The Specialist

Amazon.com

Just awful enough to qualify as someone's guilty pleasure, this convoluted thriller was supposed to cash in on the supposedly sexy teaming of Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone (then hot from her ample exposure in Basic Instinct), but their naked groping in a shower provides one of the film's unintentionally funny highlights. Ray Quick (Stallone) is a former CIA bomb expert whose former colleague (James Woods) is now in cahoots with a Miami drug cartel led by kingpin Joe Leon (Rod Steiger), who chews the scenery while his son Tomas (Eric Roberts) proceeds with a greedy hidden agenda. May Munro (Stone) hires Quick to kill off Roberts. The Specialist, featuring lots of explosions and redeemed by a dandy role for James Woods, is best suited for ardent Stallone and Stone fans. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

What I wouldnt give to have been Sharon Stone!.......2007-07-17

As a woman, I find it hilarious how often Stallone is panned by fellow men. I have to wonder why?? Personally, I like his style and he's very VERY easy on the eyes as well. I read that Stone had a crush on Stallone and was anxious to work with him. (another beautiful actress, Madeline Stowe, said the same thing about her screen time with him). Perhaps some folks think that by trashing Stallone's acting, they can somehow feel superior? Trust me, it aint working. The man is hawt, the chemistry sizzles, and you get one guess who I fantasize about...the action scenes are good too, but I expect that in a Stallone film.

Unexceptional Thriller.......2007-03-23

The much-anticipated teaming of Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone in 1994's "The Specialist" features a pulpy revenge storyline, plenty of explosions, and the two leads in a steamy shower scene, but never achieves any real momentum.

Stallone is a former special operations type turned contract hitman, who specializes in very small, very precise, and very lethal explosive devices. His current employer is Sharon Stone, out for revenge against the Miami mob family who murdered her father and by turns emotionally raw and duplicitiously smooth. Rod Stieger and Eric Roberts play the Mob family leader and his greedy son.

The movie is stolen by James Woods as Stallone's former special operations boss, now working for the mob on the side. His over-the-top vendetta against Stallone for a career-killing incident in Central America is much more entertaining than Stallone's rather wooden relationship with the Sharon Stone character. The movie features plenty of action sequences, as Stallone races to complete his assignment for his new and very possibly untruthworthy love interest before Woods can track down and kill his former pupil.

This movie is a moderately entertaining action thriller, if light on content and real movie chemistry.

Decent Stallone Action Drama.......2007-02-09

A little less over the top than most of Stalione's films and I prefer the over the top efforts (such as Demolition Man). This one rates 'pretty good' for story, action, pace, characters. It makes an effort to blur the line between good and bad but doesn't come off as serious as it seems to want to be.

A Modern Classic.......2006-07-19

I had never been a Stallone fan, but a Stone one. Based on this, Ray Quick is necesary for the plot though Stallone brings out a flat performance to his character, maybe that's the way its suppoussed to be. Woods and Steiger are the best actors in this film, but what i really liked was Stone's character, full of mystery, hidden agendas, surprises -she's weak and strong- unexpected switches and in basically control of the rest of the personages (plays Trent to catch Quick, but she's playing Trent too, to forfill her revenge- and control and kill Thomas, ultimatelly falls for the "heroe" ) there are parts that were blury (how did she really got out of Leons men to go and meet Ray at church, what was the connection with the old lady at the funeral?) and i believe Sharon Stone as an actress into her character has her moments (the way she looks at Erick Roberts in the bar when he implies they're going to spend the night together, the intriguing church scene, the punch she gives Woods) the dvd version is a clear nice to watch product and its features are good and entertaining, the score is just mesmerazing, hope to get it soon. The film can easly be a classic if it wasn't clashed by critics, though more darkness and suspense could had been added.
A very worth item on your "new classic" dvd collection, all and all i think this film deserves more than it's been shot at.

Took way to long.......2006-03-08

I oprdered this product and 3 weeks later I received it. I can not believe it took so long to ship this item to a domestic address. The movie is good, but the customer service was very bad.

Average customer rating:

A Visual Stunner
Dolph Lundgren's Best Film In Years
(2.5 STARS) Typical B-Action with Vengeful Ex-Soldier in Russia: Lundgren's Second Film as Director
a pretty boring action movie
He is a very good director

The Russian Specialist
Starring: Dolph Lundgren
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000CQ98FA
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Description

A Russian ex-hit man is called back to Russia for one last job. This time against his former employees, the Russian mob.

Customer Reviews:

A Visual Stunner.......2007-08-26

Lundgren should direct the film version of my book Little Kingdoms with the same style and panache he brought to The Russian Specialist. The emotional quality of The Russian Specialist is due to Lundgren's direction, his chemistry with Ben Cross and his own scaled down performance. It is rare to see a film today that dares to use long camera shots evoking the struggle of the characters. Bravo Lundgren!

Dolph Lundgren's Best Film In Years.......2007-05-27

Dolph Lundgren's latest film, The Mechanik (titled The Russian Specialist in the USA for some stupid reason), is the best pure action film that I've seen in years. Not only did Dolph star in the leading role but he also directed the film. Don't start groaning. He doesn't direct like Seagal or anything. The locations are beautiful and the shots are extremely professional. Dolph plays Nikolai Cherenko, ex-Spetnaz, who has retired and chosen a peaceful life for his family in the country.

Then one day, a drug deal goes bad and his family are caught in the crossfire. During the opening ten minutes, he exacts his revenge on the gangster scumbags who killed them. Or so he thought... The uber-evil head Russian mafia dude got shot in the face but he lived. Cherenko moves to Los Angeles to restart his life, but a lady comes to him for help when her daughter is kidnapped by the same scumbag. Cherenko accepts the mission and flies back to Russia to begin doing what he does best.

When I say this is a good movie, I'm completely serious. It's easily the best DTV action movie that I've ever seen. Dolph is a fantastic director. Who knew? If there was any justice in the world, this would've gotten a theatrical release. Don't be fooled by the cheeseball DVD art. If you haven't seen it yet, buy it now. You won't be sorry!

(2.5 STARS) Typical B-Action with Vengeful Ex-Soldier in Russia: Lundgren's Second Film as Director.......2006-04-20

In `The Russian Specialist' (aka `The Mechanik'), Dolph Lundgren demonstrates that he is surprisingly competent as film director. In this second work as director, Lundgren succeeds in giving certain amount of complexity to the characters in this revenge story about Nick Cherenko, a retired Russian special forces solider who lost his son and wife because of the ruthless Russian mobster Sasha (Ivan Petrushinov).

The story is a familiar one. After the so-so opening, the film jumps to America 7 years later, and we find Lundgren's Nick working as mechanic. Nick is asked to retrieve a kidnapped daughter of one rich family, and accepts the job only because the kidnapper turns out the kingpin who is responsible for the death of his family. The film's story and its slow pace reminds us of the low-key B-action films made in the 1970s, as if to emphasize the fact, British veteran Ben Cross (very good) appears as Nick's aide Burton, who gets involved in the bloody fight against the mobsters more than he wishes.

[MODERN-DAY WESTERN] You cannot expect great car chases, explosions, or martial art actions in the film (which is presented by Nu Image). Though Lundgren as director gives several chases and one explosion scenes, `The Russian Specialist' is more like an old-fashioned Western film set in modern Russia, and as such it is not bad. Each shot of the film's finale, in which we see one prolonged shoot-outs that goes on nearly half an hour, shows that Lundgren can handle action sequences very well, even though the results might be better with tighter editing. Curiously each scene ends with fade-outs frequently, but its intention is not clear to me.

Some gun actions are violent and bloody, but at the same time `The Russian Specialist' shows sometimes beautifully-shot, stylized images with its clever use of old buildings and landscapes in Russia and Bulgaria. Though the fact that the film is little better than average B-action film does not change, and Lundgren shows no outstanding actions or acting here, it is true that he is a competent director, and if given decent budget and script, he would be able to make a much better film than this one sooner or later.

a pretty boring action movie.......2006-03-03

cliched and stereotyped action movie. lundgren is a mediocre actor, trying to be a director only prolongs his mediocrity but not a new territory. there's nothing special or new of this movie and i just felt quite bored when i watched it.

He is a very good director.......2006-02-23

First, I have seen the Defender, I told myself this guy will be a good director and I have seen this movie and I am saying again: Dolph is a better director than many of the directors of the big budget movies.

This movie is a kind of revenge movie. Some scenes reminded me Wild Bunch. It is Kill them all movie but it is different. There is something special about this movie. Maybe colors, but probably it is about camera moves. I don't know. See this movie if you like action movies.

The Specialist - Portrait of a Modern Criminal

Average customer rating:

The Specialist
Not what you might expect
It is more than it seems
Compelling AV evidence supporting Arendt's thesis, BUT...
The Mediocrity of Evil

The Specialist - Portrait of a Modern Criminal
Starring: Adolf Eichmann
Director: Eyal Sivan
Manufacturer: Homevision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006IUI6
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Amazon.com

When Adolph Eichmann was brought to trial in Israel in 1961, the event was broadcast live under the direction of documentarian Leo Hurwitz. That footage, over 500 hours of it, has been locked away in the decades since. Eyal Sivan, inspired by Hannah Arendt's book Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, received permission to dig through the footage for a concentrated portrait of the trial and the man. The balding, middle-aged Eichmann looks as scary as an accountant as he snaps to attention for every question, answering with a "Yawohl" before reading from records or repeating his mantra: "I had to obey... I was a soldier." Painting himself as nothing but a bureaucrat with a ruthless efficiency ("I does not mean Eichmann," he claims, trying to distance himself from the odious orders he signed), the only emotion he exhibits is a terrifying pride in his meticulous service: "I was never reprimanded," he offers by way of explanation. Though Sivan compiled this film from documentary recordings, he finds some haunting images: the reflection of newel footage on the glass cage that protects Eichmann as he blankly watches the record of atrocities, the concentration camp tattoo on the arm that reaches into frame to play evidence from a tape recorder, the bland, emotionless face of Eichmann that dominates the film. Far from an "objective" record of the event, The Specialist indeed captures the "banality of evil" in Eichmann, and that's genuinely frightening. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

The Specialist.......2007-07-17

Adolf Eichmann is frightening to behold in this fascinating documentary, both because of his tidy, mild-mannered appearance (think a mid-career insurance salesman) and seemingly unshakeable confidence that he committed no crime and merely fulfilled his duty as a soldier. Given the mad trial rantings of other war criminals, Eichmann's imperturbable performance is a perfect illustration of Hannah Arendt's notion of "the banality of evil." See "The Specialist" for a reminder of how barbarity can be experienced at the wrong end of a rubber stamp.

Not what you might expect.......2005-07-12

The other reviews might be right about one thing. This is out of the ordinary.

That is possibly the only thing positive I have to say about it. It failed to capture me as a spectator. The "arty" music cuts were misplaced, ill-coordinated and disrupted the dialogue. The dialogue might have been interesting, but looses points on the bad sound quality on portions of it. I don't blame the director for it, but he really should reconsider his ideas on editing. The frequent and sudden cuts disrupts any form of timeline, adding confusion to whatever this documentary has in mind to convey.

In fact, it was hard to find out what this trial was all about if you didn't know who Eichmann was and what he did.
No, I didn't get the point of this, nor am I afraid to be so unpolitically correct as to say so. It did not make me any more enlightened of Eichmann or holocaust watching this. In short: this is an unecessary waste of time and money. I recommend reading Hannah Arendt instead.

It is more than it seems.......2005-05-25

I give this item four stars only because I was ultimately depressed watching it but I could not leave it either. I would like it to be in color of course but it was black and white, also more digressions on the attandees like the judges, the state attorney, the witnesses etc would be better, but then it would be a series of DVDs. This documentary is more than what it seems. Eichman is an SS, he has carried that hat with the scull insignia on it for years, even when he was gassing the women and the children, at a breakout of the conscious all he could say was murmuring to himself "Oh Jesus, forgive us for what we do...", and he went on gassing the people. In the court you could not even hear this from this guy, he never showed a sign of repentance, even once, a sign of understanding the pain of the victims, even once, he did not even pretend. To him, what he was doing was a business, and all in all, he was good in the business, so what was there to have the trial? Israelis tried to take a word of, a single sign of regret, even one of the judges spoke to him in German, with a good German that is, but he did not grant his simple sign at all.
But there is more than that in this documentary. You will find out about the work of Judenrat in Nederlands, and Merkez in Hungary. You will see the comprador leadership of some members of the Hungarian Rabbinate at the time, yet there was no regret of handing in 300,000 Jews to the Nazi`s, a point often underestimeted or not talked about at all. May be people do not want to remember such pain any more.
There is more than Eichman in Eichman trial. So, this is a DvD worth seing, but get ready to be depressed for a while anyway.

Compelling AV evidence supporting Arendt's thesis, BUT..........2003-06-18

Don't get me wrong: this is an outstanding film, both technically (the recovery and restoration of the original raw videotaped footage, from 1961 (!), was painstaking and the results are superb) and artistically (especially in its use of Altman-esque overlapping voices and vaguely unsettling instrumental score). I highly recommend it to any student of modern history, WWII, and/or the Holocaust in particular. The filmmakers did a wonderful job of fleshing out (literally & figuratively) Hannah Arendt's central thesis (see Arendt, "Eichmann in Jerusalem"), namely that the Nazis' mechanized, bureaucratic approach to genocide gave birth to a new type of evil in the world. This "banal" fiend, personified by Eichmann, does not do evil in furtherance of personal motives or hatreds, but rather as an abstracted "cog" in a larger machine (not of his own design or making) that has the effect of diffusing responsibility (and, along with it, guilt, remorse, or any moral understanding/feeling for his actions). This type of desk-job-murderer supposedly thinks only of his narrow tasks, which must be fulfilled in the name of duty/honor and careerist aspirations. And, so, according to Arendt, it was absurb for the Israeli prosecutors to make out Eichmann as this monster who was among those most responsibile for perpetrating the Holocaust. As I said, the filmmakers do an excellent job illustrating this thesis.

It isn't the film I have a quarrel with, but Arendt. She -- and by extension the filmmakers -- buy into Eichmann's defense (even if not to the point of absolving him of criminal responsibility), which was carefully honed during 15 years of hiding as a fugitive from the Allies' war crimes indictment. Eichmann has, by the time of his capture by Israeli intelligence agents, refined his script beyond that of the Nuremberg defendants ("I was only following orders"), to include the "cog in the machine" theme: "I only organized the transports; I did not do the killing upon arrival of the transports at the camps!" Of course, Eichmann downplays several salient facts, namely that he knew all along what the fate of his "cargo" would be, and that he never expressed publicly or privately any misgivings with the Nazis' extermination plans (of which he was a vital element). Indeed, the testimony of his closest associates conclusively establishes that Eichmann was, contrary to Arendt's thesis, a willing and entusiastic participant in the genocide -- among other details, there is his boast near the end of the war that he did not fear capture by the Allies, but would instead "jump happily into [his] grave, with the knowledge that [he] was responsible for exterminating 5 million jews!" Doesn't sound so banal & detached to me.

In the end, it doesn't much matter how you view Arendt's thesis -- either Eichmann is a chillingly amoral man who willingly played a major role in facilitating the Holocaust, or he is an inconceivably evil monster who happily did his most to bring about the extermination of European Jewry -- and then crafted a defense (possibly as a self-defense to allow him to live with the knowledge of his crimes) good enough to fool one of the 20th century's most brilliant philosophers. Either way, this film is an invaluable window into a thoroughly terrible -- though hauntingly "normal"-appearing -- individual.

The Mediocrity of Evil.......2002-12-19

I have just bought and seen this film on DVD. The subtitles are excellent in English. There was no problem reading them whatsoever. The audio was very clear and the black and white picture was sharp. Given the complaints about the subtitles noted by other reviewers, maybe they were cleaned up for the DVD. The subtitles in English on the DVD are crystal clear.

Description

What counts is not who makes the first move, but who survives the last! Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas are rival hit men in Assassins, a thriller directed by Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon) and scripted by Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski (The Matrix) and Brian Helgeland (Mystic River). Stallone portrays ex-CIA explosives expert Ray Quick in The Specialist, hired by drop-dead beauty May Munro (Sharon Stone) to wreak vengeance on a Miami crime syndicate. But the mob isn't going down without a fight. And as the incendiary action unfolds, an ominous question arises. Is May also setting up Ray?

Customer Reviews:

Whats the matter with full screen? Nothing............2007-05-19

I too prefer a letterbox (widescreen) transfer over a full screen one because the letterbox format is the way you see the movie in a theater. However unlike the widescreen movies of the 50's & 60's you don't lose any picture for fullscreen versions of recent (70's & after) movies. For the older movies they had to pan & scan the image to fit the screen and you lost part of the picture that way so you buy the letterbox version to get the full image. But today they just open up the matte meaning you see stuff at the top & bottom that you didn't see in the theater. Sure I bought this full screen disc. It was agood way to get two great movies for the one low price. Not all double movie (2 on one disc) sets are full screen. I've bought some (like The Fugitive/US Marshalls) where both movies were in letterbox format. Oh & for these sets they are flipper discs meaning one movie per side of the disc. A great way to get a pair of movies!!

Great movies, unfortunately not widescreen.......2006-09-06

Very disappointed to find these two films have been reformated to fit "your TV!" Not my TV! If you like "full-screen" versions, you will be well pleased. If you collect widescreen videos, don't buy this package!

Stallone Assassins.......2006-08-20

Both flicks are excellent - to get them together on one disc is a bonus

W. C. Fields Collected Shorts: Fatal Glass of Beer, The Golf Specialist, The Dentist

Average customer rating:

Disappointed

W. C. Fields Collected Shorts: Fatal Glass of Beer, The Golf Specialist, The Dentist
Starring: W.C. Fields
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures/PMC
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002O04XC
Release Date: 1971-01-01

Product Description

From back cover, "These three shorts represents Fields' wittiest efforts. In 'Fatal Glass of Beer' Fields awaits the return of his ex-con son in a remote Yukon cabin. Presumably, that fatal glass of beer caused the son to get into all kinds of trouble, and thus jail time. 'The Dentist' is a cautionary spoof of that trade, and 'The Golf Specialist' is of course, a hilarious spoof on golfers. Fields' acerbic humor, famous one-liners (how did all these kids get in my room?) and films have stood the test of time and remain priceless."

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2007-03-23

I was not disappointed with the films, just the quality. The lip sync was out in each of these shorts...the audio preceded the video. Very annoying. In no way were these "digitally remastered" of course, they did not promote this on their packaging. It sure needed it. I've seen this collection at a much cheaper price and if I were you, that's the one to buy. I feel taken.

W.C. Fields, Vol. 1 - Golf Specialist/The Dentist/Fatal Glass of Beer

Average customer rating:

DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER
Poor synchronization
Splendid short comedies
Another display of comedy from one of the kings of comedy.
Wonderfully Histerical Skits!!

W.C. Fields, Vol. 1 - Golf Specialist/The Dentist/Fatal Glass of Beer
Starring: W.C. Fields , Marjorie Kane , Arnold Gray , Dorothy Granger , and Elise Cavanna
Director: Leslie Pearce , Monte Brice , and Clyde Bruckman
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305417482
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Customer Reviews:

DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER.......2002-01-04

I ordered a video, W. C. Fields, Golf Specialist/Dentist/Fatal Glass of Beer, in October 2001. I paid for the video by check. The estimated shipping date was October 4-10, 2001. I have not received the video yet.

Poor synchronization.......2001-01-22

It would appear that the makers of these DVDs were unaware that movie film needs a specific length of film leading to the sound decoder. Most of the audio is out of sync.

Splendid short comedies.......2000-12-14

Extraordinary dry wit from the master. The Dentist and The Golf Specialist are great slapstick, must viewing for comedy lovers. The Fatal Glass of Beer is something a little different, however: a satirical morality play, at the climax of which Fields--one of entertainment's great drinkers--performs a droll and tuneless song about the perils of drink. There are few broad laughs in this short, the plot of which has something to do with the Yukon Gold Rush, but Fields here may have striven more to puzzle than to amuse.

Another display of comedy from one of the kings of comedy........2000-08-19

The comedic mannerisms of the veteran comedian W.C. Fields, as he utilizes them in his comedy, are highly effective. Suffice to say that any person who enjoys' his films will find themselves in a state of almost continuous laughter. These films are good fun for everyone and are for those who delight in the solemn insanities of that king of comedians, Mr. W.C. Fields. He is wholly enjoyable, and this yarn give him ample opportunity to display his wares. If your a fan of W.C. you must add these films to your collection.

Wonderfully Histerical Skits!!.......1999-04-08

The one and only W.C. Fields is a roar in these skits. If you love W.C. Fields, you'll love these classic performances!

Initial D - Battle 1 - Akina's Downhill Specialist

Average customer rating:

It's All About The Story
RACING DOWNHILL
Initialiiiize!!!
forget anything TOKYOPOP brings...
Great Story!!!but.....

Initial D - Battle 1 - Akina's Downhill Specialist
Starring: Nobuyuki Hiyama , Michiko Neya , Yumi Kakazu , Kôsuke Okano , and Keiji Fujiwara
Director: Noboru Mitsusawa , and Masami Hata
Manufacturer: Tokyopop Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00009N1ZE
Release Date: 2003-09-16

Amazon.com

In a flyspeck town north of Tokyo, the teenagers' only thrill is street racing on Mt. Akina. Nerdy Takumi "Tak" Fujiwara isn't exited by racing like his friends Iggy and Cole. He doesn't realize that his ex-champion father has taught him all the racing tricks, making him deliver tofu up and down Mt. Akina without spilling a cup of water. Cole is injured when he tries to prepare to lead the local Speed Stars club against the arrogant Red Suns. He appeals to Mr. Fujiwara--who finagles Tak into racing. This 1998 broadcast series scored a bit hit in Japan, although in America, it plays like a tamer, animated Fast and the Furious. The CG cars, rock soundtrack, rapid-fire editing, and flashy camera work heighten the excitement--and make the disclaimer, "Follow the traffic rules and drive safely" sound insincere. (Rated 13 and older: tobacco use, minor profanity, street racing) --Charles Solomon

Description

Initial D tells the story of a 17-year-old delivery boy named Tak, who suddenly finds himself caught up in the heart-stopping world of street racing. Tak drives the "Eight-Six", a street term for the Toyota Trueno AE86. When chance puts him up against street racing legend, he gets hooked and the word quickly spreads about the famous "Eight-Six of Mount Akina." More rival racers appear to challenge Tak and his friends in a series of white-knuckle contests.

Customer Reviews:

It's All About The Story.......2006-09-04

Initial D has a very catchy story line, one that will hook you and never let you go. I understand why this animation would tick people off though cause it looks like it's from the 80's. Plus the not so great shift to computer graphics when it's time for them to get the street racing going is almost intolerable because of it's unrealistic look. It takes little time to spark a story with an idiot that doesn't truly know how good he is at diving. Tak is the idiot I was talking about and he is probably the most clueless person in the series but also the most riveting and action packed. His dad's car is what he calls a dump but other's call it an almost unbeatable drift car. I'm not that into drift racing but Initial D surely clues you in on it and Japans addiction to it. After a while your so into the episodes you pay little attention to those animation mess up's and it may become one of your favorite series.

RACING DOWNHILL .......2006-07-22

Takami Fujiwara doesn't know why his best friends Iggy and Cole are always making such a big deal out of racing down Mt. Akina all the time like it's some ultimate accomplishment in their lives. Cole even has a "pro" team called the "Speed Stars" which owns the bragging rights for fastest times down the mountain. Little do they know that Tak's father was a great racer in his own time and has taught Tak everything he knew. Not for racing, but to deliver tofu for his business! Iggy and Cole talk Tak into getting a job with them to save up money to buy an "Eight Six", a legendary racing car. Imagine their shock when they find out that the car Tak has been delivering tofu in IS an "Eight Six" but he was so ignorant of automobiles he didn't even know what it was! Another racing team, the "Red Suns", arrives on the scene to conquer the Speed Stars, and even Cole might not be able to beat them. But there is a car, like a ghost in the night, that defeated one of the Red Suns....that just happens to have been an Eight-Six! Will Tak reveal his skills to his friends to keep Mt. Akina under Speed Star territory or not?

Initial D looks so bad visually that any good points it has are undercut. The character designs look awful with everybody's head looking like swollen bananas and their lips looking like dead butterflys. It almost felt like I was watching the Simpsons! But I can't fault the anime creators because the manga looks just as bad and looks like a fan comic that somehow caught on with the teenage set during the street racing craze. So this sketchy and unfinished look was translated to the anime. What's funny is that in the middle of these awful looking characters are these CG cars that stand out in huge contrast to the crudeness of the animation around them and look like rhinoceri sliding across ice. The shaky edit cuts where the picture literally jumps doesn't increase my respect for the show either. It was mildly entertaining, but to me, for a racing anime, there wasn't a lot of racing, just a lot of talking by faces that would look at home on the Munsters. Interesting enough to try the second volume.

Initialiiiize!!!.......2006-03-13

Initial D tells the tale of an 18-year old high school student Takumi "Tak" Fujwara and his very ugly buddy and fellow gas station worker Itsuki "Iggy" Takeuchi. Iggy dreams of owning a racing car, especially the classic Eight-Six. Tak does not share his friend's fascination with racing or cars. In fact, Tak does not even realize he drives his friend's dream car every night making deliveries for his father's tofu shop. Tak only knows his father's car is a Toyoto Trueno, not realizing it and the legendary Eight-Six are one in the same. Tak also does not realize that his father, Bunta, who was once the best downhill street racer, is teaching him everything he knows, testing his skills by giving him a cup of water and having him hit the corners at incredible speeds without spilling a drop.

This DVD introduces you to the main characters of the story, including Natalie who is supposed to be the hottest girl at the high school but, to me, looks like a younger version of that runaway bride with the huge eyes. The downhill racers of Akina are taking on the Red Suns, who look like they are easily going to defeat the locals on their own turf. Again, unbeknownst to Tak himself, he out-drives the Red Suns' #2 driver during a tofu delivery run causing a big stir in the downhill racing community. That is where the three-episode DVD will leave you. Tak does not know yet what an incredible driver he is and is only hoping to win a tank of gas from his father to drive Natalie to the beach after his first race. One part I think is pretty funny is when Tak and Iggy see Natalie's underwear peaking beneath her very short skirt (shocking!!! I guess that's where it gets its PG13 rating!!).

You can watch the video in the classic video or enhanced video style. I watched the enhanced and just a little of the classic to compare and, to be honest, I couldn't tell much difference. The cars look very realistic in most of the driving scenes in both styles. You can also watch it with Japanese or English dialogue with or without subtitles. It is odd hearing the American voices with Japanese names and towns. I know nothing about cars and really could care less about them, but I found myself totally engrossed in the storyline and have tracked down Battle 02 so I can find out what happens. Anyone who likes cars and anime will definitely like this. I'm not familiar with either (certainly not cars) and I liked it.

forget anything TOKYOPOP brings..........2005-09-03

TOKYOPOP doesn't know anime and transform it into uglyness. Pioneer at least keep the original score and characters' names for their animes.

Great Story!!!but............2005-03-01

Theres only one thing wrong with this anime. The characters are poorly drawn, but other than that its an awesome anime with a great story behind it. The story starts with a car formally called a 86' toyota driving down the hill of Akina. There are conflicts between the racing gangs known as the RedSuns and the SpeedStars. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good story and enjoys cars!!!

Sylvester Stallone Collection: Assassins/Cobra/The Specialist

Average customer rating:

Sylvester Stallone Collection: Assassins/Cobra/The Specialist
Starring: Sylvester Stallone
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Tango and Cash

ASIN: B000A2W4QG
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Average customer rating:

2 into 1; You can't beat that.

Assassins/The Specialist
Starring: Action Double Feature
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B0009UZG3W
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

Customer Reviews:

2 into 1; You can't beat that........2007-02-13

For action movie fans, this is one of the best 2 discs DVD sets you can buy. Each of the 2 discs has the same movie on both sides: one for NTSC and one for Widescreen. Each of the movies has good picture and good digital sound. The films are full of action, drama, and romance. The DVD menus are incredible; each disc is like it's own single independent disc but this is a 2 discs DVD set. 2 into 1; you can't beat that.

East Meets West: Acupuncture and Herbs for the Treatment of Infertility with world-renowned fertility specialist Dr. Mike Berkley, L.Ac., DA(RI)

Average customer rating:

East Meets West: Acupuncture and Herbs for the Treatment of Infertility with world-renowned fertility specialist Dr. Mike Berkley, L.Ac., DA(RI)
Starring: Dr. Mike Berkley
Manufacturer: VMatrix Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Interests | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0007MTWAK
Release Date: 2005-01-07

DVD:

DVD

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