Cheech, if I recall correctly; how many roles did he play?), Tarantino (both alive and un-dead!), Clooney and Hayek. It's got a guy with a gun for his... umm... Y'know. ;) It's got a Super Soaker with holy Water, it's got a crossbow, it's got an automated staking jack-hammer, it's got a priest turning to the dark side (not intentionally).
It's just one giant slow-motion train wreck, and wonderfully executed (if campy; the vampire make-up is reminiscent of that from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
If you like vampire movies and/or grindhouse-style movies, you've got to like this. You've just got to. I'd give you a moneyback guarantee, but you never gave me any money.
If you don't like it... Well, it's not for everyone. It's crude, it's got bad language and sexual situations.
If you *do* like it, you might also like Bordello Of Blood&Demon Knight or The Lost Boys, maybe Planet Terror, for the zombie fans out there.』
("Welcome to slavery" "No thanks, I already had a wife") 『This movies is JUST a tad bit over the top. Not George Clooney's finest, but still a typical Rodriguez film. It has its moments and what stood out to me was that Harvey Keitel's performance was probably the best, I personally thought he did a hell of a job in a movie that doesn't quite seem to fit his genre like lets say a Taxi Driver. The script is just hideous, I understand Tarantino is known for his one-liner movies but the writing was so horrible it was practically comedic. The movie is I'd say about one hour and forty five minutes, you dont learn of the vampires until they hit the Titty Twister in Mexico, about an hour into the film so to recap, 2/3 of the movie is about escaped fugitives one a thief, the other a psychopathic serial killer who by the way are brothers go figure who go an rampage, kidnap a preacher and his two teenage children and threaten their lives in exchange for a safe ride across the border. That was the first hour of the film. Then comes the vampires... almost completely out of know where. They stop at this strip bar called the Titty Twister where only bikers and truckers are allowed in and everything is going well, people are drinking and getting horny from cheap strippers and then suddenly Tarantino and Clooney get a rude awakening from one of the bar's figureheads, they get into a huge fight and Selma Hayek gets excited over the blood gushing from Tarantino's hand and she obviously cannot control her actions at this point and morphs into this bloodsucking being. From there, all HELL (literally) breaks loose.
Listen, I get it, this is suppose to represent exploitation films of the 70s, it has that kind of grimy and gritty style to it with the cheap effects and the outragious amount of violence and gore and one-liners, its ok, its what actually makes the movie work but the problem is you have a talented cast and a somewhat talented director who has had much better films in his career and all of sudden it appears that they've hit a road block. The movie has its moments, don't get me wrong but the plot and storyline suffer, the whole fugitive / Vampire hunters just doesn't seem to mesh properly. Its a fun movie to watch but not to be taken seriously. This is a Tarantino film, not a Keitel and Clooney film, they are much better actors than what is portrayed in this shoot-um up action / horror flick. Rodriguez's Sin City was much better than this and that was extremely gory and violent but Sin City was true to Noir and Pulp movies and comics whereas I'm not too convinced that From Dusk Till Dawn was true to exploitation films of the 70s. You want to see a real violent and gory mimic exploitation of the 70s? Watch the Devil's Rejections by Rob Zombie, you're in for a real treat.
There are some things I liked about the movie and alot I didnt. I actually enjoyed Clooney and Tarantino and their struggles trying to get across the border but the whole vampire image in the last forty five minutes really turned me off and Cheche Maron, there's a reason he's in movies like this. The way I look at, this is a cheap drive-in movie and actually your seeing two for the price of one... not a bad deal, but wasn't that how exploitation movies of the 70s were shown, two for one or a double feature?
This movie definitely will have its fanbase, but its not for everyone. Be weary of what your getting into.
』
(Review balance - avoid this trash) 『Even the Selma Hayek snake dance does not make this film worth watching much less save it from being an ultimately putrid, truly silly, mindless gore-fest of a trash heap of celluloid (or DVD plastic).
My God! Tarantino is such a jumble of brilliance and baseness. Well, I guess at least he will long be remembered. But this film, I hope, will be one that is forgotten.
I am dismayed that George Clooney is in this film. If he is the good actor I think, he must at times awake at night in a cold sweat to think he was part of this gutter trash film. It's embarrassing.』 『It's nonstop thrills when George Clooney (THE PERFECT STORM, THREE KINGS) and Quentin Tarantino (PULP FICTION) star as the Gecko brothers -- two dangerous outlaws on a wild crime spree! After kidnapping a father (Harvey Keitel -- U-571) and his two kids (including Juliette Lewis -- NATURAL BORN KILLERS), the Geckos head south to a seedy Mexican bar to hide out in safety. But when they face the bar's truly notorious clientele, they're forced to team up with their hostages in order to make it out alive!』 『From a match made in heaven comes a movie spawned in hell! Young hotshot director Robert Rodriquez (El Mariachi,Desperado) teamed up withPulp Fictionauteur Quentin Tarantino (offering his services as writer and co-star) to make this outrageous, no-holds-barred hybrid of high-octane crime and gruesome horror. QT plays Richard Gecko, a borderline psychopath who breaks his career-criminal brother, Seth (George Clooney), out of prison, after which they rob a bank and leave a trail of dead and wounded in their bloody wake. Then they hijack a mobile home driven by a former Baptist minister (Harvey Keitel) who quit the church after his wife's death and hit the road with his two children (played by Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu). Heading to Mexico with their hostages, the infamous Gecko brothers arrive at the Titty Twister bar to rendezvous for a money drop, but they don't realize that they've just entered the nocturnal lair of a bloodthirsty gang of vampires! With not-so-subtle aplomb, Rodriguez and Tarantino shift into high gear with a nonstop parade of gore, gunfire, and pointy-fanged mayhem featuring Salma Hayek as a snake-charming dancer whose bite is much worse than her bark. If you're a fan of Tarantino's lyrical dialogue and pop-cultural wit, you'll have fun with the road-movie half of this supernatural horror-comedy, but if your taste runs more to exploding heads and eyeballs, sloppy entrails and morphing monsters, the second half provides a connoisseur's feast of gross-out excess.Bon appétit!--Jeff Shannon』
price：$15.99
WB Television Network, The
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (pretty good) 『I got what I expected, just had some problems with delivery - not that quick, and there was a problem with the shipment, though that's probably more the postage office's fault than anyone else's....』
(Terrible video quality.) 『I love the show. I hate the video quality of this DVD. It looks like it was mastered with a VHS tape or maybe worse. Terrible video quality. Highly disappointing. At least I got it cheap. 』
(best season) 『If I could only own one season of buffy it would be this one. The second season is actually what drew me in because it's amazing, the rest of the series is great too but this season is just the best. There's everything you could want, romance, hot guys, funny moments, angst, action, kinda scary moments, and something only Joss Whedon does that I just can't name. I would say what it's about but plenty of other reviews plus the summary already tell you. I just want to add another 5 star review because this season deserves it.』
(One of the best seasons of television ever) 『And I really mean that. This is by far my favorite season of Buffy. This season opens up with a bang. (This review will contain many spoilers). The first episode, "When she was bad", is one of my favorite episodes in the whole series. Buffy comes back from summer vacation acting very different. She is very moody, and is acting very wild. Her friends assume she is possessed by some sort of demon. It turns out that she is just in a deep depression from her death at the end of the previous season. The episode "School Hard" introduces Spike, the villain for the first half of the season, who is also one of the best fictional characters of all time as far as I'm concerned. "Halloween" and "Lie to me" were two other great episodes, the first for its exceptional comedy, the second for its excellent drama. The two-part episode "What's my Line" was not one of my favorite episodes, but a scene from it caused me to laugh out loud at this show for the first time, the scene where Xander and Cordelia start making out. Their whole relationship was funny. Some people didn't think it worked, but I thought it was great. However, the downside of this episode is the character Kendra. She was way too wooden, and her accent was horrible. The two episodes "Surprise" and "Innocence" chronicled Angel's loss of his soul and his return to being a vicious killer. I have to say, Angelus is definitely my favorite villain in the whole series, possibly one of the best TV villains of all time. In "Becoming", the two-part season finale, Buffy loses everything. Her friend Kendra is murdered, she is wanted by the police for said murder, she is expelled from school, and her mother kicks her out of the house. She has to stop Angel from awakening a demon that will swallow the world. She sacrifices him to save the world, after his soul has been restored by Willow. That scene almost brought me to tears. And I'm a guy. A macho guy. And I knew he had his own spin-off series lined up, but still. Buffy then leaves Sunnydale to get away from her calling as a slayer.
This was a huge improvement over the first season. If you read my review of season 1, you know I had some problems with it. The acting, the effects and makeup, and the actions scenes were not very good. They weren't horrible, but they weren't great either. The acting is much better this time around. Anthony Head is brilliant as usual, but Willow, Xander, and Angel's acting has improved a lot. Even Buffy, who ironically is not one of my favorite characters, does a pretty good job. The romance between her and Angel is pretty believable. Contrast that with the relationship between Xander and Cordelaia. Their relationship was funny and enjoyable to watch, but it was not very realistic. Someone as superficial as Cordelia would never have publicly dated Xander. But hey, it's a TV show, not real life.The action scenes are not very well-choreographed in the first few episodes, but they get better as the season progresses. By the second half of the season, they are great. The final fight between Buffy and Angelus (a sword fight) was very entertaining. Everything about this season was almost perfect. There were a few cheesy episodes, such as "Some Assembly Required", "Inca Mummy Girl", and "Go Fish", but, you know, nothing's without a few flaws. Overall, this was a very good season. If you have never seen it, or if you have seen it but just want to own it, buy this DVD. 』
(revue) 『Really liked this series. Don't know how I missed it first time around.』 『THE CHOSEN ONE HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN... Now you can own the entire second season of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. All 22 classic episodes are available for the first time in this exclusive 6-disc collector's edition. From "When She Was Bad," "Surprise" and "Innocence," to "Passion" and "Becoming, Part One" and "Becoming, Part Two," these Season Two episodes are a must for every true Buffy fan.』 『At the heart of the first years of Joss Whedon'sBuffy the Vampire Slayerwas the romance between Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), slayer of all things evil, and hunky Angel (David Boreanaz), the tortured vampire destined to walk the earth with a soul. The second season ofBuffytook the Buffy-Angelpas de deuxfrom ecstasy to agony in a now-classic plot arc that catapulted the show from WB teen drama to true TV greatness. You see, if the cursed Angel ever experiences true happiness for a moment, he'll revert to being an evil vampire again. And guess what happens after Buffy and Angel finally declare their love for one another and consummate their relationship...
Buffyfound its true momentum during the second season, as geeky Xander (Nicholas Brendon) fell in love with popular girl Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), Willow (Alyson Hannigan) gave up her crush on Xander in favor of werewolf boy Oz (Seth Green), and watcher Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) began a sweetly tentative relationship with computer teacher (and witch) Jenny Calendar (Robia LaMorte). Mayhem came to Sunnydale, though, in the form of evil vampires Drusilla (Juliet Landau) and Spike (drolly wicked James Marsters), who were more than ready to aid and abet Angel as he turned bad. It all sounds like horror-action mayhem (and there are great fight scenes), butBuffytook on its plotlines with amazing depth, intelligence, and humor. And oh, man, the love story! Buffy and Angel's tragic relationship is one of the most heartbreaking you'll ever find. Buffy's final dilemma finds her having to save the world at Angel's expense, and Gellar (who deserves a passel of Emmys for her work) is phenomenal at telegraphing Buffy's swirling conflicts between love and duty. This is some of the best TV ever made, period.--Mark Englehart』
price：$24.49
MPI Home Video
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (All I wanted and more...) 『I grew up listening to Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce on the radio and later watched everything Sherlock that they did. I recently purchased the 50 episode radio version complete collection and then spotted this 14 episode collection on DVD. It is special. The packaging is top shelf and the collection is all I remember and more with the additions of the MPI Video insight into the reclamation of the 14 episodes. A well done collection of the best Sherlock and Watson in my opinion.』
(Preservation of A Classic Series) 『Not only is this set of DVDs a boon for Sherlockians who don't mind eating popcorn in bed while enjoying more innocent late shows than the current fare, but it represents the preservation efforts of an archival team from UCLA. Thus a classic series of movies has been saved from oblivion. As for Basil Rathbone -- his Sherlock has never been topped. When you've tired of rereading the canon for the hundredth time and feel like taking a break, this is the way to do it!』
(Happy so far.) 『I remember watching these movies on the late show on our local UHF channel and haven't seen them in many years. I was pleased to see that they were as good as I remembered. I've only watched three so far (Baskervilles, Voice of Terror, and Adventures) and haven't had any problems technically. I feel the package was a little pricey for what was provided. I don't crave extras as I don't want to devote the time to watch four hours of "the making of" but in this case I would have enjoyed liner notes or a printed booklet with background information on the films.』
(Awesome!) 『These Sherlock Holmes episodes symbolize a seemingly trivial, but much cherished memory of my college years. Back in the early 70's, an episode ran every Saturday night on Philly TV, starting somewhere around 11pm or maybe later ... my memory isn't that clear. But what is very clear is the weekly tradition of ordering a meatball sandwich with cheese from the corner pizza shop and picking it up in time to eat it during the openning scenes of the next Sherlock Holmes episode (while cursing at the rabbit ears trying to get better reception). OK, so I was a bit of a nerd and didn't have a girlfriend back then so was left with spending Saturday night with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson! But I looked forward to each episode, even in rerun after rerun! Over the years, I have purchased individual episodes when they became available on tape or DVD, and have resisted purchasing the previous box sets. But when this set became available, I just couldn't resist. Now I have to talk the family into staying up late on Saturdays to watch again ... this time I think I will eat something a bit more healthy!』
(The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection) 『The delivery was rapid as expected. Very good condition.
As for the content, Basil Rathbone like Jeremy Brett, gives a great interpretation to this legendary character of Sir Auther Conan Doyle.
Very satisfied.』 『The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection stars Basil Rathbone as the legendary Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as the venerable Dr. John H. Watson. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection is comprised of all 14 classic films on 5 discs: THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES SHERLOCKHOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR SHERLOCK HOMLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE SPIDER WOMAN SHERLOCK HOLMES THE SCARLET CLAW SHERLOCK HOLMES IN PEARL OF DEATH SHERLOCK HOLMES HOUSE OF FEAR SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE WOMAN IN GREEN SHERLOCK HOLMES PURSUIT TO ALGIERS SHERLOCK HOLMES TERROR BY NIGHT SHERLOCK HOLMES DRESSED TO KILL』
price：$81.49
Warner Home Video
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Great) 『I remember watching Tales From the Crypt when I was younger, and decided to get the whole 7 seasons. Some seasons seem a whole lot better than others but overall it is a good buy and will keep you entertained for a long time!』
(This series is always awesome) 『Very corny but was a great show when I was a kid and I styill love it now』
(Tales from the Crypt the complete Seasons 1-7) 『If I have to order a complete used series again (which I probably will do very soon) I would definitely used this same vendor. The complete series was spanking new and was very pleased. I highly recommend any one who is thinking of buying a complete series. I saved so much, which was great!!! Thank you so much. 』 『Based on the legendary and gruesome EC Comics from publisher William Gaines, this horror anthology featured stories of murder, the super natural, gore and humor and always had a twist ending of sorts. Some of Hollywood's biggest names took part, either working in front or behind the camera. Hosting duties fell to everyone's favorite decaying corpse, the Cryptkeeper.
The success of this series spawned a Saturday morning cartoon series (Tales From the Cryptkeeper), a short-lived Saturday morning game show on CBS (Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House) and lots of merchandise. Two feature films (Demon Knight and Bordello of Blood) were also produced and released in the late 90's. The TV series originally aired on HBO, but was later syndicated to Fox, the Sci-Fi Channel, and most recently AMC. This 20-disc set includes all seven seasons.』
price：$6.96
Weinstein Company
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review ("Michael Meyers was created by interior and exterior factors gone violently wrong. A perfect storm,if you will.") 『I rented Rob Zombie's Halloween sort of not really knowing if it was going to completely suck or if he hit one out of the park? Well, after seeing it...I have to tell ya, Rob didn't hit a home run but his new vision and re-telling of Carpenter's "classic" Halloween is a solid hit. He stuck to the basic story and plot (rearranged some things) and completely re-vamped Halloween into something much better (he got rid of allot of the hokeyness that was in the original). While not perfect (I had an issue with the "time line") I can look past that one discrepancy, it played out much smoother and with less down time.
Zombie's version of Halloween is far more violent and shows much more graphic detail. I liked the back story that gave you a better glimpse to how Michael Meyers came to be and the meaning behind "the mask". Halloween purists will argue that Zombie revealed too much by giving too much away and spending too much time on other details. Those are the minute minority that are just hung up on Carpenter's classic and are unwilling to accept a new version of the film.
You can't compare the two films. While similar in character and plot, they are completely two different animals. Carpenter's Halloween will always be the "cult classic" and what Zombie was attempting to do (and executed well) was make it "his film". Doing a complete carbon copy of the original would have been pointless and an insult to the original. I'm glad that Zombie manned up and took the reins on this one giving it quite a different look and feel. Dirty, gritty, cruel and ferocious to the end. Zombie's vision of Halloween will keep your attention from start to finish. I liked it so much that I broke down and bought the DVD, it is well worth watching and owning and great film for a Halloween night tradition. 』
(Starts well then turns into a standard remake) 『Remakes often fail, especially when based on classic material, as they are constantly compared to the original. It may be unfair, but it is inevitable. So, with the remake of a movie as good and as well known as Halloween, Rob Zombie was stepping into some very big shoes. What was interesting to me, is how the portions of the movie that had nothing to do with the original were far more interesting to me than those which were a remake. While nothing necessarily unique, watching Mike Myers as a young boy, with all sorts of problems, mental and social, was rather interesting. In some ways, leaving this movie as a prequel rather than a prequel/remake would have been advised. Once the movie decided to become a remake I largely lost interest, knowing who was going to die, and constantly feeling that it had been done before dragged the movie down a notch. When Laurie finally asks "Was that the boogie man?" I cringed, as it felt so out of place, and a forced nod to the original.
It's a shame really that the remake portion detracted from the what could have otherwise been something interesting. I think Rob Zombie had shown some real darkness and great film making in the dark and sadistic devil's rejects, and was hoping for more from this. While I got some interesting moments, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe his sequel will cure the defects of the remake, and stick to being its own entity. Its worth seeing, if you're not expecting too much.』
(Zombie Misses The Point!!) 『After reading the dead-on "Needless Look Behind The Curtain" review (good job Miles!), I just wanted to add that Zombie not only missed the point but took too many cheap liberties. There are alot of swearing just for the sake of swearing moments that leave me underwhelmed. Usually when theres a lack of any real substance in a movie (typically in horror or "gangsta") foul language can be used as "padding", kind of like puddy to fill the cracks in an otherwise spotty stretch of dialogue. Many of Michael's murder sequences are very dark and confusing and continue for lengthy periods. While I like this effect when used in restraint (a key concept lacking in Zombie's movies), it is actually distracting to the point of leaving these dramatic moments ineffectual. Nothing is ever dramatic in a Zombie film because the man has no RESTRAINT. Like "Full Metal Jacket", this movie has 2 parts: childhood/incarceration; adulthood/escape. This first part is wonderfully done but relies too much on schlocky sex angles and that language. I do like the retro 70's vibe of the first part and I can go with the Michael Myers childhood storyline if need be. Michael's new history seemed plausible and made Michael more human. Like Miles said in his review, this human element ruins the 2nd part where he takes on those immortal qualities we've all grown up with. Another complaint about the darkness of many scenes is I can't tell if Laurie shoots Michael in the head at the end or what. Why was she able to recover from the balcony fall with Michael faster than him? HUH?? There are a few grey areas in this movie to say the least.
Zombie, nontheless, comes up with a stellar cast (Malcolm MacDowell, Mickey Dolenz, and even Richard Lynch "Seven-Ups") and their bright performances all but save this movie. Halloween fans may be divided and some I'm sure will like this movie. As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Loomis has nothing to apologize to Michael over!』
(A (needless) look behind the curtain...) 『My first reaction to Rob Zombie's remake of HALLOWEEN was: "Why?" The film is near-perfect as it is, and didn't need to be remade or, as the idiotic studio-suit buzzword goes, "re-imagined." But what the hell. Since Hollywood isn't interested in new ideas, and Zombie has apparently run out of such ideas as he has, I guess it was inevitable. This leads me to my second reaction, post-watching-the-film, which is, "Is Rob Zombie a f-ing idiot or what? Doesn't he get why this was a good movie in the first place?"
I don't say this to be abusive. I do believe Zombie has some talent and aesthetic style. The problem is that his style - at least as it pertains to HALLOWEEN -- is the wrong one. You don't use a sledgehammer to do a flyswatter's job, and you don't let a sadistic, gore-infatuated fanboy direct a horror masterpiece. The original HALLOWEEN was great for a lot of reasons, but chief among them, it didn't overanalyze its villain. And this is the real point that needs to be made here, because what Zombie does to his HALLOWEEN is part of an much wider and sillier trend in modern horror - the need to provide a reason why its killers do what they do.
If I had to sum up the original, John Carpenter-directed version of the film in one phrase, it would be this: "Yes, Virginia, there really is a Boogeyman." That's basically it. The motivations of the film's masked, mouth-breathing murderer, Michael Myers, are never explained to any meaningful degree, because - gasp! - they don't have a rational explanation. Michael doesn't get an "origin story"; no insight is provided as to why he murdered his sister Judith as a young boy, or why he's re-enacting the crime on a much larger scale as an adult. He's killing Because. Just BECAUSE. That's as much why as you get. It's almost Biblical. ("Who are you?" Moses asks the burning bush. "Who I AM." God replies. "I Am Who I AM.") As Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) explains to the Sheriff, Michael is not so much a human being as an embodiment of Evil itself, a Bad Thing that Happens to Good People. He's the Book of Job in a William Shatner mask. (That's why, incidentally, he's credited at the end of the film not as Michael Myers, but as "The Shape": he's taken the shape of your fears, whatever they might be.) But HALLOWEEN is not less scary for this lack of information. Quite the contrary. It's scarier precisely because we don't get the satisfaction. There is no "Why?" where Michael is concerned. He just Is.
Zombie isn't satisfied with that answer, and so he's approached the film from a different angle - the angle of the "origin story." Here, Michael's origin is that as a child, he was abused, neglected, picked-on, and basically f'd from birth. As a result, he developed into an unspeaking, sadistic, remorseless killer. Very neat. Very plausible. And completely missing the point. Because by reducing Michael to a set of influences, mere cause and effect, he's also taking away nearly all his power as a villain. There's a reason we don't look behind the curtain in Oz; we might discover the Wizard is a sweaty dwarf on a treadmill. That's not cool. That's boring. And so is this film. Because not only does Zombie ruin the best aspect of HALLOWEEN - the almost-supernatural Boogeyman angle - he also viciously stomps the other aspect that made the original special - its sense of restraint. Carpenter had enough sense to understand that what is left out of a movie is often just as important as what is left in. Instead of a few perfectly set-up and executed murders, we get a gigantic massacre that quickly numbs. Instead of a few drops of blood, we get buckets of steaming gore (always the first refuge of the hack who can't actually scare his audience). Instead of long cat-and-mouse games with totally unsuspecting victims that rack up the tension to an unbearable degree, climaxing in sudden death, we get drawn-out bludgeonings, followed by nonfatal stabbings, followed by near-escapes, followed by more bludgeonings and finally, fatal stabbings. Zombie's complete lack of subtlety, his refusal to leave anything to the imagination, isn't just bad film-making in and of itself; it's completely unsuited to the telling of this particular tale. Using him to do a HALLOWEEN remake is like using a rusty chainsaw to perform eye surgery.
I suppose you could make an argument that since this is a remake (excuse me, a "re-imagining"), Zombie was entitled, even obligated, to go in a different direction than Carpenter, one which has Dr. Loomis actually apologizing to Michael for "failing" him instead of blasting him with a .38, 'cause tha's what you do with Pure Evil when you find it. But even here the film falls down, because if Michael is a pure sociopath, as Malcom McDowell's version of Loomis maintains, Loomis has little to apologize for. See, while the jury's still out about whether a psychopath/sociopath can be actually be "made" in childhood (as opposed to simply "born wrong") there is universal agreement that neither sociopathy nor psychopathy are actually curable. How can a doctor fail the incurable? And this brings us back to the whole idea that made Carpenter's flick scary: that pure Evil is something outside of human influence, happening on its own terms for its own reasons and not subject to psychological analysis or treatment. (Donald Pleasance's Loomis ultimately got that Michael couldn't be "reached" - except by bullets.) Put simply, the genius of the original HALLOWEEN is that it ducked all the moral-psychological elements Zombie embraces and concentrated on one simple idea, best summed up by the last two lines of dialogue in the film:
LAURIE STRODE: (sobbing) Was that the Boogeyman? DR. LOOMIS: As a matter of fact...it was.
』
(Unable to live up to the original) 『I am an avid Halloween fan and loved the origianl movies. So, when I heard that they were remaking this movie I was excited, but a little aprehensive as well. How can you live up to the origianl or make it better? This movie did reveal more about what makes Michael tick, but it also focused too much on the sex which not all horror movies need to revolve around. It would have been better to keep the focus on Michael and what drove him into madness and mayham.』 『The original slasher film about Michael Myers, the psychotic killer who dons a mask and terrorizes his hometown, is re-imagined by edgy director Rob Zombie.』 『More of a supercharged revamp than a remake, Rob Zombie's take on John Carpenter'sHalloweenexpands the back story of masked killer Michael Myers in an attempt to examine the motivation for his first deadly attack, as well as some reasons for his longevity as a horror icon. Zombie's Myers is a blank-eyed teen (played by Daeg Faerch) whose burgeoning mental problems are left unchecked in a horrific home environment; harassed by schoolmates, a randy sister, and his mother's deadbeat boyfriend (William Forsythe, terrific as usual), Myers' homicidal explosion seems inevitable, and intervention by Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell, who offers a fast-talking, hippiefied version of the Donald Pleasance character) does little to impede his development into a mute, unstoppable killing machine (Tyler Mane) bent on finishing off the only survivor of his family's massacre--his sister, now grown into teenaged Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton). Opening up the psychological motivation of a cipher like Michael Myers is an interesting approach, but Zombie's script possesses neither a depth of character nor dialogue to offer more than a clichéd thumbnail character sketch, and devoting over a hour of the unrated cut's 120-minute-plus running time to this history feels bloated and self-indulgent (especially when compared to the lean efficiency of the Carpenter original). Zombie'sHalloweenisn't terribly suspenseful, either; he has a keen eye for visuals and the details of chaotic environments, but his scares are nothing more than brutal showcases for his special effects team. The end result barely surpasses the original film's numerous sequels, though the Who's Who of cult and character actors in the cast (including Zombie regulars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Ken Foree, as well as Brad Dourif, Udo Kier, Clint Howard, Richard Lynch, Danny Trejo, Dee Wallace, and Danielle Harris) adds a touch of late-night monster movie charm. However, the film's best performance belongs to the director's spouse, Sheri Moon Zombie, who brings unexpected pathos to the role of Myers' downtrodden mother.
The two-disc Unrated Director's Cut offers a full disc's worth of extras that should please Zombie fans; chief among the supplemental features is his commentary, which details the film's shooting history and the numerous edits required to deliver the theatrical version. A making-of featurette offers further details of Zombie's vision for the film, and there are featurettes on his cast choices and the many masks that Myers makes while incarcerated. Seventeen deleted scenes (two of which feature Adrienne Barbeau and Tom Towles) and an alternate ending (all with Zombie's commentary) are also provided, as well as footage from the casting sessions. A blooper reel, which is highlighted by unchecked mischief by McDowell and Dourif, offers the set's sole moment of levity.-- Paul Gaita』
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>,Ellen Muth,Callum Blue,Henry Ian Cusick,Cynthia Stevenson,Sarah Wynter
