Ace in the Hole - Criterion Collection

Amazon.com

The character of newspaperman Chuck Taylor (Kirk Douglas) is best summed up by an astonished bystander (herself no soft touch): "I met a lot of hard-boiled eggs in my time, but you--you're 20 minutes!" Meet the "hero" of Billy Wilder's corrosive 1951 classic Ace in the Hole (a.k.a. The Big Carnival), a former big-time reporter whose reputation is so tarnished he's now at an Albuquerque rag, chasing down local-interest stuff. Until, that is, a local miner gets stuck in a cave--a situation that Taylor not only exploits but actually manipulates, the better to improve his career chances. Wilder got the idea for the movie from the real-life media circus that followed the Floyd Collins story (Collins was trapped in a cave for over a week in 1925). Needless to say, the opportunities for displaying greed and venality are fully drawn out by Wilder; indeed, the film looks unbelievably prescient from a modern perspective of media overload.

Although Wilder had scored a success with Sunset Boulevard just a year earlier, he misread the public's ability to stare into the merciless mirror he held up to them in Ace in the Hole. The movie bombed. Paramount changed the title to The Big Carnival, thus wrecking one of Wilder's most acidic puns, but it didn't help. It also doesn't matter: Ace in the Hole is one of the truly grown-up movies of its time, and age has only improved it. Wilder's ear for cynical dialogue is honed to its sharpest point, and Kirk Douglas has one of his best parts, which he attacks with customary ferocity. Jan Sterling plays the hard-nosed wife of the trapped man, with Porter Hall as Douglas's publisher--the lone voice of decency in the film's cruel parade. Admirably, Wilder takes this all the way down the line: the ending of the movie might be the best in-your-face finish since Public Enemy. --Robert Horton

Studio description

One of the most scathing indictments of American culture ever produced by a Hollywood filmmaker, Academy Award-winner Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole is legendary for both its cutting social critique and its status as a hard-to-find cult classic. Kirk Douglas gives the fiercest performance of his career as Chuck Tatum, an amoral newspaper reporter caught in dead-end Albuquerque who happens upon the story of a lifetime-and will do anything to ensure he gets the scoop. Wilder's follow-up to Sunset Boulevard is an even darker vision, a no-holds-barred expose that anticipated the rise of the American media circus.

Customer Reviews:

Good Wilder, Good Douglas.......2007-09-05

Stating that any one movie is "the most cynical" is highly subjective. There is a lot of competition! Yet "Ace in the Hole" has to be considered one of the most biting of releases. Kirk Douglas finds himself in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a former big city hotshot reporter caught in a downward career spiral. He lands a job at the local paper, ambitiously determined to claw his way back to the big time. When a man is trapped in a mine cave in, KD senses his big chance. KD aggressively manipulates the story and shamelessly drags out the rescue effort to get rehired at a New York tabloid. This reviewer is not a big KD fan but one has to give credit where it's due - he is perfectly cast here, never wavering throughout the film. The supporting cast including Jan Sterling, Ray Teal and Porter Hall are excellent. They play the trapped man's venal wife, the feckless sheriff and KDs straight shooting editor. Legend has that KD was concerned that he was overplaying his role, bur Director Billy Wilder ordered him not to let up. Other reviewers have compared AH to other Wilder classic such as "Double Indemnity" or "The Lost Weekend". Such accolades belong in the eyes of the beholder but to even drop such a mention is a high compliment indeed. This reviewer finds it difficult to believe that AH did not succeed commercially, having to wait decades for acclaim

Shocking disappointment!!!!!.......2007-09-04

As to be expected, Criterion has gone all out with this edition of Billy Wilder's "lost" classic; love the insert booklet that folds out ike a newspaper. The question is IS IT WORTH IT?
My father used to rave to me about this movie and after finally having seen it I can't help but scream WHY????? The production values are top notch and the building hysteria is perfectly judged and expertly paced but at the epicentre of the action is Kirk Douglas in what is unquestionably the hammiest most overwrought performance, well, ever. Could anyone ever be this consistently cold-blooded? From the minute he struts onto the screen (he'd last 5 minutes in my office) it's blistering, unadulterated arrogance. I get it, believe me, that's the kind of man he's playing but Douglas' performance should've crept up on us, instead we get our nose broken...and he keeps punching us. Did Wilder tell him to perform as if he's on the stage? Jan Sterling gives an interesting performance but the raves I've been reading all these years are wildly exaggerated. Her final moment bustling off with the big crowd is beautifully handled but we needed to see more of her.
No doubt about it, Wilder was one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema but time hasn't been good to ACE IN THE HOLE. It's dated...so dated. This makes Douglas' wooden performance in SPARTACUS look like Oscar fodder. What a cryin' shame William Holden was unavailable. He would delivered what was needed and it might've been the masterpiece everyone thinks it is.
I put this on auction on EBAY an hour later.

Ace In the Hole.......2007-09-03

Ace in the Hole was filmed right outside of my home town, Gallup, New Mexico. It was named "The Big Circus" when it was being filmed here and many local residents are extras in the film. It is very dark and seedy and it portrays the worst side of journalism. As a journalist myself, I love this movie although I can't imagine myself going to the lengths Kirk Douglas does in this film to get a story. Great beginning, great ending, great black and white filming.

I had to buy this movie, because I couldn't rent it anywhere, it was all rented out, including on Netflix. It's fantastic on the big screen, but this package has a bonus CD.

Prescient.......2007-09-03

Ace in the Hole so accurately predicts the decline of journalism into entertainment that it is uncanny.

This DVD is a beautiful remaster with rich blacks and silver whites. Wilder pulls off some amazing scenes, such as a tourist train done without CGI. Look for his penchant of composing in a triangle.

Kirk Douglas is, well, Kirk Douglas. His variety of scenery-eating perfectly matches the topic matter.

It took a long time to get a DVD release of this movie and leave it to Criterion to dig up a neglected master work.

Why Don't You Wash That Platinum Out of Your Hair?.......2007-08-29

This movie, an all-time classic film noir effort by Billy Wilder, is now available on DVD after such a long wait, and it was worth it.

The special features are just terrific. Wilder fans get to see an extended interview with him, excerpts from his AFI meetings, and more. Kirk Douglas fans get to see an interview with him where he discloses the care for his craft and his commitment to honest portrayal, regardless of the degree of sympathy his characters (as written) might stir up.

This 1951 movie failed in the United States because postwar America was not ready for the unsparing, unsympathetic view Wilder and Douglas take to the story. It's almost too honest to bear. But if you accept that premise, you are treated to exceptional acting and directing in a beautifully restored film with great historical significance.

Wilder saw the future and put it on the screen for us. We're now living in the media world he knew, fifty years ago, was materializing for us.

And we created and continue to nurture it.

Average customer rating:

Treasure Planet
This is a GREAT IDEA!!!
My favorite Disney movie
totally underrated movie
Argghhhhh

Treasure Planet
Starring: Roscoe Lee Browne , Corey Burton , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Tony Jay , and Michael McShane
Director: Ron Clements , and John Musker
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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ASIN: B00005JLR2
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Amazon.com

This kid-friendly disc serves as an advance for the DVD release of Disney's Treasure Planet feature, while emphasizing the story's roots in the written word. The main attraction is the movie's story, which can be read aloud in five different languages while viewers watch successive, still images from the original animated film. Sound strange? Sure, but the process is engrossing for children--a natural audience for storytelling. Also on board is a multilingual vocabulary experience, in which you can hear words associated with Treasure Planet's story (e.g., "chest") in Spanish, Italian, French, etc. Two songs from the film, written and performed by Goo Goo Dolls icon John Rzeznik, also get the image-by-image treatment, though the disc also includes a powerful, ghostly celestial music video for Rzeznik's "I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme)." There's also a game compatible with Playstation 2 (and other gaming consoles with DVD drive). --Tom Keogh

Description

From the directors of Disney's ALADDIN and THE LITTLE MERMAID comes a spectacular new motion picture for the entire family. Buckle up for thrills and excitement as a classic story of friendship, courage, and self-discovery gets an incredible futuristic twist for an all-new generation. It's "another jewel in the crown of Disney animated classics" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood). A secret map inspires a thrilling treasure hunt across the universe as young Jim Hawkins and a hilarious cosmic crew headed by the daring Captain Amelia set off in search of their destiny. Aboard a glittering space galleon, Jim meets the ship's cyborg cook, John Silver, who teaches him the value of friendship and the power of dreams. Jim soon teams up with his crazy new robot pal, B.E.N., and the shape-shifting Morph to discover a treasure greater than he ever imagined. Featuring an all-star voice cast including Emma Thompson, Martin Short, David Hyde Pierce, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brian Murray, and Michael Wincott -- TREASURE PLANET is "a magical, inventive, and utterly delightful movie" (Paul Clinton, CNN).

Customer Reviews:

Treasure Planet.......2007-09-14

This video is AWESOME. Talk about bring a book to life! My grandchild and I watched it 3 time the first night1 Wonderful script & story board, real life issues dealing with single parents and lonely/loning children to have an adult role model in their lives! Can't get enough! The artwork is wonderful,colorful & the story is both funny & enjoyable!!!!

This is a GREAT IDEA!!!.......2007-06-30

For Disney to make a movie like this. This is a very imaginative movie that stretches your mind to the limits of animation in a very "science fiction" sort of way. I do enjoy Disney movies because they are very orginal in their stories and characters and every movie is very unique. I do think that this one will be a classic before long for both young and old. I highly recommend this one to anyone that loves Disney movies!!!

My favorite Disney movie.......2007-06-12

I don't know what it is that pulled me into this movie. I think it's the futuristic setting along with Jim. I really like his character and I like Silver's too. Everyone keeps saying that it's more of a "teenager movie" instead of a kid movie. The thing is, kids are going to grow up and I think that this would be a great movie for them to watch to help them to follow their dreams. Anyway, that's just my outlook on it. Overall, I just really love this movie.

totally underrated movie .......2007-05-05

Treasure Planet is by far one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. I'm so shocked it gets such bad reviews!

It's a classic story of adventure and coming-of-age, adapted from the novel "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. No, it is not a direct interpretation! But that's ok. The characters and the story are adapted from the novel to fit with the culture and imagination of today's world, and given a magical twist, as if 1800s England had special sci-fi technology.

In this version, Jim is a boy of fifteen whose father-angst has left him committing crimes and having trouble at home and at school, much to the pain of his young mother, Sarah. A chance meeting with old Billy Bones, former cabin-boy to the dreaded pirate Captain Flint, ends with him being given the map and key to Treasure Planet, a fabled place that contains the Loot of a Thousand Worlds, taken by Flint. This begins Jim's chance to set out on his own and learn about the world and who he is, and what potential he has.

The relationship between Silver and Jim is similar, but not exactly the same. It becomes a deep father/son relationship, with Jim finding in Silver what he always wanted from his deadbeat father. Silver is enigmatic, double-faced, and powerful, but grows a deep, unexpected soft spot for Jim that changes his mind about the treasure he's always sought.

Overall, I think the movie is fantastic. The animation is buttery smooth and is visually stunning, the characters are unique and interesting and all have a history long before the story takes place, and the adaptation from the original novel is very clever and updates the story well. The music, done by James Newton Howard and Johnny Rzeznik, is absolutely gorgeous, with a touch of Celtic influence added to the powerful orchestrations and themes. The story is heartwarming and powerful.

Argghhhhh.......2007-04-11

What a wonderful twist on the classic Treasure Island. Silver is a cyborg and young Jim is a typical teen looking to find his place. Morph is a wonderful addition and will grab you and pull you into the adventure and fun.

Average customer rating:

An Amazing Journey through space and time.
ABSOLUTELY F_A_N_T_A_S_T_I_C !!!!!!!
Beautifull cosmic voyage
Not too detailed but accomplishes (fantastically) its primary goal...
This movie didn't quite make it, I'd recommand something else...

Cosmic Voyage (IMAX)
Starring: Morgan Freeman
Director: Bayley Silleck
Manufacturer: Imax
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ASIN: B000060MWT
Release Date: 2002-04-30

Amazon.com

As a primer on up-to-date scientific theory about the nature of the universe and our place in it, Cosmic Voyage is visually sumptuous and just plain fun. Shot in the mind-blowing IMAX process, this combined live-action and computer-generated production has (even in video format) an immensity of scope befitting its grand subject. Beginning, lyrically if unexpectedly, in Italy's magnificent Venice, Cosmic Voyage draws inspiration from airborne perspectives on the city's famed network of canals and streets, leading to further appreciations of dense systems in nature. From the subnuclear to the physical limits of the known universe, Cosmic Voyage explores a resonance between all things while making sense of such inscrutable phenomena as the birth of stars and planets, black holes, supernovas, etc. The marvels of cosmology are rarely so accessible as this. --Tom Keogh

Description

Cosmic Voyage mixes ground-breaking computer animation with cutting edge science to give us a sweeping view of the universe. A "cosmic zoom" extends from the surface of the Earth to the largest observable structures of the universe, and then back down to the sub-nuclear realm - a guided tour across some 42 orders of magnitude. Cosmic Voyage explores some of the greatest scientific theories, many of which have never before been visualized on film.

DVD Features:
Documentary:Behind-the-Scenes Documentary
Theatrical Trailer:IMAX Trailer

Customer Reviews:

An Amazing Journey through space and time........2007-07-20

A journey of scale that challenges even the grandest imaginations. From the immensity of the galaxy superclusters and the universe itself, to the tinniest quarks, Cosmic Voyage takes you there and back again.

ABSOLUTELY F_A_N_T_A_S_T_I_C !!!!!!!.......2007-04-10

A must see film. The content is great, the images are great, Morgan Freeman's narration is great!!!! It's one great experience!!!!
I ABSOLUTELY recommend it to EVERYBODY, and especially to those that are curious about our universe, from the tiny particle to the great galaxy, and the progress of our means to understand it, science.

Beautifull cosmic voyage.......2007-03-16

It's a amazing and Beautifull mode for a scientific presentation. Specially recommended to children and kids, and adults too.
Is a poetic history, from Big structures of the Universe until most little atomic structures. Easy to understand and context form.
Fernando Franco Blu.
Rancagua, CHILE.

Not too detailed but accomplishes (fantastically) its primary goal..........2006-07-12

and that is to whet the viewer's interest reminiscent of a more detailed mini-series like Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" or Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Origins." The series is concise and, very early, provides an excellent point of reference (literally) for those without any background regarding the universal and atomic scale.

Morgan Freeman comes through, as always, with his narration in a manner that provides an even and well paced presentation of the macro- and microscopic world. And while he doesn't have the trance-inducing voice of James Earl Jones, he skillfully manages to hold your attention even between the segments of the program that are nothing but spellbinding, which brings me to another point.

The images and computer generated sequences are done very well with especial care taken to faithfully represent the true scale and detail of the cosmos. The music fits well and affords a nice emotional complement to the eye candy. I'm sure many will agree with me that the best part of the entire program is the ultra quick zoom-in from the superclusters (largest scale of video) to the quarks comprising the neutrons and protons of the atom (smallest scale). My only complaint concerning the zoom-in (and the whole video for that matter) is that the camera seems to "back up" during the zooming. This takes place (33min.5sec. into program) when the camera comes upon a tree, into its leaves, into a leaf's veins, AND SUDDENLY!!, you're coming upon a creek with reeds, into the reeds, into a drop of water on the reed etc... An obvious editing mistake.

The mistake notwithstanding, this is an excellent video that quickly, though not rushing-ly, engages its audience---not with the intention to explicity educate on all the details so much as to introduce the viewer (in a very effective way!!) to what big and small really are.

No pretenses. It is what it says it is. A Cosmic Voyage.

This movie didn't quite make it, I'd recommand something else..........2006-01-22

This movie does give viewers a general idea of the universe, in a very conservative sense. It only contains material and topics based on traditional big bang theory. Personally, I disagree with alot of ideas presented in the movie. I think since this movie is relatively new (2002) and not created back in the 70's or 80's, it should atleast contain new discoverys and new theories such as Super String Theory. Therefore, I do not recommand this movie if you are seeking to learn new knowledge, as far as I can tell, the movie is based on stuff we knew back in the 80's. However, I would definitely recommand the following: (1)The Elegant Universe (by NOVA,PBS) and (2)Origins (by NOVA,PBS) Both are very very good!!

Average customer rating:

Holy bejeebers Batman; it's a black hole!
Visually impressive but incoherent and ultimately boring space Disney misfire.
I still like it.....
First unit vs. second unit
Into The Black Hole

The Black Hole
Starring: Ernest Borgnine , Joseph Bottoms , Robert Forster , Roddy McDowall , and Tommy McLoughlin
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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ASIN: B0001I55SS
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Amazon.com

Disney's foray into big-budget science fiction, close on the heels of Star Wars, had some of the most impressive special effects to grace theater screens in the 1970s. Graced by handsome production design--most notably a glass and latticework interstellar craft that looks like a battleship crossed with a modern skyscraper--The Black Hole is in many ways the most beautiful science fiction film of its era. Unfortunately, the graceful and gorgeous picture is jarred by dialogue that wouldn't pass muster in a comic book and a silly conclusion that plays like a murky, dime-store knockoff of 2001. Too bad, because the visual realization of the film is a veritable haunted house of futuristic phenomena, from the cloaked zombie-like drones shuffling through corridors to the devilish, crimson robot Maximillian, the strong arm of the mad scientist played by Maximilian Schell (a kind of wild man Captain Nemo with an even more ruthless temperament). Only the way-too-cute robot V.I.N.CENT (voiced by Roddy McDowall), a merchandising gimmick that looks like a Fisher-Price toy, mars the technological landscape. Robert Forster is the quietly authoritative captain of an exploration ship that stumbles across the seemingly derelict ship, and Anthony Perkins, Yvette Mimieux, Ernest Borgnine, and Joseph Bottoms fill out his crew. This is one case of a triumph of art direction and special effects over story--it's worth sitting through it to see the magnificent scene of the fireball rolling through the ship's enormous hull alone. The rest is just atmospheric gravy. --Sean Axmaker

Description

The U.S.S. Cygnus is perched precariously at the edge of a black hole -- the vast, empty nothingness where space and time end. Anything that crosses its border enters a universe of the complete unknown. And so begins a story that only Disney's film magicians could tell. A story of robots and humanoids. Of human genius and madness. And a spectacular descent into nature's ultimate mystery -- The Black Hole.

Customer Reviews:

Holy bejeebers Batman; it's a black hole!.......2007-08-15

If you were around when this film was being made, you'll remember so was George Lucas's "Star Wars". It was just a question of who was going to get to the box office first. Star Wars got out there first, which detained the release of Disney's "The Black Hole" by a few years. It had been argued amoung my friends back then that if the "Black Hole" had made it out first, it would have done fabulously at the box office. Unfortunately, once Lucas's "Star Wars" got released, "The Black Hole" had to measure up to that calibre of special effects and story pacing, which it could not. So saddly it did poorly in box office sales.

In fact, I was working at Magic Mountain's Showcase Theatre back then and got called to work one day as a technician on Disney's "Black Hole". In fact, I can see the two scenes that were shot that day when I watch the movie when I was in the studio helping out that day. That was about 30 years ago and was the most money I ever earned in one day for that time period. Wish they had hired me on full time.

Anyway, this film draws from the concept of Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" in concept when you know the background of this film's script. It's about a group of space explorers who travel from earth to a starship run by the captain who has changed all the crew into robots to serve his will as he endeavors to make plans to go into one of the largest black holes in space man has ever encountered.

The movie is more slow paced in flow than Lucus's Star Wars. Still it has a good cast, decent acting and good special effects for the most part with some story and effects flaws. The music is excellent which helps carry the film's ambiance of spirit. It's a great film for the entire family to watch. There is one human death in the movie and a host of robot death's in terms of the violence level, in case you are deciding if your children should see this film.

Visually impressive but incoherent and ultimately boring space Disney misfire........2007-07-27

It's supposed to be about a black hole. It's not supposed to BE a black hole. Produced two years after George Lucas's space opera adventure STAR WARS conquered the box office, this 1979 Disney feature was made as an answer to that film. It was budgeted at a then staggering cost of $20 million, and boasted superior special effects as well as spooky production designs, and to this day they remain among the highest points of THE BLACK HOLE.

Which is more than what can be said about the movie as a whole. For a production designed to be an outer space epic, THE BLACK HOLE -- which involves a crew (accompanied by a floating and talking robot, V.I.N.CENT., voiced by an uncredited Roddy McDowall) trapped in an impressively immense vessel called the U.S.S. Cygnus perched dangerously on the edge of the titular mass -- plays out very much like Disney's own 20,000 LAEGUES UNDER THE SEA in space. In particular, the commander of the Cygnus, played with scenery chewing glee by Maximillian Schell, is very reminiscent of James Mason's Captain Nemo from that film, only more ruthless.

Contrary to that Disney production about the travels of the Nautilus (and, yes, Lucas's FLASH GORDON-style space romp), however, THE BLACK HOLE is narrowly devoid of many important qualities required to even make it a near classic. The concept of exploring a terrifying force in outer space is an interesting one; however, the script handles it clumsily not only in numerous grievous errors in terms of space logic (Did any of the writers know that you can't survive in outer space with no suit on?) but with the lack of a compelling or interesting narrative to drive the whole show by. In particular, the secret revelation about the Cygnus and its captain are not hard to guess.

Incidentally, although Disney commissioned a high-profile cast with names such as Schell, McDowell, and PSYCHO's Anthony Perkins, few turn in anything in the way of an inspired performance (Schell and McDowell fare best, but Perkins, along with his co-stars, is surprisingly stiff and lifeless). As such, the audience does not connect with the crew or even feel more hatred for the villain, despite Schell's commanding performance.

The only characters to rise above this exception are the robots, particularly McDowell as the heroic and kitschily named V.I.N.CENT and Schell's ominous, scarlet-colored giant dubbed, funnily enough, Maximillian. Although much of the dialogue V.I.N.CENT spouts consists of groan-worthy one-liners, he and his companion, battered up Old B.O.B., liven up the screen with more personality than their human counterparts. (Although there are those who found them to be pretty cloying; my real issue is that they look like Fisher-Price toys!) And of course, Maximillian is a very formidable villain, his prescence invoking terror to the audience. That he doesn't say one word in the film makes him all the more menacing.

It is widely agreed by many that the special effects I mentioned earlier are what hold THE BLACK HOLE together, although some of them reek of age, particularly some bad matte painting, but aside from that and the robots, the only other positive is the foreboding musical score provided by John Barry. Although repetitive at times, it suits the dark tone of the film very well and is hard to forget.

The real problem with THE BLACK HOLE is that it's droningly dull for more than two-thirds of its ninety-something minute running time. Much of that time is spent exploring the Cygnus with the cast spouting stiff, uninspired dialogue. Things finally pick up in the latter third, but again, there are some serious flaws in the conception of several action scenes. Most notably ridiculous is when a giant asteroid crashes through the hull and rolls down a massive hallway. While this sequence is very memorable, it only serves as yet another example of the incompetence of the writers' lack of knowledge about outer space.

When everyone finally descends into the black hole itself, we get a disturbing and powerful sequence involving Heaven and Hell. It's surreal and vaguely similar to the climax of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, but while it's an engrossing highlight, the whole sequence comes completely out of nowhere. Worse still, it sadly undermines the epic premise and provides for a very baffling and frustratingly unexplained conclusion.

The special effects, robots, and music prevent THE BLACK HOLE from being a complete waste of time, but considering how this movie was Disney's response to STAR WARS, it's unfortunate that it fails to provide even a spark of excitement. Had it been in more experienced hands, who knows how THE BLACK HOLE would have turned out? As it stands as a whole, however, it's only so-so.

I still like it............2007-07-27

I don't care what all of the detractors of this movie say. I LIKED it. Yeah, some of the dialogue is hard to swallow, the plot is predictable, the ending was WAY too religious and there are many scenes that defy the laws of physics.

So what???

It's science FICTION, people! Give the film makers a bit of artistic license here!

Take this movie for what it is, a sci-fi adventure aimed more at kids than adults, and enjoy! There's no cursing (except for a couple of "hells" and one "damn"), the violence is mild, and the robots are cute which will undoubtedly appeal to the young'uns in the family, so EVERYONE can watch this one together.

Don't expect "2001: A Space Oddysey" or "Star Wars", 'cause this film definitely ain't them. It's cute, its fun and the special effects are dazzling!

I am glad to have this DVD in my movie library.

First unit vs. second unit .......2007-06-12

This movie is super dumb and cheesy, but I love it. It must be that 11-year-old effect, as that's the age I was when this came out. I had ALL the illustrated storybooks and models and fold-out posters... everything that was released before the movie came out. Ooh, I even had the LP that told the story of the movie with sound effects and dialogue! It was all in anticipation, however, because once I saw it I realized, even as a small [actually somewhat portly] 11-year-old, that this movie was DUMB.

Then I reevaluated as an adult. I tell you, a great deal of fun [and some small agony] can be had by going back to those Disney movies that defined your youth. For me it was the live-action period that yielded gems such as Escape to Witch Mountain [WHERE is the remake?!?!?!?] and such burnished turds as The Cat From Outer Space. And I saw them all, and for the most part, read the "novelizations."

Anyway, back to this one. This movie has some GREAT material, and some terrible material. Curiously, it seems that all the legitimately great material was provided by people who were NOT the director. The model of the Cygnus is cool. My favorite part of the movie is the shots of the huge ship silhouetted against the bluish starfields beyond, and the languid sequence in which the smaller Palomino drifts by it with its spotlight running over the latticework of the larger ship. The design of the red evil robot is awesome. The black hole itself is fascinating to look at [day-glo paint in a whirlpool]. Oh, and I love the opening music, and I like the green grid under the credits, though that's a little less defensible. So what it seems like is that you have a bunch of peripheral people, the model makers, the special effects folks, the composer, etc., giving their all and producing great work, which stands in shocking contrast to the rest of the movie!

The movie concerns a bunch of folks in the typical "about to go home after X years exploring space" mission. They find the black hole, then see the big ship near it, and go to investigate in the aforementioned favorite sequence. Then there's a slight action sequence in which they start to tumble into the black hole.

THEN you have the most hootworthy sequence of the entire film, in which it is revealed that the woman aboard is PSYCHIC. Not only that, but so is the ROBOT [with the big dumb cartoon eyes]. My favorite part of all this is the convention that the psychic woman, to convey that she's using her abilities, stares dreamily off into space, and the robot, to show that he's receiving the psychic message, suddenly snaps his eyes to face directly into the camera! That is SO precious.

Anyway, so their ship is--of course--damaged, and they have to land. They explore the ship, make it to the bridge, where the captain, who may as well be wearing an "evil genius" badge, greets them, along with his menacing red robot. Blah, blah, blah, it all follows a "haunted house in space" theme, until it is revealed that the captain made robots [cyborgs, I guess] out of all the crew and now they're--still the crew, just a bit less uppity.

It all has that charmingly naïve dippiness of those live-action Disney movies, especially in its utter obliviousness to its own clichés. The robots with the cute eyes are obviously there to appeal to the kids [like I was at the time, but even then I could see that it was... obviously there to appeal to the kids]. There's this one sequence in which the robots play a video game... against a robot called S.T.A.R.... oh dear, it hurts. But for all that there are sequences that are kind of cool, like the asteroid shower. WHY asteroids are all glowing from within, and why one is perfectly spherical, and why they all show up JUST at the right time, is left unexplained, but it's still kind of cool in a naïve way. You accept it when you know it's a Disney movie made for 10-year-olds.

Anyway, the other reason this movie is notable is for the ending. [I guess I have to put a SPOILER WARNING in here, even though in this case... anyway.] There is a lot of IDIOTIC claptrap about the black hole possibly being a PORTAL TO HELL [oooohhh!], and at the very end, the evil captain is shown INSIDE the evil robot [trapped for eternity inside his own creation! Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!], in this representation of a literal HELL, with red background, black jagged rocks, flames, the whole deal. The thing that cracks me up is that they just arrange the model on top of a rock and let it SIT THERE, arms in the air, utterly stationary, for at least a minute. It is kind of... appalling. I guess they REALLY didn't expect anyone over the age of 10 to attend this movie.

And WHAT'S with all that hyper-Christian moralizing, anyway? I thought we were watching a dumb space story.

Anyway, it's still fun and has a lot of good elements, all of which seem to have taken place without the participation of the director. Someone needs to take this and do a remake that takes the whole thing seriously.

Into The Black Hole.......2007-06-12

If Walt Disney's 1979 sci-fi extravaganza, "The Black Hole," must be looked back upon as a failure, it is an excellent failure. Granted, this sci-fi tale about the crew of the U.S.S. spaceship Palomino encountering a madman scientist (Maximillian Schell) whose own spaceship, the U.S.S. Cygnus, is impossibly perched upon the edge of a black hole, has some very obvious flaws in it. Some of the dialogue is cheeseball, the very *idea* of Dr. Kate McCrae (Yvette Mimieux) having E.S.P. with the robot VINCENT is just plain silly, you can easily see the wires holding up the actors and the robots when they are supposed to be weightless, and the actors should've damm well been wearing spacesuits at the film's climax, when they're crawling to the top of the escape probe ship in open outer space! (Why did director Gary Nelson let his actors get away with that one?) Ah, but still...I cannot help but thoroughly enjoy "The Black Hole." The film blew me away as a child, and now, looking at the movie again as an adult, the child in me had a wonderful time all over again---even if you can still see the wires! The main achievement of "The Black Hole" is the *look* of the film---it's outstanding. The art direction, cinematography and visual effects of this film are extraordinary (utilising over 150 matte paintings). The long, spacious corridors of the Cygnus look like they stretch out for miles, the Cygnus command tower is a total feast for the eyes, and I could go on and on. John Barry's rousing musical score is arguably the best film score he's done outside of the James Bond films (and when will it be released on CD? C'mon, Disney, you released the "Tron" soundtrack, so where's "The Black Hole"?). And while the movie's screenplay isn't as polished as it could've been (Mimieux's line about "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots" still makes me cringe, to name one example), the film's basic plot is still a compelling one, and the movie has a suitably eerie tone to it as the Palomino crew walk through the massive corridors of the Cygnus, and slowly unravel the dark, terrible secret harbored by Dr. Reinhardt. Reinhardt's giant red robot Maximillian, with his huge frame and pulsating red eyes, is still THE scariest robot ever put on film. And the all-star cast of Schell, Mimieux, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms and Ernest Borgnine are all good in their roles, even if these aren't the greatest performances of their respective careers. There's genuine excitement towards the end as the Cygnus is torn apart by the black hole and the surviving Palomino crew make a mad dash to the escape probe ship, and finally go *into* the black hole itself (and there are definite echoes of "2001" during this amazing sequence). And the film's surreal, cosmic ending, although confusing for many, is, for me, completely haunting and unforgettable (even if it does leave certain questions unanswered). It still disappoints me that "The Black Hole" was received so poorly back in 1979, and is not remembered with much fondness today. I just think audiences & critics at the time compared it too unfairly to "Star Wars." "The Black Hole" sure ain't "Star Wars," but on it's own, there is much to admire about it. Though not an entirely successful movie, it's still very, very ambitious, and if nothing else it's a visual masterpiece for it's technical achievements alone. "The Black Hole" is a daring film that truly deserves another look. And kudos to Walt Disney Productions for taking such a big gamble with this unique (and controversial) sci-fi movie.

Event Horizon (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

In Space, No One Can Hear You Gag
GOOD COMBINATION OF SCI-FI AND FANTACY HORROR
Rent it
Efficient horror/sci-fi crossover
Could've been great.

Event Horizon (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Laurence Fishburne , Sam Neill , Kathleen Quinlan , Joely Richardson , and Richard T. Jones
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E1NXAY
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Amazon.com

Drawing from Andrei Tarkovsky's heady science fiction meditation Solaris by way of Alien and Hellraiser, this visually splendid but pulpy piece of science fiction schlock concerns a mission in the year 2047 to investigate the experimental American spaceship Event Horizon, which disappeared seven years previously and suddenly, out of nowhere, reappeared in the orbit of Neptune. Laurence Fishburne stars as mission commander Captain Miller and Sam Neill is Dr. Weir, the scientist who designed the mystery ship. Miller's T-shirt- and army-green-clad crew of smart-talking pros finds a ship dead and deserted, but further investigations turn up blood, corpses, dismembered body parts, and a decidedly unearthly presence. It turns out that the ship is really a space-age haunted house where spooky (and obviously impossible) visions lure each of the crew members into situations they should know better than to enter. The ship is gorgeously designed, borrowing from the dark, organic look of Alien and adding the menacing touch of teeth sprouting from bulwark doors and clawlike spikes inexplicably shooting out of the engine room floor. Unfortunately the film is not nearly as inventive as the production design--it turns into a woefully inconsistent psychic monster movie that sacrifices mood for tepid shocks--but the special effects are topnotch, and ultimately the movie has a trashy B movie charm about it. --Sean Axmaker

Description

The year is 2047. Years earlier, the pioneering research vessel Event Horizon vanished without a trace. Now a signal from it has been detected, and the United States Aerospace Command responds. Hurtling toward the signal's source are a fearless captain (Laurence Fishburne), his elite crew and the lost ship's designer (Sam Neill). Their mission: find and salvage the state-of-the-art spacecraft. What they find is state-of-the-art interstellar terror.

Customer Reviews:

In Space, No One Can Hear You Gag.......2007-08-28

The movie wasn't what I'd expected, which was a mix of future science fiction and the supernatural. That makes it admittedly hard to be impartial, because what you do get is a gore fest that must have exhausted Hollywood's supply of fake blood for months. The bad part is that this goulash of gruesomeness is by and large pointless, other than to shock and disgust the viewer.

A rescue ship is sent to find the Event Horizon, an earlier space craft that was launched and then vanished. It is found indeed, and (it's never quite clear) turns out to have gone to Hell and back, literally, or at least to some warped dimension. The ship is possessed. To further complete this religious image of hell and horror, the captain of the Event Horizon even spews a little Latin while the screams of the damned surround him on a record found by the rescuers.

There was trouble right off the bat in the movie when the rescue ship nearly rams the EH. Hey guys, if you read the ship on your sensors but can't see it through all the nebulae, slow down. Further making it hard to take this movie seriously, other than the endless butcher shop scenes, is its characters' actions. If you've left your son on earth and you're now at the other end of the solar system, and yet you see him running around on the EH, get a clue. He ain't really there.

It's legitimate to criticize the movie for its firehose-connected-to-a-slaughterhouse scenes because they're so gratuitous, unlike the mess in "Saving Private Ryan" or even "300." Because I'm afraid my disgust at the blood-soaked dementia portrayed in the movie might unfairly bias me, I err on the side of generosity and give it three stars, barely. The show's premise was both promising and interesting, but its execution was middling to fair. And there's more to a good movie than just making spectators squirm in their seats.

GOOD COMBINATION OF SCI-FI AND FANTACY HORROR.......2007-08-11

This movie is MUCH better than alot of the reviews have lead to believe. Relased in 1997, this is one of those movies that didn't have a sucsessful run in the theater, then throughout years, developed a cult following.
As the movie starts, We are given some brief info. concerning the history of the space program, as well as THE EVENT HORIZON itself. Aparently, THE EVENT HORIZON was an experimental spaceship designed to explore the boundaries of the galaxy. As the E.H. was preparing to launch, it disappeared. Seven years later, a signal from the E.H. was found in an orbit around NEPTUNE. The opening scene is really good, very 'dark' but colorfull at the same time, it sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
We are then introduced to DR. WEIR, who seems to be a troubled man, who is preparing for his new assignment, acompany a salvage crew to find out what happened. The salvage crew consists of: CAPT. MILLER(LAURENCE FISHBURN) STARK, SMITTY, JUSTIN, D.J., PETERS, AND COOPER and you really get the impression that none of them want to be there. Once they reach NEPTUNE'S orbit, DR. WEIR informs the crew about the history of the ship, as well as a single message that was slavaged. Upon listening, D.J. is able to translate the message as LATIN: "Liberate' me'", "save me". As the crew investigate what happened to the ship and her crew, bizarre things start to happen, and the crew slowly realize that the ship brought 'something' back.
EVENT HORIZON is similiar to ALIEN, with a H.P. LOVECRAFT twist, it has an effective 'other-world' vibe to it. The biggest flaw, in my opinion, is the editing. The movie 'feels' like it moves way to fast.EVENT HORIZON was originally rated NC-17 and there were major cuts to the movie to get an R-rating for release. Unfortunatly, this was before the DVD boom and the footage was discarded and lost. The lost footage, from what I've heard, consists of the gore-flashes in the latter part of the movie.
Great acting, Great story(although moves a little to fast), and good editing(considering R-rating) 4.5 out of 5!!. Fans of fantacy horror will NOT be dissapointed!!!!!

Rent it.......2007-08-06

Think The Shining set in space, with touches of Alien (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) and Hellraiser. That would be the film but not as good as any of them. The movie's concept is great and could have been a scary film but drops the ball. The movie was somewhat predictable and the cgi wasn't that great. If the space ships were cgi, then the cgi for the items floating around in the space ships weren't the greatest. The cinematography was excellent but again, the story falls short and almost close to boring. As it stands, the best horror movies out there are:
Hellraiser, The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen), The Exorcist 3, The Thing (Collector's Edition), Saw - Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition), Saw II - Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) and Saw III (Unrated Widescreen Edition).

Efficient horror/sci-fi crossover.......2007-07-24

Formulaic sci-fi shocker that while not being as good as, say, Aliens, still manages to pack a punch. The plot seems to be made up of elements of Aliens 2 and Sphere (and Solaris); you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie. Laurence Fishburne wheels out his Matrix role to play the big, butch captain of the spaceship, while Sean Pertwee (son of Dr. Who Mk. III actor John Pertwee, fact fans, he even has the same voice), Kathleen Quinlan and the ubiquitous Sam Neill provide support. The acting is generally more efficient than inspired.
There's more bloodshed in this than many other sci-fi flicks, and fans of the horror genre may find stuff here to get their teeth into. The effects are pretty good - extra credits for the powerful sound FX - but at times they come close to overshadowing everything else (sound familiar?).
A typical 4-star movie, then.

Could've been great. .......2007-05-27

This movie had so much going for it, but it never really found its groove. So many elements necessary for a good sci-fi thriller were there but not put to good use.
Having said that, I still recommend checking it out. It's kind of a mess, but I can't deny the creep factor of this movie. It's dark and brooding and has a few good shocks.
As with everything else I've seen by Paul Anderson, something's missing. It's the body of a good movie absent a soul. Maybe one of these days he'll get it all together on one. I'll look forward to it.

Average customer rating:

Too many camera cuts
90% of VIDEO DOES NOT MATCH MUSIC.
Awesome DVD
Quality
Interesting tracks but poor audio quality

Tiesto in Concert 2 (2004)
Starring: DJ Tiësto
Manufacturer: Black Hole
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0006SSRHY
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Product Description

IN CONCERT II (DVD) (DJ TIESTO)

Customer Reviews:

Too many camera cuts.......2007-05-22

Some of the music is pretty good and the video quality tops the previous DVD BUT... the insane amount of camera angle cuts drove me nuts! No kidding, the camera switches views every two seconds - one, two CUT, one two CUT, for perhaps 90% of the run time. Still, a couple of beers may enhance your viewing experience by calming your traumatized retinas. :-)

90% of VIDEO DOES NOT MATCH MUSIC........2007-04-08

The very Best of the DJ Tiesto REAL LIVE Show is the amazing synchronization between the music and the show (lights, fireworks, etc.) This DVD is TOTALLY unsync; and doesn't make justice to the real thing. The real thing is just amazing. The DVD version is just BAD; VERY BAD. More than disappointed I hate the moment when I made my decision to bought this DVD. REALY BAD !!!

Awesome DVD.......2007-04-05

Tiesto in concert was awesome! Would recommend this to anyone. Video was ok but the sound was excellent making up for the video quality.

Quality.......2007-03-08

If you are a trance lover then this dvd is for you...big quality production!! I enjoy it...makes me want to party again!! (-:

Interesting tracks but poor audio quality.......2007-02-02

The tracks are interesting, however the audio quality is rather poor (compared to Tiesto's released CDs). The camera flies around in all kinds of angles making it very distracting and somewhat difficult to watch. I could forgive this if the audio quality was superb, but it simply isn't, so I honestly can't recommend this to anyone.

Ghost Of Dragstrip Hollow/The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (Midnite Movies Double Feature)

Average customer rating:

Great B movies
Ghost in the Invisible Bikini is Awesome
The Endest, Man!
drive in maddness
The Ghosts Are Lose In 2 Great Teen Classics Now On DVD

Ghost Of Dragstrip Hollow/The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (Midnite Movies Double Feature)
Starring: Jody Fair , Russ Bender , Henry McCann , Martin Braddock , and Elaine DuPont
Director: William J. Hole Jr. , and Don Weis
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007MHFHW
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Description

THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI: Original Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Great B movies.......2007-06-08

If you like B movies with lots of camp this is one for your collection.

Ghost in the Invisible Bikini is Awesome.......2006-12-04

I haven't seen the other one, but the Ghost in the Invisible Bikini is really great. All of the songs are really catchy and watching all of the lame background dancers is a hoot. Plus Nancy Sinatra is so cute in this movie! I would recommend this film to anyone who's into quality camp.

The Endest, Man!.......2005-09-04

"Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow" looks like "Leave It To Beaver" with souped-up jalopies. Square, brainy teens into automotive combustion lose the lease on their hang-out but quickly acquire new digs--but it's haunted, dig? A few funny double-entrendres(and a sassy parrot)keep this thing watchable, but it's really no better than your average sitcom. The nostalgia is amusing, what with clean-cut kids facing off at the weekend slumber party, but it's too short--and when two feuding girls duel it out with their racing cars to settle their differences, we aren't even privvy to the match! The music is OK, but the awkward, self-conscious teen-nobodys that dot the cast are unintentionally funny.
"Ghost in the Invisible Bikini" has Tommy Kirk, Deborah Walley, Harvey Lembeck, Nancy Sinatra, Susan Hart, Patsy Kelley and Boris Karloff--and still it's a dud! American International was apparently hurtin' for one last 'Beach Party' and this is the best they could do. Why Sinatra's boyfriend Goo-Goo keeps ditching her for that shapeless redhead is more a mystery than why Susan Hart(as the ghost)is donning the dopiest-looking blonde wig in B-cinema history.
Both films contain a completely different song each entitled "Geronimo" for reasons I can't fathom, although Nancy Sinatra's entry wins(and she looks cute shimmying poolside!).

drive in maddness.......2005-08-09

The first film,"GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW" is a little slow and corny with square teens hanging out at there local malt shop.
The fun begins when they have a girls pajama party and then go to a spooky old house to have a costume party.And that parrot{the comedy relief} with the punch lines is funny and annoying at times.

The ,"GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI" is the better of the 2 films!
Borris Karloff plays a small role but it's fun seeing Borris in anything.The kids aren't as square in this film and the Haunted House is kool!!
This film reminds me a lot of the tv show the MONKEES.It would also be fun to watch at your local Drive In theatre on a stormy summer night with the gang ,a few beers and your sweetie on your arm!

The Ghosts Are Lose In 2 Great Teen Classics Now On DVD.......2005-08-09

If you like teen classics, with ghosts than these 2 movies are great for you.

SIDE A: Ghost Of Dragstrip Hollow. Roadster members of the famous drag-racing Kenith Club have blown a gasket since they wern't able to pay the rent and were thrown out of their groovy garage hangout. But luckily for them, a sweet old lady benefactor will let them user he house... only one problem though, it's haunted, and the only way to get rid of those eveil lil ghosts is to scare them out. Count on these Dragstrip racing teen's to get rid of the ghosts, in this pedal-to-the-medal thriller comedy. That really separated the chicks from the chickens!

SIDE B: The Ghost IN The Invisible Bikini. Poor dead Hiram (Boris Karloff)... he only has 24 hours to do a good dead or he won't be able to go to heaven! Happily, help arrives in the forum of a bikini-clad, vixen (Susan Hart)! Together, she and Hiram try to foil the plans of a dastardly lawyer (Basil Rathbone) hellbent on doing away with Hiram's teenage heirs and their entourage of Watusi-dancing, and singing friends before the reading of his will! From beach house to house of horrors, this fast and furious beach film will delight you, and startle you.

These are 2 Great Teen Flicks finally on dvd, if you want something fun to show the family, put this dvd in tonight, your whole family will love these 2 great films.

Average customer rating:

It's a Disaster Film ... Literally
The real "Black Hole" is the script for this junk
PRETTY EMPTY HOLE
Very Good Sci-FIc "B" movie.
Wait for Mystery Science Theater 3000 version

The Black Hole
Starring: Kristy Swanson , Judd Nelson , David Selby , Heather Dawn , and Robert Giardina
Director: Tibor Takács
Manufacturer: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000BKVS1O
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Product Description

A high-voltage sci-fi thriller loaded with explosive battles and gripping special effects. DVD Features include: Exploring The Black Hole: A Behind the Scenes Featurette with the Cast and Crew.

Customer Reviews:

It's a Disaster Film ... Literally.......2007-05-02

(Not to be confused with the 1979 sci-fi film of the same title starring Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins and Robert Forster. But probably you won't.)

Because of the messy experiences of quantum or something, by the scientists in St. Louis, a huge black hole opens up in the middle of the facility, and is about to swallow the city itself. If you find the premise unconvincing, there's more to come, for Kristy Swanson, who did a good job elsewhere but is miscast here, appears as Dr. Shannon Muir who is responsible for the terrible job. Or maybe not. I am not sure for the film does not explain much about the experiments, but that did not particularly bother me because what really matters in this kind of film is thrill and suspense, or any entertainment value, something "The Black Hole" desperately needs.

Anyway, another scientist played by Judd Nelson is called in, who was kicked out of the research team for the reasons that are not important. What is important is how to contain this disaster within the walls, and at least Swanson and Nelson know as much as that, but sadly not the filmmakers, who have no story to tell after the initial 20 minutes except the `general' who insists on using nuclear bombs, and some not-so-exciting episodes about a strange thing, or "electric entity,' that might be related to the hole.

What is really disappointing about the film is the lack of pace and logics. I can ignore plot holes if the story goes forward and tells something new every ten minute. It doesn't happen in `The Black Hole," where things happen slowly and in a bland way, and the two main characters have little to do. The characters scarcely seem to feel danger before this global disaster, so how can we? To make matters worse, the film doesn't show the titular "black hole" much. Actually you have to see things that are not directly related to the hole itself such as episodes about a divorced wife and her daughter. And though effects are OK, disaster scenes are not so memorable because they happen so sporadically.

I like so-called disaster films and loved to see many of them made in the 70s. Those films may not be the most scientifically correct ones, but they are fun to watch, even today, with a series of thrilling set-pieces. I tried to like this film, I really did, but still I must say "The Black Hole" needs a much better story, logics, effects, acting or everything that makes more decent actions.

The real "Black Hole" is the script for this junk.......2007-04-02

Hard to believe Hollywood wasted money to make this silly movie. It's not even sure what it wants to be , a disaster movie , an Alien movie ,or Mad Scientist movie. As a result it becomes none of the above and settles for being a mess. Waste of time.

PRETTY EMPTY HOLE.......2007-02-02

This is another one of those scientifically inaccurate/implausible movies that tries to be soundly scientific but eventually caves in on its own silliness.
Somehow, a black hole has shown up in the middle of St. Louis, and some kind of electrically charged entity hitchhiked a ride and is now threatening to decimate the city, and possibly the world.
The movie's pretty lame in all categories with cheesy special effects and bad performances from Kristy Swanson, Judd Nelson and David Selby. It makes little if any sense and its resolution predictably unimpressive.

Very Good Sci-FIc "B" movie........2006-11-27

If you're really a sci-fic fan, then this is really a pretty good "B" movie. Of course it's not an Alien or Star Trek. I liked it, and I'm not a rainy day sci-fic fan, either.

Wait for Mystery Science Theater 3000 version .......2006-08-26

"The Black Hole" is about the worst action movie you can possibly
imagine. Scientific experiment in high energy physics goes wrong
and black hole is created inside the particle accelerator. Soon
it becomes obvious there is intergalactic monster (yes - you read
it correctly) involved - it somehow uses black holes to travel
across the Universe. At this point Department of Homeland Security
and US military jump in and their contingency plan is to go
"nucular on that thing". Over wild objections of cartoonish looking
scientists (wild hair nerds with scared look and glasses) who argue
that bomb will "break one big black hole into many small ones".
The rest is just loads of bad dialouge, horrible acting and cheesy
computer generated effects. This movie should come with a warning
label "Viewership restricted to 10 yo and und under".
On a positive side - it is heartwarming to know that there are
some dedicated mad scientists out there who will risk their lives
to prevent the President and Department of Homeland Security from
nuking us all when fighting intergalactic monsters.
OK - you have been WARNED.

Average customer rating:

An excellent addition to the Godzilla series
Oh my! This is one terrible Godzilla movie!
The real stuff..
great sequal to a great movie!
A very fine Godzilla movie and a considerable improvement over "2000"

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
Starring: Misato Tanaka , Shosuke Tanihara , Masatô Ibu , Yuriko Hoshi , and Toshiyuki Nagashima
Director: Masaaki Tezuka
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000VAGXK
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Amazon.com

This second film in the unofficial "Godzilla Millennium" series (which followed its return to features in Godzilla 2000) occasionally suffers from dodgy special effects, but the giant lizard puts on enough of a show to please his longtime fans. The premise involves a special anti-Godzilla team's efforts to rid Japan of the atomic menace by means of Dimension Tide, a satellite device that would create an artificial black hole in which to trap the monster. A failed attempt, however, mutates a common dragonfly into a horde of giant prehistoric bugs that evolve into the colossal Megaguirus; the pair naturally face off in a city-wrecking battle while the team works against the clock to repair Dimension Tide and hold Godzilla captive forever. Though his special effects team occasionally lets him down with some shoddy creations (especially the pre-Megaguirus dragonfly swarm), director Maasaki Tezuka (who has since helmed the majority of subsequent Godzilla films) delivers a fun and action-packed feature with an exciting final showdown that should please G-fans. Columbia-Tri-Star's DVD is widescreen and offers a welcome Japanese language track (with English subtitles) for those opposed to dubbing as well as Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. A brace of trailers for other Sony-related sci-fi titles is also included. --Paul Gaita

Description

Godzilla is back! This time, Japan has a new weapon: Megaguirus! Now a 3-way battle begins between Godzilla, Megaguirus and the humans beings! Will Godzilla win? Will humanity survive?

Customer Reviews:

An excellent addition to the Godzilla series.......2007-06-20

I love Godzilla films, but when I saw that this one was made as recently as 2000 I wondered if it would still have the classic Godzilla feel, which it most definitely does. It has all the makings of a great monster movie: bad special effects, unrealistic human technology, corny subplots, an impressive rival for Godzilla. It's great.

Oh my! This is one terrible Godzilla movie!.......2006-07-14

I love Godzilla, but Godzilla vs. Megaguirus is the 3rd worst Godzilla movie that I have seen so far. The worst was Godzilla Final Wars. The second worst was Terror of Mechagodzilla.

There are movies that are bad that they actually end up being very entertaining. This one is just bad. The effects in this movie are God awful. These are not the fun kind of cheesy effects like the older Godzilla films. These are the very, very poorly done computerized effects. And...... THERE ARE VERY, VERY OBVIOUS STRINGS HOLDING UP MEGAGUIRUS! And lots of them too! They don't even try to cover these up in any way. I couldn't believe it when I saw it.

The pace of the movie keeps it uninteresting. It just comes across as a very average Godzilla movie. Nothing special or really interesting at all. And the plot...I know you have to suspend belief in reality when watching a Godzilla movie, but this black hole thing was just ludicrous. Even the enemies are terrible in this. Just a bunch of dragon flies and a big dragon fly (that's held up by soooooo very obvious strings!)

I wouldn't want to watch it again. There are much better Godzilla movies out there.

The real stuff.........2006-02-27

This is a great movie,,, especially after viewing Godzilla final
wars in which it was a letdown. Godzilla: Vs. Megaguirus has the
true feeling of a Godzilla movie...a good script....good monsters
and hey...a bit of CGI in which it added quality to the movie. This is a movie that you will want to watch again...

great sequal to a great movie!.......2006-01-12

I really like this movie! It is a great sequal to G 2000 (Also a great movie)! Godzilla looks GREAT!
Buy this! It's a great movie!
P.S. Don't forget the bugspray!

A very fine Godzilla movie and a considerable improvement over "2000".......2006-01-08

The 'Millenium' series, the third Godzilla film series, began in 1999 with "Godzilla 2000: Millenium". It was followed by this film - "Godzilla vs. Megaguirus". The premise involves a seemingly crazy idea: launch a black hole on to Godzilla, absorbing and containing him so he can't stomp on Japan anymore. The idea turns out to be not so crazy after all, and so a test firing is done. Unfortunately, while the test seems successful, it creates a wormhole, mutating a dragonfly and creating a horde of vicious, large dragonflies.

"Godzilla 2000", while fun, was not a spectacular movie. "Megaguirus" is a considerable improvement. Although it has its share of hokey moments (not the least of which is Godzilla leaping four-hundred feet into the air), it features an interesting storyline and a good script, not to mention a terrific score (by Michiru Oshima). The highlight of the film is the opening sequence, in which the story of the original 1954 Godzilla film is re-created using the new suit.

While "Godzilla vs. Megaguirus" can't compare to some later entries in the 'Millennium' series - namely "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah" - it's a fine Godzilla movie that should please fans. Be sure to stick around after the credits ...

Average customer rating:

Tiesto in Concert
Tiesto In Concert by DJ Tiesto
Date and Time
DJ Tiesto shows that he is "ONE MAN SHOW" with no doubt in this DVD
Excellent.....but...

Tiesto In Concert
Starring: DJ Tiesto
Manufacturer: Black Hole
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B0000X2ECO
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Product Description

TIESTO IN CONCERT (DJ TIESTO)

Customer Reviews:

Tiesto in Concert .......2007-03-05

The pack has two dvd's i was very excited to watch this dvd as there were lot of good reviews the dvd has great content in it the reason i have rated it as four star is because the video quality is not superb and even though audio is 5.1 but the beats were not heavy as we get in stereo effects. Compilation is great one of the best trance dvd's i have known.

Regards
Upraj

Tiesto In Concert by DJ Tiesto.......2007-01-11

EXCELLENT!! Took a while to get it, but definitely worth the wait!

Date and Time.......2006-11-03

When this came out, it was way ahead of it's time. No other DJ has done this since, especially on this scale. In a world that flips almost once a year you cannot critique track selection. If you missed it, you missed it...it was progressive at the time. The second "concert" was no where near as good. This had the "around the world" theme and mixed in "world" music interestingly. I bought this in '04 and was blown away. If you have never seen it, I think it is probobly still worth watching despite the fact some of the tracks might be worn out by now.

DJ Tiesto shows that he is "ONE MAN SHOW" with no doubt in this DVD .......2006-02-25

DJ Tiesto shows his fine art visually and gives a BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY to go onto with this lovely amazing DVD which i think its great experince of seeing him "live on DVD it makes you feel that you are there on the concert and exploring a Musical Journey which he created for us to go on along with him

Thank you

Excellent.....but..........2006-02-23

I bought the second in concert dvd first because it was the newest one out there. I wanted to make sure that the tracks were still realtively fresh. I was totally blown away by it so I got the first one. Although there is more content to the dvd the second concert destroys this one. It's just to outdated. Both discs have some excellent material, the second one just has the better track listing.

DVD:

DVD

DVD