Killer DVD, all the jaded thoughts disappear after this one!
931114
This DVD was amazing back on HBO, I was already Jaded about MJ then but watched it over & over.  The DVD is even better & he is amzing, RIP!!!
1781739
Somerset is a grand writer and I could not believe they would have botched his enlightened tense in this terse borefest. The sets were impressive but the real treat in this film is Sophie's complete Lost Weekend after having one sip of some Iskabible Green Goo...WHOA!!! Thought I could "keep up" with the kids but Anne prepped for this scene superbly beyond the call of duty!!!  I miss my children too, but her flopping all over the place and flipping out one moment and then drifting off into oblivion the next, I was ROFLMAO!!! DAMN Girl, best scene ever!!! Great entertainment and then of course she HAD to die a most gruesome death...with no impugnity, at least Gene bowed her head on the news...oh yes, I forgot, the dying breath of Uncle Snooty shouting "THE WITCH" and immediately expires was priceless!! another perfect unexpected bit of dialogue...BUT can someone please help me remember the last line of the film about the "GOOD IN EVERYONE IS SO OVERWHELMING AND WILL OVERCOME ALL EVIL..." ???  It was like an American Beauty moment and was inspiring...tried finding it on IMDB quotes but no luck...thanks!!!
2594629
I wrote an earlier review right after I had seen the DVD for the first time.  I had been astonished that there are no extras and no chapter breaks on the DVD, and was reluctant to recommend it because of that.
After doing more research, however, I discovered that everything about ALL of David Lynch's DVD's are in place the way they are because that is the way Lynch wants it.  None of his movies have commentary or chapter breaks.  Admittedly, it would be difficult to imagine a commentary that didn't just give away the store on this mysterious movie.  And if Lynch wants me to view the movie without chapter breaks, then who am I to question the maestro?
So, sometime in the future, after Lynch is gone and the Criterion Collection picks up the rights to this masterpiece, we will get a thorough commentary.  I still wish that there was a little more warning about the DVD's quirks on the outside case -- the absence of common DVD features will definitely confound the casual viewer....
But I must retract my earlier trashing of the DVD.  The picture and sound are spectacular, and they are placed on the disc the way the creator intends them to be.
1245978
When I first learned that Britney was going to tour, I got myself pumped to shell out big dollars to see the Femme Fatale tour because I figured she'd put on a great show. I had saw Beyonce, U2, Janet Jackson and several other major music concerts around the same time as Britney was touring and I just had to add Britney to my list. What I didn't know was that to sit in almost an identical location for the Femme Fatale concert as I did at Beyonce's  I Am tour, the Femme Fatale price was significantly higher, as in another minimum $100. So I decided if I can't get good seats, I won't go. So for months, I'm trapped in DVD Land, patiently waiting and hoping that the Femme Fatale concert will become available on DVD. I became a Britney Femme Fatale DVD Stalker. Guess what? Now only was it available on DVD, it was available in Blu-ray! Talk about being frantic, I quickly pre-ordered the Femme Fatale Blu-ray and waited for it to arrive. Then I read a few comments about Britney lip syncing and after some thought, I changed the Blu-ray to DVD.

The DVD came yesterday and I rushed home, turned on the big HDEF TV, kicked up the surround sound, made popcorn, turned off all of the lights because I knew that this concert was going to be fierce and I wanted to "live" in it. Well, all I can write is that I'VE BEEN HAD! I'VE BEEN TOOK! LED ASTRAY! RUN AMUCK! HOODWINKED! BAMBOOZLED! Here's a quick listing of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Femme Fatale DVD:

1. Good -  Britney's backup dancers were really good, especially the men. The choreography was good, not mind-blowing, but good. Oh yeah, the theatrics were pretty good too;

2. Bad - Britney herself, didn't bring the crisp, unbelievable dancing. She was dancing like she was dog-tired, and from what? Definitely not from singing and dancing simultaneously!

3. Ugly - Britney  lip synced approximately 90% of her songs.

I fell asleep TWICE, woke up and watched the songs that I missed. I'm glad I didn't shell out $$$ to see lip syncing in a live concert. I figure, if Madonna, who is like 52 years old and Beyonce and Shakira who are in the same age bracket as Britney can all sing and dance their mudda-shut-your-mouth tails off in their concerts then if Britney is lip syncing, her dance moves should in the least be slammin'.  After watching Femme Fatale one time, I thought it was uneventful, quite dull and thought to myself, hmm, I should have watched Lady Gaga first. Still, I favor Britney. She comes off during the concert as a very appreciative and nice person and also because I'm glad that she appears to have pulled herself together after the drama from a few years ago, I will watch Femme Fatal again - but probably after watching the Lady Gaga Monster Tour.
4861501
I have watched the movie a couple of times. Once over a year ago, and once a couple of weeks ago. The first time I had no idea what to expect, so it really shocked the hell out of me. I was watching it on an old big screen, so the picture wasn't real clear (even though it was a dvd). It still took over a week to get over the imagery which combined with the soundtrack was almost the stuff nightmares are made of.

You may think I am exaggerating. A couple of weeks ago I decided to try it again. I mean I had just gotten a beatiful new tv to watch my classic horror films on. I figured I would watch them again to see what could stand the test of time.

Before I get to my point let me recommend Lucio Fulci's Conquest. I mean if you want a movie that is full of hidden truths and symbolism that will stay with you a long time, watch this late with a loud surround sound system.

Back to America. The first time I watched it I didn't really understand what the point of the movie was. This is because the point is not really revealed until the end.

I am kind of morbid. For instance when I watch shockumentaries, I tend to sit there and freeze the frames, going back and forth in slow motion, frame by frame. It gives me a really intimate experience of the psychology involved.

Once I was watching a documentary that showed a US military plane explode in mid air. I paused it and started moving frame by frame to watch it explode. Amazingly, at the last frame before combustion there suddenly appeared two mysterious sets of lights directly behind the poor [...] I mean, whatever blew him out of the sky was invisible to the naked eye, except for that one still frame!

What am I getting at? Well as I watched America again (I had been putting it off for a while, because I know what happened the last time I saw it) I began to see that there was only one point that the directors were making. Since I had a much clearer TV picture this time, I ended up spending over an hour more than the movie length, examining the footage, frame by frame.

WARNING!!! Do not do this unless you are prepared for the worst. You may not like what you find. And don't think I am joking either.
2359516
I can't really top the great reviews here (except for the guy who said they should have burnt it!) so I'll just add my own few words...
The only two things in my mind ever to match "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee" for pure far-out psychedelic television are "Magical Mystery Tour" and the final episode of "The Prisoner" (the British tv series written by and starrring Patrick McGoohan)...
This tv special has just got to be seen to be believed for it's weirdness value alone... But the finale featuring, the Nesmith classic "Listen To The Band", has the wildest, psychedelic, free-for-all freak-out, noise and dance(?!) experience you'd never thought you'd ever see on a broadcast tv show!...
(And can someobody tell me just who is the English(?) guy with the moustache who keeps saying "I don't believe it!" ???)
Anyway, I give this slice of pure bizareness a full 5 stars because it's the sort of imaginative, screwed-up and quite scary(!) tv you never get nowadays...
683416
Yes, this movie is funny, perverted, and sick, and huge amounts of fun! The CRITERION Edition version is the ONLY way to see this movie. The previous DVD was just kicked onto the market by the previous issuer, but this one looks the best it ever has, there is NO frame jitter and it is mastered in 2K resolution from the original camera negative. This edition also fixes some funky things in the mastering of the previous DVD. The sound is the cleanest is has ever been.

Paul Bartel, the director, would be so proud of this disc. The whole thing looks like it was a labor of love for Criterion and the supplements are indispensable, including interviews with cast members, and two other Paul Bartel films. For more Bartel, find "DEATH RACE 2000" and "SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IS BEVERLY HILLS".

BRAVO!!! I wrote to Criterion many years ago, when they were first issuing Laserdiscs, and I suggested this title. I am only sorry that Paul Bartel did not see his brilliant, snarky movie on Blu-Ray disc.
92722
Being a BIG fan of Sam Moore & Dave Prater, when I found out that a 2 hour dts DVD of their performances was being released by HIP-O/Universal, who have done great work on various music DVD's over the years, it really "got me hummin'"!  Imagine my elation when I found that all 18 clips of Sam & Dave, 2 of their Orchestra(!), a solo by Sam, and 3 bonus "Roots Of Sam & Dave" gospel videos were uncut, with nary a voice-over!  Icing on the disc was that only 2 of them were early concept videos, and the rest were LIVE, LIVE, LIVE!  Interview segments were kept to a minimum, interspersed throughout between songs.  Another great judgment was, since I'm sure they didn't have the budget to include EVERY known clip, they opted to use mostly rare and unseen videos, instead of those readily available, such as those found on the also recently released STAX/VOLT REVUE LIVE IN NORWAY DVD, etc.  Audio and video quality are great, considering the age and rarity of these gems, and the few that are rough ("Hold On, I'm Comin'" at the Hammersmith Odeon comes to mind) make up the difference in the pure energy and power of their performances.  Now for the dreaded "two steps back"...anyone who purchases a lot of DVD's to see historic video of their favorite artists usually has to live with truncated clips and aggravating voice-overs.  As I've stated above, here for once we get full length and uncut songs, so what's my beef?  Archival videos usually come with some kind of booklet to educate the novice and refresh the memory of the fan.  This being a HIP-O release, I was surprised when there was no booklet included, but while reading the back cover of the case I came across something unbelievably insidious, I quote: "Booklet available to download at [...]"  Actually, I've added the "/booklet.pdf" part, their link doesn't work!  Just for the hell of it, I downloaded the 8 (!) pages, which were packed with info, pictures, memorabilia, etc., and completely drained my black ink cartridge, since all the pages are BLACK, with TINY white lettering which was hardly readable printed by computer.  So, let's do the math, $[...] for the DVD, at least $[...] of ink to print the booklet!  I really hate to give this DVD only 4 stars, the videos alone rate 10+, but this print your own booklet is probably a portent of things to come, and should be scary to the music video consumer.  I plan to call Universal, and e-mail this review, and I encourage others to follow suit, before this tactic becomes the norm......

[...]

Anyone who agrees with me should e-mail jeff.fura@umusic.com with your comments......
3870546
FIRST A SAD NOTE: Darren McGavin passed away on "Feb. 26th in L.A. due to natural causes"

BRIEFLY: I waited 30 years for Kolchak-The Night Stalker to come to DVD and, surprisingly, it was worth the wait. I saw all twenty episodes consecutively within a couple of days.

Kolchak The Night Stalker, is a really crazy, 70s style, hour long TV program starring Darren McGavin, as Kolchak. Kolchak appears to be a total crack-pot, sensationalizing yellow journalist. But -- looks can be disceiving. He's not a crack-pot, he's not making this stuff up, and he's not a yellow journalist.

NEVERTHELESS -- nobody believes him. Every week he single handedly dispenses with the "monster-of-the-week", and still nobody seems to believe him. Armed only with a camera, Kolchak bumbles into the occult, the unbeleivable and the unseen, all of which are very deadly, and without thanks, he saves us all --- every week -- twenty times in all. There are no tricks, no CGI, no gadgets or weapons in any conventional sense. Sometimes, in the course of his investigation, he stumbles onto secret weapons: like arrows blessed by the divine Brahma, wooden stakes or even words used to denounce the evil!

THE DVD BOXED SET: There are NO extras or frills on the 3 double-sided disks, but for me, they played very well, and appear to have a clean, excellent transfer onto DVD. I have read here that some people had problems with the set not playing well. Mine did, but this type of double-sided DVD is prone to problems, and I have had them on other sets of this kind, and it can be very frustrating.

--- SEEING THE GLASS [DVD SET] AS HALF-FULL RATHER THAN HALF-EMPTY --

Nevertheless, though I would have loved extras; commentary, interviews, and maybe some relevant featurettes, it is really the quality of the transfer, and the restoration to full-length that makes this a must-have DVD set. Furthermore, there are virtually NO missing scenes. In recent years I have not dared to watch Kolchak for fear of realizing, ruefully, how many scenes were literally hacked-out so that the running time could be reduced by 6-9 minutes for commercials. I found myself trying to recall the missing scenes to the point of utter stress, and complete distraction. Now all that has changed for the better. Being able to see Kholchak, the way it was originally intended, fullfills most of what is expected from any DVD set by any fan, including me. Because this DVD set does accomplish those objectives, and it the cost is quite reasonable, I think of this set as a glass that is half-full rather than half-empty.

I can't stress enough the value, that this DVD set has within it, despite its intrinsic shortcomings. Everything you need to enjoy the series, an excellent transfer, and each of the 20 episodes in their entirety [51 minutes + or -] is present.

Naturally, if you have glitches on your set, which seems more likely when it is double-sided, you have every reason to be dismayed. Fortunately, Amazon itself, has a pretty liberal return policy in the event of such mishaps, and that, to some extent does mitigate the concern for us. In the meantime, I am really enjoying the series, and the knowledge that it is within easy reach whenever I wish to enjoy it.

MY FAVORITE EPISODES: "THE SPANISH MOSS MONSTER", which is vintage semi-scary Kholchak at its best. "HORROR IN THE HEIGHTS!" with "The Rakshasa" as the classic supernatural, and unbelievable monster. In all episodes, the supporting cast is excellent, but in these two the combination of Kholchak ambience, and scary bedtime story texture, makes them the standouts for me.
3593020
This 2 Disc DVD set is a Zeppelin Fan must have.  The footage is amazing, considering how long ago this was filmed.  The sound quality is amazing, especially in the Dolby Digital 5.0, not to mention the clear picture quality.  I've had this DVD for quite some while, and let me be truthful, I have not gotten sick of this since I've been watching it.  I have at least watched over 20 hours.  Song, after song, awesome!  These DVD's have no flaws, just perfection!!!!  This DVD took some time to make, and it definately payed off.  This DVD is my diamond in a row of DVD's.

Disc 1

Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1970) 1hr 42 mins

We're gonna groove

I can't quit you baby

Dazed and confused

White summer

What is and what should never be

How many more times

Moby Dick

Whole lotta love

Communication breakdown

C'mon everybody

Something else

Bring it on home

Disc 2

The immigrant song

Madison Square Garden (1973) 23:24 mins

Black dog

Misty mountain hop

Since I've been loving you

The ocean

Earls Court (1975) 49 mins

Going to California

That's the way

Bron Y Aur stomp

In my time of dying

Trampled underfoot

Stairway to heaven

Live at Knebworth (1979) 51:41 mins

Rock'n'roll

Nobody's fault but mine

Sick again

Achilles last stand

In the evening

Kashmir

Whole lotta love

If you are a true Led Zeppelin fan, don't hesitate, just buy!!!
1149863
Is it possible that I have a crappy copy of this DVD of Alice Cooper's Prime Cuts, or is everyone just looking past this eyesore of video quality?

I could imagine maybe a few poor videos of the earlier songs, but even the later videos ("Poison", "Het Stupid", etc.) look just as crappy as the rest of the DVD.  Even the dialogue of Alice and other people involved with Alice Cooper talking between the songs is of horrid video quality.

Yes, I'm convinced now.  My DVD of this Alice Cooper collection just has to be horribly defective.  Because, there is no way every else can seem to tolerate this collection so favorably and disconcerned, if they are watching what I am watching.  This DVD has to go back.
1286080
WOW!!! I just read David R. Crews' review of "Pink Flamingos" and it really took me way back. Not just the flick itself, but the whole lifestyle. WOW!!! I saw PF at the Biograph in Georgetown in 1973 and my unformed, immature, inexperienced teenage mind was woefully unprepared for Mr. Waters' merciless assault on everything decent and good in this world. An outcast's ultimate revenge, I guess you could call it. Anyway, the Biograph was an extremely forward-thinking establishment, but to my knowledge the management never willingly permitted marijuana smoking or alcohol consumption on the premises during movies. Too bad. So Mr. Crews and his friends clearly got by far the better deal that way. All the Biograph audience members arrived in an intoxicated state, although we were unable to continue adding to our inebriation in the theater. Pity. So when PF unreeled on the screen everyone just sat there in shock, rather than being in a party frame of mind. More like accident victims or something; not like a bunch of impaired revelers enjoying a film. So, like I said, we all just sat there in a literal state of shock. I'm not kidding - we were all actually stunned from start to finish. It seemed like being an unworthy opponent of Muhammad Ali in his prime - all we could do was absorb punishment to our brains until it was finally over and we were barely able to stumble outside in utter confusion. "What the hell was that?" was the universal comment afterwards. So if the definition of genius is the ability to deeply and profoundly affect everyone who sees your work, then it  certainly looks like Mr. Waters is a genius. An evil, heartless, sadistic genius to be sure, but still a genius nevertheless. Just like Mr. Crews, I never want to see that movie again - once was plenty, that's for sure. Remember the eyelids-propped-open scene in "A Clockwork Orange"? Showing PF like that would be excellent behavior-modification therapy. Or punishment, albeit both cruel and unusual. I actually felt sorry for Roger Ebert because he had to watch it again when the 25th Anniversary Edition came out in 1997. Mr. Ebert promised back then that if he's still around for the 50th Anniversary Edition then he will retire rather than watch it a third time. This should give pause to those of us who think watching movies for a living is a soft gig.

So anyway, the whole point of PF was that Mr. Waters was just beginning his bizarre career and he needed a way to make himself stand out from the crowd. He succeeded brilliantly and beyond all reasonable expectations. PF put him on the map for good and he was able to get financing and distribution and big-name participation for all his strange visions from then on. I had wanted to say that he then began using his awesome powers for good, but that just doesn't sound quite right. All his other flicks have proven him to be extremely talented, although in a disturbing sort of way, and he has even become a kind of national treasure. Not sure it's legal to describe John Waters as a national treasure, though. Hmmm....
1017834
This is one of those DVD's every mind taking away lover should have. First of all the movie itself was really great, it took me from the reality in a  way no movie ever did. When it was finished I was dazzled and had to come  back to reality. About the dvd, the picture quality was good: sharp and no  noticeble artifacts. About the sound, sometimes a bit too sharp, but good  placed and it sounded well. So if you love this kind of movies, GO ON AND  BUY IT
2070746
This movie had me depressed for days, Very moving and emotionally draining. EXCELLENT! It's like a "serious" version of Trainspotting but in English & way more of a buzzkill. Granted, this movie ROCKS! Don't get me wrong, Anyone can make a happy feel good movie with hugs and kisses... But this movie, oh man... I'm a loss for words.
Acting: Over the top. The movie lets you get to know each of
  the 5 people, How sad each of them are as
  their dreams become nightmares.
Soundtrack: Very groovie.
  (I liked it so much I even got the soundtrack CD)
The DVD: Packed with DVD goodies!
Jennifer Connelly: Hottest Woman Alive!
3806096
Very, Very, Very  GOOD!!  Honestly, I learned more from this DVD than I have from a box full of DYI magazines, DVD's, running down several ghosts. I was 1/2 way through and sat back and had a think about what I just went thrght and was it worth the trouble?
3490866
First of all, GREATEST DVD EVER!!!!  That being said, I wanted to share what I had found out.  I had heard that there were two hidden "Easter Eggs" on this DVD--and it took me ages to find them!  I just hope that this review will help save time for people. Easter Egg #1: The MTV Parody on The Council of Elrond.  On Disc One, you go to Scene Selection.  Right after the real Council of Elrond (Chapter 27), you press down on your DVD remote--you should see a Ring.  Select it and be ready to laugh :-)  Easter Egg #2: The Two Towers Trailer.  Okay, I know its coming out on DVD in like a week, but I still like watching trailers.  Anyway, on Disc Two, go to Scene Seletion.  To the very right of the screen, there is the separated chapters (you know like 43-47).  Anyway, go to Chapter 48 (The Fan Club).  Instead of selecting it, press down, and you should see The Two Towers.  Select that.  I hope this helped some people:-)  Enjoy!!!!!
1518825
I bought the DVD a few months ago, but didn't look at it until today because I know the pain it will cause. You see, I used the videotape version over 10 years ago, and it got me into shape. It was hard though because at first I couldn't get through all of the leg exercises. But eventually I was able to finish them, and, boy, did I have it going on! My legs looked sculpted, my thighs had  that "inner gap" that's all the rage now, and, of course, my backside was magnificent -- high, round, and tight. So, what happened? I stopped excercising, and eventually my body got soft. My butt flattened, my inner gap disappeared, and my legs started developing cellulite. But the effects (and good genes, I suppose) lasted more than five years.

Since I passed one of those milestone birthdays almost two years ago, I've been thinking about trying to get back into shape one last time. We don't have a VCR anymore so I had to track down a DVD version (and did so for a lot cheaper on the official website). So today I finally turned on the DVD, and there was Greg and the gang in all of their spandexy, 80s-hair glory, as well as the corny music you usually hear in a B movie. I didn't mind though because I know what's coming. I only did the warm-up and just a little of the arm toning, and will probably repeat these two more times this week before starting the heavy lifting part of the program.

Despite all the pain that's likely to ensue, I'm sure it'll be worth it. I expect to start seeing results in just four weeks and to be in shape by Thanksgiving! If you're serious about getting into shape, start with Buns of Steel. You could then use other exercise tapes, machines, classes, etc. to vary your routine, but BoS is the most cost-effective way to get your act together.