Prime Cut

Amazon.com

Prime Cut is a strangely likeable if decidedly oddball thriller from 1972. A happy collision of gangster genre grit (validated by Lee Marvin's granite-faced lead performance) with a strain of shameless (though shrewd) exploitation not unfamiliar to screenwriter Robert Dillon (X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes), plus the kinetic, semi-documentary wit of director Michael Ritchie (The Candidate) makes Prime Cut both a straightforward noir and a satire of itself. Marvin plays Nick, an aging enforcer for the Chicago mob, sent to Kansas City to deal with a ruthless cattle baron (Gene Hackman) who owes a half-million to Windy City racketeers. Hackman's character (inexplicably named Mary Ann), dismissive of old-guard crime chieftains, has set up his own heartland empire guarded by a weird contingent of blond, lookalike young men with rifles. Not only does he render the bodies of his enemies into sausage meat, Mary Ann is making a fortune trafficking in naked, enslaved young women. One of the latter, played by Sissy Spacek (in her film debut), falls under the protection of Nick, who sets about taking Mary Ann down. Ritchie's highly energized, absurdist scenes (e.g., a gunfight in an endless field of sunflowers) are nicely counterpointed by Marvin's smooth anti-heroics and the self-conscious cheesiness of the sex slave angle. --Tom Keogh

Description

In PRIME CUT, a Chicago mob enforcer (Marvin) is sent to Kansas City to settle a debt with a man called Mary Ann (Hackman) who sells women as sex slaves

Customer Reviews:

Lee Marvin V Gene Hackman.......2007-07-17

This is a rarely seen movie which basically is a showcase for the great acting of Hackman and Marvin - stoic Marvin taking on out of control pig farmer and sausage maker Hackman in a battle of wills with bizarre overtones.
You have to see Hackman at the end in the slaughter house to really believe it - a cacophony of screaming pigs
being the backdrop to Hackman's demise.

Loking Yummy.......2007-04-28

This movie is well worth watching if for no other reason than the first 2 scenes with Sissy Spacek, the first in the barn, laying on the straw, in which she displays all of her feminine beauty, including her beautifully shaped breasts along with her beaver. Second scene includes her emerging from her hotel bed, fully nude, as she then tries on a new dress that Marvin hes bought for her. She is then seen being escorted by Marvin to the hotel retaurant attired in a see through dress, no bra, again revealing those perfect boobs. Two rather silly things about the latter two scenes. Sissy is naked in bed and Marvin is casually looking at her, apparently interested only in the cigar he is smoking. The only way it makes sense is if it's the morning after and he has just spent most of the night balling her. The scene in the restaurant is ridiculous, he has rescued this helpless little gal from white slavery and now he is parading her among the people in the hotel with her wearing a see though dress.

Yummy!.......2007-02-13

SO many of the best films came out of the 70's and this is certainly one of them. Mobsters, sex slave trade, and most of all good ole' country cuisine make Prime Cut a real winner. The photography is beatiful, the direction very cunning, and the performances terrific. A real oddity in some ways, but a great twisted ride for those willing to take the chance on on older film.

Oldy but Goody.......2007-01-16

This a classic with great acting and some light nudity that was well before its time. Worth a watch or two just so you can brag about having seen it. Gene Hackman, Lee Marvin (at the top of their games) and a very young Sissy Spasick- need more be said?

The Bobster

Lee Marvin was the ultimate in professional torpedoes..........2007-01-11

In the Fifties, in "Violent Saturday," he made a little name as the killer who kept using a nose spray while terrorizing Sylvia Sidney and a bank... When Don Siegel made the second version of Hemingway's "The Killers," he was the cool, hard gunman who knew he was being paid to do the job and would definitely do it, come hell or high water...

His "Prime Cut," is a study in professionalism... Before that came "Point Blank," in which again he was the unstoppable force... But watch him in "Prime Cut." Notice the care with which he handles the tools of his trade, the cavalry rifle which takes to pieces and is lovingly kept in a neat executive-style case...

He is a "hit man," a torpedo who can be hired by the new breed of businessman-gangster... Pressured into a job against his will, he is sent to Kansas City to enforce his employer's demands for payment from another gangster-type... From then on, a trail of murder, malice and killing makes the screen run red... If the baddies all come to sticky ends - so does at least one innocent person, whom Marvin involves - as in the case of the truck-driver whose vehicle he hijacks...

"Prime Cut" is a tremendously exciting film, if one disregards its moral values... At the end Marvin, the paid killer who keeps the weapons of his trade in velvet-lined cases, has destroyed all the other villains... yet walks off into the sunset without a hint of retribution...

Alice Cooper - Prime Cuts (Limited Edition 2-Disc Set)

Average customer rating:

excellent history and tidbits about Alice
A Good Product That Could Have Been Better
Prime Cuts & Extra Helpings
The original and best DVD version of this great documentary, with, believe it or not, good picture quality!
I must have a bad copy of this DVD. No one else seems to mention the horrid video quality.

Alice Cooper - Prime Cuts (Limited Edition 2-Disc Set)
Starring: Alice Cooper , Shep Gordon , Robert Ezrin , Slash , and Ozzy Osbourne
Director: Neal Preston
Manufacturer: Sanctuary Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005NQGU
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Amazon.com

This 1991 documentary explores the ever-likable ghoul-rocker's history in the music biz, from the early days when Alice Cooper was, in fact, the name of a pretty good band (whose members are all unfortunately spoken of, even analyzed, here in past tense, as if they're all dead) to Cooper's elder- statesman status by the time this production was underway. Along the way, we see too-brief clips from more than 20 videos, all interrupted for reflections by manager Shep Gordon, producer Bob Ezrin, Slash, Ozzy, and the man-of-the-hour himself. The most welcome elements here are selections from the original band, including "I'm Eighteen," "Billion Dollar Babies," and "Black Ju Ju." Solo material--"Only Women Bleed," "How You Gonna See Me Now"--is an interesting reminder of Cooper's somewhat altered direction by the late 1970s. Rounding things out is the real story behind that infamous urban legend about Cooper and a chicken. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

excellent history and tidbits about Alice.......2007-06-14

This is a great DVD that shows a lot of footage never before seen, with excellent interviews as well. The original Cooper band was the best, and to find out more info than from any other source all for this price, you'll be in love!! Quality DVD and quick shipping!

A Good Product That Could Have Been Better.......2006-11-03

This 2 disc set includes some priceless interviews with Alice, all the original band members, his manager and producer, etc. It does in fact cover the history of Alice.
The disc game and jukebox are mostly a recycling of the videos and soundbytes from the documentary. Its good and has some vintage footage in it to be sure.

Prime Cuts & Extra Helpings.......2006-09-29

I finally recieved my copy of this today. First, the price from Amazon was right. I got my copy for $18(no pun intended)and yes, it is worth it. Most record stores will charge upward of $25.00 for this. The first disc is pretty much the same as the VHS version except with better picture quality and camera angles. There is a cool story about Bruce Springsteen and Alice drinking together, although brief is not on the VHS version.
The second disc is lot more in depth than the VHS featuring interviews with Dennis Dunaway, Mike Bruce, Neal Smith and Dick Wagner.
The comments made by other reviewers about the game are true but if you just keep rolling those dice you eventually get to see the whole thing. The second disc also does feature full-length performances of many Alice Classics most performed with Kane Roberts on guitar.Kane plays the Alice tunes with lots of Steve Vai/Joe Satriani style embellishments. Lots of tapping and dive bombs and even ocasional nods to Yngwie. It took a second to get used to but actually is pretty cool.
The best parts have to be Dennis, Mike and Neal talking about the early days. This is truly a must-have for anyone who has been along time devoted fan. The casual fan may be bored with it as most of the interviews are assuming you already know certain things about the band which the casual fan probably doesn't.
I was definitely pleased with this and pleasantly surprised at how good it is.

The original and best DVD version of this great documentary, with, believe it or not, good picture quality!.......2006-05-10

*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE SINGLE-DISC 1998 DVD VERSION (with Alice wrapped in foil with a flower in his hair on the cover), NOT THE 2-DISC "SPECIAL EDITION" 2001 VERSION ***

ALICE COOPER: PRIME CUTS, a comprehensive visual biography of the rock legend, would have to be the best introduction and summary on Alice Cooper that one can buy. And for fans, this version is the better one to buy over the "Special Edition" 2-DVD release's version as it has much better picture quality, being presented in its original 4:3 full-screen picture format! (but this one doesn't come with the Special Edition's extra DVD, which is suited for hard-core fans only)

THE DOCUMENTARY...
This informative and entertaining programme covers Alice Cooper's career from the early psychedelic days of the late 60's through the early-to-mid 70's heyday to his commercially successful comeback in 1989.
It has a strong varied selection of songs culled from live footage, rare TV show appearances, and recording studio footage, in between interviews of Alice (circa 1990/1991) as he talks through his amazing history, of what "the character" Alice Cooper is and how it came about, of his band mates, and of the songs presented, plus some great rock stories that you'd expect from a rock legend, including being a 'Hollywood Vampire' alongside John Lennon and Keith Moon. Also includes interviews with producer Bob Ezrin and long-time manager Shep Gordon, and kudos from Ozzy Osbourne and Slash.
My only criticisms are that the documentary ignores the majority of Alice in the 80's (of material he released during this commercially-lull period for him that many consider either bizarre, terrible or brilliant material, and of his 2nd more severe hospitalization in 1983 for alcoholism, he's been sober ever since), and that many of the songs featured are only excerpts, not full-length versions. However the excerpts are excusable as Prime Cuts touches on so much within the space of 87 minutes, I think they did a damn good job.

PICTURE QUALITY...
This 1998 US DVD release of Prime Cuts, the first DVD release of the video, is presented in its original 4:3 full-screen format, thus having superior picture quality over the flawed "Special Edition" 2-DVD re-release of 2001 which is presented in 'anamorphic-widescreen' (to make full-screen vision into a 'fake' widescreen they cut away the top and bottom of the 4:3 vision to make it 16:9, thereby making the vision look close-up and squashed, and in this case pixelated due to a bad digital transfer job. in my opinion, anamorphic-widescreen is an awful practice of the video industry, worse than 'pan-&-scan'). So if you already have the Special Edition version and you're let down by its bad picture quality then this is the DVD to get! Otherwise, some archive performance footage does look slightly degraded, given the age of most of it, but it's all watchable and very enjoyable.

DVD EXTRAS...
No extras with this release, just a simple stereo transfer plus song menu, which is a pity as it would've been a great opportunity to include full versions of songs which were just featured as excerpts in the programme.

BONUS...
This US version of the documentary does include an extra few minutes of footage, not included in any other country's version except Japan, of Alice talking about his heavy metal resurgence from the mid-80's with the help of Kane Roberts and Kip Winger with brief footage of the Freedom video clip!

THE VERDICT...
5 stars for an awesome documentary, with nice picture quality, but minus 1 star for being such a no-frills release with no extras. So 4 stars for Alice Cooper: Prime Cuts - a perfect place to start for any novice or curious bystander of Alice, and a must for all Cooper fans and any hard rock music fans!

I must have a bad copy of this DVD. No one else seems to mention the horrid video quality........2005-12-27

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.

Average customer rating:

excellent history and tidbits about Alice
A Good Product That Could Have Been Better
Prime Cuts & Extra Helpings
The original and best DVD version of this great documentary, with, believe it or not, good picture quality!
I must have a bad copy of this DVD. No one else seems to mention the horrid video quality.

Prime Cuts
Starring: Alice Cooper , Shep Gordon , Robert Ezrin , Slash , and Ozzy Osbourne
Director: Neal Preston
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: 6305080224
Release Date: 1998-07-15

Amazon.com

Description

The ultimate Alice Cooper video featuring ultra-rare concert performances, television appearances and interviews--a comprehensive visual biography that will take you through the legend of Alice Cooper from before "I'm Eighteen" to "Poison" and beyond. All the Cooper classics are here from his private video vaults. Songs: Black Juju, Levity Ball, Ballad of Dwight Fry, Elected, Sick Things, Eighteen, Hello Hooray, Dead Babies, Billion Dollar Babies, No More Mister Nice Guy, Under My Wheels, Welcome to My Nightmare, Only Women Bleed, Cold Ethyl, From the Inside, How You Gonna See Me Now, Clones, Department of Youth, Trash, Poison, School's Out.

Customer Reviews:

excellent history and tidbits about Alice.......2007-06-14

A Good Product That Could Have Been Better.......2006-11-03

Prime Cuts & Extra Helpings.......2006-09-29

The original and best DVD version of this great documentary, with, believe it or not, good picture quality!.......2006-05-10

I must have a bad copy of this DVD. No one else seems to mention the horrid video quality........2005-12-27

House of Cards Trilogy, Vol. 3 - The Final Cut

Average customer rating:

A Terrible Disappointment
Not as good as first two, but still incredible
Not impressed
Oops, they did it again!
Noooooooooo! It can't be over!

House of Cards Trilogy, Vol. 3 - The Final Cut
Starring: Ian Richardson , Erika Hoffman , Lynne Verrall , Glyn Grain , and John Rowe
Director: Mike Vardy
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Miniseries | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00009MGH1
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Amazon.com

The final installment of the House of Cards trilogy strikes a more somber note than its predecessors. Francis Urquhart--prime minister and murderer--has almost overtaken Margaret Thatcher to become Britain's longest serving postwar leader, but the public is tiring of him and there are rumblings of dissent in the Conservative Party. When the prime minister's bullying goes too far, his foreign secretary, Tom Makepeace, resigns and prepares to challenge for the leadership.

Urquhart and his wife (who makes Lady Macbeth look benign) plot to secure both their place in history and their financial future. An opportunity presents itself in the shape of the Cyprus Agreement: a treaty between the Greek and Turkish inhabitants of that island. The Urquharts learn that there are massive oil deposits along a disputed sea boundary, and a Turkish businessman promises them a large "consultancy fee" if the oil ends up on his side of the border. However, Urquhart has other ties to Cyprus, because it was there (as a young soldier in the '50s) that he killed two Greeks. If this is uncovered, Urquhart will be finished. Attacked from all sides, it looks like there's no escape, but as he watches the Thatcher Memorial taking shape on the lawn outside his office, Urquhart vows to triumph again. With the help of his wife, the shadowy Commander Cawdor, and an ambitious member of Parliament who had an affair with Tom Makepeace, he might yet find a way to succeed.

Once again, writer Andrew Davies has created a satire to relish, one that confirms all of our doubts about the motives of politicians. Ian Richardson's wonderful performance--filled with sly asides and winks to the camera--makes Francis Urquhart as fascinating as he is wicked, and we find ourselves rooting for this terrible man. The world would certainly be a duller place without him. --Simon Leake

Description

Ian Richardson (From Hell, M. Butterfly) returns as malevolent statesman Francis Urquhart in this acclaimed finale to the Masterpiece Theater trilogy that began with House of Cards and continued in To Play the King. Now Prime Minister, and nearing the end of his term, Urquhart plans to let international events help him to a luxurious retirement. But he finds himself caught in someone else's power play, and for the first time he is unable to see a way out. Will he outwit his enemies one last time, or will his long career end in disgrace and defeat? Brilliantly adapted by Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones's Diary), from Michael Dobbs's best-selling novel, this satirical trilogy took home a primetime Emmy, a Peabody, two BAFTAs and a Writers' Guild Award.

Customer Reviews:

A Terrible Disappointment.......2006-09-04

Especially in comparison to the brilliance of the first two installments, this was a bitter disappointment. Rumor has it that those involved would only do the third installment if the evil king received his come-uppance, and he does here, in an unsatisfactory manner, unbefitting the evil he once wrought. It's hard to imagine that a grown man who fed rat poison to an inconvenient party functionary, threw a lover off the top of the House of Commons, and car bombed up another in front of her husband, would be tortured for a second by having killed a boy in (Cyprus civil) wartime. The motive force in this one strains credulity. Watch and enjoy the first two, but skip this one- it really does not conclude the career of F.U. as the same imagination that brought the first two installments to life would have,

Not as good as first two, but still incredible.......2005-07-19

Probably my least favorite installment of the Urquehart trilogy. This one was still absolutely riveting and fantastic, just not to the extent that the other two volumes where. However, it is still a must see.

Not impressed.......2005-01-04

I found that the last part of this brilliant series wansn't as good as the first two installments. To start with, Mr Urquhart (hence FU), seems to be less confiding to us as an audience and is seemingly not as devious as in the beginning of the series. He is more passive and less his brilliant, manipulative self, leading us to feel a slight pity that would have been unthinkable initially.

Another criticism would be the issue of the Cypriot graves in the "Final Cut". I thought it a bit silly that FU was having nightmares about his murdering of two young men, so long ago, when he was based as an officer on Cyprus. He never showed any sort of remorse before and then suddenly this is introduced. Further, I think that the young lady involved in investigating her uncles deaths gets far too big a role. She is nobody of any consequence and yet she gets complete access to the Prime Minister alone. Again, I found this silly and unbelievable and the whole story would have been better left out for the sake of more intelligent viewers.

Finally, the end wasn't particularly well wrapped up with the issue of the tape and the murder of the Cypriot father. What was that all about? Over all, I was not too impressed, although I conceed that the acting was up to its usual high standard - only the plot didn't live up to expectation.

Oops, they did it again!.......2002-03-16

Made major changes from the novel, that is--and for my mind made it that much stronger a screenplay(sorry to novelist Michael Dobbs,who was supposedly royally ticked at this adaptation).Ian Richardson is again brilliant as the Shakespeare-quoting politician/murderer/con man whom you love to hate, and the underrated Dianne Fletcher is equally good as the scheming Mrs. Urquhart(a good example of the old saying that the female of the species is often more deadly!). In strong supporting roles, look for Isla Blair and Paul Freeman as an ambitious aide to FU and a would-be Prime Minister, respectively--this relationship has some parallels to the highly political union of the Urquharts.

Noooooooooo! It can't be over!.......2002-01-16

The third and final chapter in the life and times of that charming psychopath, Prime Minister Francis Urquhart. The end of his career is drawing nigh, and he's haunted by ghosts (not only Mattie Storin who perished so sadly in the first installment, but also a pair of young Cypriot soldies during Francis' military service). But he musters his strength for one last battle for the leadership of the party. Can he solidify his place in British history? F.U. has proved that he can do whatever he sets his mind to.

Average customer rating:

Lee Marvin V Gene Hackman
Loking Yummy
Yummy!
Oldy but Goody
Lee Marvin was the ultimate in professional torpedoes...

Prime Cut
Starring: Lee Marvin , Gene Hackman , Angel Tompkins , Gregory Walcott , and Sissy Spacek
Director: Michael Ritchie
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000980GV6

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Lee Marvin V Gene Hackman.......2007-07-17

Loking Yummy.......2007-04-28

Yummy!.......2007-02-13

Oldy but Goody.......2007-01-16

Lee Marvin was the ultimate in professional torpedoes..........2007-01-11

Average customer rating:

excellent history and tidbits about Alice
A Good Product That Could Have Been Better
Prime Cuts & Extra Helpings
The original and best DVD version of this great documentary, with, believe it or not, good picture quality!
I must have a bad copy of this DVD. No one else seems to mention the horrid video quality.

Alice Cooper: Prime Cuts
Starring: Alice Cooper , Shep Gordon , Robert Ezrin , Slash , and Ozzy Osbourne
Director: Neal Preston
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005CBVI

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

excellent history and tidbits about Alice.......2007-06-14

A Good Product That Could Have Been Better.......2006-11-03

Prime Cuts & Extra Helpings.......2006-09-29

The original and best DVD version of this great documentary, with, believe it or not, good picture quality!.......2006-05-10

I must have a bad copy of this DVD. No one else seems to mention the horrid video quality........2005-12-27

Prime Cuts - Choice Selections From Comedy Central

Average customer rating:

Prime Cuts - Choice Selections From Comedy Central

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Contains the following: South Park - Fourth Grade (Selected from Season 4); Reno 911! - Episode #103 (Selected from Season 1); South Park - Timmy 2000 (Selected from Season 4); Strangers With Candy - Is My Daddy Crazy? (Selected from Season 3).

Tableturns 4th Anniversary "A Great Day in Turntablism"

Average customer rating:

Tableturns 4th Anniversary "A Great Day in Turntablism"
Starring: Tony Vegas , Total Eclipse , DStyles , Roc Raida , and Melo-D
Director: bt + sugarcuts
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Music Video & Concerts | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000083E7C
Release Date: 2002-11-01

DVD:

DVD

DVD