The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Widescreen Edition)

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If a musical sci-fi satire about an alien transvestite named Frank-n-Furter, who is building the perfect man while playing sexual games with his virginal visitors, sounds like an intriguing premise for a movie, then you're in for a treat. Not only is The Rocky Horror Picture all this and more, but it stars the surprising cast of Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick (as the demure Janet and uptight Brad, who get lost in a storm and find themselves stranded at Frank-n-Furter's mansion), Meat Loaf (as the rebel Eddie), Charles Gray (as our criminologist and narrator), and, of course, the inimitable Tim Curry as our "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania."

Upon its release in 1975, the film was an astounding flop. But a few devotees persuaded a New York theater to show it at midnight, and thus was born one of the ultimate cult films of all time. The songs are addictive (just try getting "The Time Warp" or "Toucha Toucha Touch Me" out of your head), the raunchiness amusing, and the plot line utterly ridiculous--in other words, this film is simply tremendous good fun. The downfall, however, is that much of the amusement is found in the audience participation that is obviously missing from a video version (viewers in theaters shout lines at the screen and use props--such as holding up newspapers and shooting water guns during the storm, and throwing rice during a wedding scene). Watched alone as a straight movie, Rocky Horror loses a tremendous amount of its charm. Yet, for those who wish to perfect their lip-synching techniques for movie theater performances or for those who want to gather a crowd around the TV at home for some good, old-fashioned, rowdy fun, this film can't be beat. --Jenny Brown

Description

Fasten your garter belt and come up to the lab and see what's on the slab! It's The Rocky Horror Picture Show Special Edition, a screamingly funny, sinfully twisted salute to sci-fi, horror, B-movies and rock music, all rolled into one deliciously decadent morsel. And now there's even more to make you shiver with antici...pation: two additional musical numbers, "Once In A While" and "Superheroes", never seen theatrically or available on video! The madcap, musical mayhem begins when rain-soaked Brad and Janet take refuge in the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist from outer space who is about to unveil his greatest creation - and have a bit of fun with his reluctant guests! Join Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon and rock star Meat Loaf in the most popular cult classic of all time.

Customer Reviews:

Favorite movie, .......2007-08-31

Thanks from a former Rocky regular . I used to go to an historic old theatre in Boston called the Exeter where they had a full cast performing the movie during the movie. Sadly, in the 90's, it was demolished and a YUPPIE furniture store was put there. Hahaha, they went belly up. So, the Exeter got its revenge.

VERY STRANGE.......2007-06-09

When I first heard about this movie I was extremely skeptical. Later, when I watched clip on the Internet that featured a man dressed in fish-net stockings and a corset, and with heavy makeup, singing about being a "sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania", I was even more skeptical. However, I decided to rent it anyway. It was something that would not stop bothering me until I had seen the whole thing.

When the film opened with a pair of large red lips singing about various classic science fiction/horror movies, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. However, as the film progressed, despite the countless disturbing occurrences, I found my self laughing. I even found myself enjoying it. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but the movie was extremely entertaining and very funny. Something about it is just good. Maybe it's the uniqueness, maybe it's Tim Curry's brilliant acting that pulls it off, maybe it's something else. But whatever it is, this movie is extremely disturbing (probably the most disturbing movie you will ever see), but it is also extremely entertaining and hilarious! You must see this movie at least once in your life.

"Frankly", it's fabulous.......2007-06-03

A line from the trailer says it best..."You've seen all kinds of movies, but you've never seen a movie like The Rocky Horror Picture Show".

Some say it's impossible to enjoy this movie without the audience participation. I disagree. The performances, the music, the costumes, and the dead-on parodies of various horror/sci fi movie clichés are perfectly enjoyable on their own...but, of course, the film lends itself to collective experience in a way none others have before, or since.

All the performers seem to have a sixth sense about how to play their roles - no small feat considering the rather offbeat material - but for me, it's all about Tim Curry. With the wrong actor playing Frank, the film would have crashed and burned (actually, with the wrong actor playing Frank, the original play would never have had a life past its initial run in London's Theatre Upstairs). He became a true film icon with this role, and it's easy to understand why. His performance is a delicate balancing act - feminine flounce with masculine power; outrageous but always controlled. His Frank is gorgeous and unbelievably sexy, with a voice from the gods - both speaking and singing.

I think it's time to do the Time Warp again...

No words can describe.......2007-06-02

You need a certain personality to like this movie. I loved it. The first time I didn't think there was much of a plot to it. Which is the main reason why my friend doesn't like it (How many "comedies" today have not plot? too many). But watching it a second time, I understood it better. The music is amazing. Time Warp is my favorite song. Its bizzare. Everyone should watch this film at least once in their life.

Classic transsexual horror.......2007-06-01

Classic. Kinda cheesy but good. Transvestites from outter space! ;P Trust me it makes more sense after the 2nd watch.

-ksha2222

Average customer rating:

Wonderful movie, so-so Blu-ray
Dont Buy Sleepy Hollow Blu-Ray--Poor Resolution
Beautiful movie with beautiful picture and sound...
A Fun Tim Burton Film, Great In High Def, Blu-Ray!!!

Sleepy Hollow [Blu-ray]
Starring: Alun Armstrong , Johnny Depp , Michael Gambon , Michael Gough , and Richard Griffiths
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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ASIN: B000I0QM0E
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Product Description

Master storyteller Tim Burton (Batman, Edward Scissorhands) weaves an eerie, enchanting version of this classic tale of horror. Johnny Depp is Ichabod Crane, an eccentric investigator determined to stop the murderous Headless Horseman. Christina Ricci is Katrina Van Tassel, the beautiful and mysterious girl with secret ties to the supernatural terror.

DVD Features:

Commentary with Director Tim Burton

Exclusive "Behind the Legend" Featurette

Exclusive Cast & Crew Interviews

Selected Cast Biographies

Photo Gallery

Sleepy Hollow Theatrical Trailer #1

Sleepy Hollow Theatrical Trailer #2

System Requirements:
Running Time: 105 mins

Format: BLU-RAY DISC

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful movie, so-so Blu-ray.......2007-08-21

Blu-ray holds such promise, and this disc fails to deliver on it. Granted it was one of the earliest titles, but as mentioned it is grainy, and the colors don't exactly pop and sometimes it seems darker than it is probably supposed to be. I did not do a direct comparison with the DVD which I used to own, and while overall it is probably better looking due to increased details, i.e. you really see people's lines in their faces, etc., I'd suggest waiting until the re-do this and do it right unless you just must have it. Sounds good, but doesn't have the latest in audio either, such as an uncompressed track. It's also a 25GB, which is pointless when all Blu-rays with content of this length should be 50GB.

Dont Buy Sleepy Hollow Blu-Ray--Poor Resolution.......2007-06-10

Simply put, my Sleepy Hollow DVD looks better than the Blu-Ray version I purchased. Very grainy and poor res. Playing on PS# with Samsung 52" LCD 1080p.

Beautiful movie with beautiful picture and sound..........2007-02-11

As a child I was familiar with the headless horseman. Although I never remember the ghost being so homicidal. This movie is rated R although much of the content is not so terribly inappropriate. Of course it can be violent at times with the death scenes overall this is an excellent tale. The story is not overloaded and is easy to understand so I would think children would enjoy it. Tim Burton helped recreate this tale but not in a horrific way. The sound is excellent and the visuals are all that more beautiful on BluRay.

The story takes place during the turn of the century in New York. Johnny Depp who plays Crane does so very well. The acting is excellent in this tale Burton seems to recreate this time very well. Clothing, architechture, and even language seems to be in sync with the year 1799. I have watched many of Burtons films and was happy to see his use of imagery. Although like most of Burtons films they are dark. The movie has some wonderful scenes but doesn't seem to keep me on the edge of my seat.

If you haven't seen this wonderful film or are curious to watch it on BluRay I would say it's excellent. The quality is not as great as newer movies but in general it still looks great. Good enough to see every detail on Depps face.

A Fun Tim Burton Film, Great In High Def, Blu-Ray!!!.......2006-10-02

While this isn't Tim Burton's best, but it is still a Very, very good, Very FUN movie!
And this Blu-Ray high def version looks absolutely great. A HUGE improvement over the standard release DVD version!
I would call this a must have for your Blu-Ray DVD collection whether you are a Tim Burton fan, or just enjoy a good tongue in cheek gothic scare-fest. Perfect film for Halloween!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show / Shock Treatment (3-Disc Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

A Regular Frankie Fan Review
two weddings and a funeral
What Shocks?
Thrill me, Chill me, Fulfill me.
Second Chance to get the Anniversary Edition!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show / Shock Treatment (3-Disc Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Tim Curry , Susan Sarandon , Barry Bostwick , Richard O'Brien , and Patricia Quinn
Director: Jim Sharman
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000G6BLGA
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Description

The Rocky Horror Picture Show/ Shock Treatment Giftset has both campy classics, including the new-to-DVD Shock Treatment, in a slipcase for $29.98 & $45.98.

Disk 1: ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (2-Disc) Disk 2: SHOCK TREATMENT

Customer Reviews:

A Regular Frankie Fan Review.......2007-05-16

Whether or not you are considered "a regular Frankie Fan" or you are a Rocky Horror Virgin, this movie is an experience that no other movie can provide. The interesting thing about it is, when the movie was created, it was never the plan for it to become the "event" that it has been for the last 30 or so years.

The movie is a spoof of B-Movie Sci-Fi and movie musicals, with a signature dance to boot! The plot does begin with Brad and Janet attending a wedding, only to become engaged after the ceremony. While leaving the ceremony, the car breaks down with a flat tire. Brad locates a nearby castle, the castle of Dr Frank-N-Furter, while Frankie is hosting a convention for the Transylvanians. It is here that Frankie brings Rocky, his creation, to life. And of course, complications occur.

The really fun part of watching Rocky Horror is in the choice of the viewing. The viewer can choose to hear the audience participation (and participate along with the audience if they choose) the viewer can choose the option that gives prompts using props such as rice, toilet paper, water guns, newspapers, and the like.

With many theaters not showing Rocky Horror at midnight anymore, mostly due to the carnage (trash) that ends up after everyone throwing so many props, the option of watching it at home is a benefit. It's fun to talk back at the dialog, sing along with the songs, and laugh at whole thing because after all, it is a comedy.

Don't Dream It.... Be It!

two weddings and a funeral.......2007-01-18

There's something unsettling about church weddings. Perhaps it's the organ music, officiates dressed in black, the crying, or even the ejaculatory rice throwing. The whole thing is bizarrely paradoxical in its combination of the sexual and asexual, birth and death, black and white, austerity and prurience.

Kind of like life.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show features two weddings - each demonstrates the intrinsic absurdity of the Puritan's sexual rite of passage. The first one opens the film. It's a scene we've witnessed before: happy couple drives off before a crowd of joyous onlookers. This time, however, the figurative is made literal as their car is decorated with the words "Wait til tonite. She got hers now. He'll get his." Quid pro quo. "An hour ago, she was plain old Betty Monroe. Now she's Mrs. Ralph Hapschat." Marriage as transaction and ownership (or even consensual rape) could not be clearer.

The plot of Rocky Horror, or what there is of one, centers on All-American squares Brad (Barry Bostwick) and fiancée Janet (Susan Sarandon) after they make a wrong turn into a time warp and find themselves the playthings of the maniacal transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) and his merry band of weirdoes. It's not really important. The second wedding occurs halfway through the film, a rush job between Frank-N-Furter and his creation, the titular Rocky Horror, a perfect physical specimen birthed to be the mad scientist's sex slave. There is an element of incest to it and we pity poor Rocky, who really has little say in the matter (singing "Oh, can't you see, that I'm at the start of a pretty big downer"). Once again, subtext becomes text. When we infantilize sex (and further, our wives, and even further, women in general), we marry our children. Like Mrs. Ralph Hapschat, Rocky Horror (shared initials, natch) has been given life, but at the service of another.

While drawing upon the other 1970s androgynous space alien of glam Ziggy Stardust, Rocky Horror also invites immediate comparison to Grease (it's worth noting that Barry Bostwick originated the role of Danny Zuko on Broadway - the yin to Brad Major's yang), with all its 1950s kitsch, themes of sexual liberation (Sandy sings "You're the One That I Want," Janet sings "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me" - potato, po-ta-to), and of course, the music. When Danny Zuko succeeds in making his own spandex-clad and cigarette-smoking Frankenstein monster out of Olivia Newton John, would it have been that out of place to see Frank-N-Furter belt out from the Funhouse "Don't Dream It, Be It?"

Perhaps, but not because the sentiment is misplaced. Janet's transformation into a fully-realized sexual being is the more honest, and further, more empowering of the two. Her central motivation is to please herself, not some guy in a leather jacket (indeed, she cuckolds her own Danny) whose attempts to woo her at a drive-in movie theatre border worryingly on date rape. Grease wants to have its Eisenhower Era nostalgia both ways - at turns revering the decade and rejecting it. Rocky Horror simply rejects.

Near the end of the picture, a wheel-chair bound Strangelove-esque character (read: impotence) shows up to save Brad and Janet. But from what? Where were you when you were really needed: the Rydell High graduation carnival, 1959?

Interesting footnote: Rocky Horror Picture Show creator Richard O'Brien (who plays Riff Raff) wrote a sequel, Rocky Horror Shows His Heels, in which a pregnant Janet gives birth to a child of questionable paternity. When O'Brien and director Jim Sharman ran into problems convincing the original cast to sign on, the plot and characters were changed (though Brad and Janet remain), and the film was eventually produced as 1981's Shock Treatment.

What Shocks?.......2007-01-09

I found this movie to be such a waste of time, that I threw out the disk the moment it was over.

Shock Treatment is supposed to be the sequel The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It takes place entirely within a recording studio in Denton. While Brad and Janet are played by new actors, most of the other principle characters are played by the cast of Rocky Horror.

It was nice to see old friends again, but they were put to no good use. The songs were horrible, the story incomprehensible. The movie was not shocking, or funny, or sexy, or interesting - or well done.

Save yourself the trouble.

Thrill me, Chill me, Fulfill me........2007-01-05

What can I say about TRHPS that hasn't already been said? I went to the live shows; I threw cherries and hotdogs, and squirted water guns and got really hammered. I yelled "hey kool-aid" and "follow the bouncing thumb" I dressed up like a Transylvanian, I had to explain to my parents that my obsession with Frankenfurter was healthy, and liking men in fishnets was just a phase ( I was wrong by the way, I love me some drag queens still). I have the original Broadway soundtrack, the foreign soundtracks (toca toca toca toca me) I have the coffee table books, original posters, commemorative everything and still I am looking for more. This "cult classic" never was a passing fancy, this movie with or without being live is one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I have it to thank for my love of Tim Curry. If Marijuana is the gateway drug, this movie was the gateway to my obsession with everything deviant and glamorous. I am not one of those elitist that say you cant "know" RHPS without going to a live showing, because not every town still has those (mine stopped because we trashed the darn theater too many times) I believe that by watching it with an open mind, and with a sense of humor that you can, in your minds eye, understand what the millions of fans adore. It wouldn't hurt to get a copy of the soundtrack with all of the responses, and simultaneously watch the DVD, its not cheating.

Second Chance to get the Anniversary Edition!.......2006-09-07

This is a great set for people who want BOTH movies, and don't have the Anniversary Edition of ROCKY HORROR. The two movies are great, but for completely differing reasons. ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is a cult classic with an established fan base, and SHOCK TREATMENT stands on its own as a curious sequel which heads off in a new direction both musically and thematically.

The set here is a special 3 disc edition with two discs devoted to ROCKY HORROR and a single disc for SHOCK TREATMENT. The ROCKY HORROR portion includes the movie, audience participation tracks and video, commentary by Patricia Quinn and O'Brien, segments from a "Where Are They Now?" special on VH-1, and tons of featurettes featuring cast, crew, and fans. It is a rerelease of the 2000-2001 anniversary edition, so if you own that... no need to buy this again (just track down SHOCK TREATMENT on its own).

SHOCK TREATMENT includes a remastered print of the movie (for the first time in widescreen on DVD), a commentary track from the fan club president and his friend (they tell trivia and do some of their "act" for screenings), two features with interviews from cast and crew members about the making of the film and the score, and trailers (which are bizarre and worth a look). Richard O'Brien does not make an appearance in ANY of the extras, so we have to rely on people involved with the production such as director Jim Sharman and Patricia Quinn to fill us in.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (25th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

Favorite movie,
VERY STRANGE
"Frankly", it's fabulous
No words can describe
Classic transsexual horror

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (25th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Tim Curry , Susan Sarandon , Barry Bostwick , Richard O'Brien , and Patricia Quinn
Director: Jim Sharman
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004U8P9
Release Date: 2000-10-03

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Customer Reviews:

Favorite movie, .......2007-08-31

VERY STRANGE.......2007-06-09

"Frankly", it's fabulous.......2007-06-03

No words can describe.......2007-06-02

Classic transsexual horror.......2007-06-01

Classic. Kinda cheesy but good. Transvestites from outter space! ;P Trust me it makes more sense after the 2nd watch.

-ksha2222

Au Hasard Balthazar (Criterion Collection)

Average customer rating:

Au Hasard Balthazar
MASTERPIECE
AU HASARD BALTHAZAR
Bresson's Balthazar and Mouchette are his most moving films...
As Godard said, this film is "the world in an hour and a half"....

Au Hasard Balthazar (Criterion Collection)
Starring: Anne Wiazemsky , François Lafarge , Philippe Asselin , Nathalie Joyaut , and Walter Green
Director: Robert Bresson
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B00092ZLEY
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Amazon.com

Au hazard Balthazar can have a profoundly moving effect on those who are sensitive to its power. Like any film by Robert Bresson, it provokes widely different responses: Many critics have hailed it as a masterpiece, while others (as Pauline Kael observed) "may find it painstakingly tedious and offensively holy." It all depends on what the viewer brings to Bresson's seemingly simple tale of a donkey named Balthazar, who experiences kindness and cruelty as he is passed from owner to owner. Populated by a variety of sinners and saints alike, the film can be seen as a simple animal fable, as Balthazar suffers nobly at the hands of his handlers. Dig deeper into Bresson's art, however, and you're likely to find a very Catholic story with strong parallels to the life of Christ and his unbearable burden of the sins of mankind.

No matter how you approach the film, only the most cold-hearted viewer will be immune to Balthazar's fate. And if you're not sure what to make of it all, this superb Criterion DVD offers two essential bonus features to guide you toward a greater understanding of Bresson's approach to cinema: Film scholar and devoted "Bressonian" Donald Richie offers his astute observations in a 2004 video interview, and in an in-depth French TV appearance from 1966, Bresson talks at length about Au hazard Balthazar along with fellow directors Louis Malle and Jean-Luc Godard, and members of the film's cast and crew. This is a remarkable document from a bygone era, when "art film" was at its peak, and directors (especially French ones) were eager to discuss the intellectual significance of their work. Kudos to Criterion for including this archival gem of film appreciation. --Jeff Shannon

Description

A profound masterpiece from one of the most revered filmmakers in the history of cinema, director Robert Bresson's Au hasard Balthazar follows a much-abused donkey, Balthazar, whose life strangely parallels that of his owner, Marie. A beast of burden suffering the sins of man, Balthazar nevertheless nobly accepts his fate. Through Bresson's unconventional approach to composition, sound, and narrative, this seemingly simple story becomes a moving religious parable of purity and transcendence.

Customer Reviews:

Au Hasard Balthazar.......2007-06-27

Deceptively simple yet cumulatively devastating, this important film will move some to tears, especially in the poignant final act. Bresson's characteristically austere direction and minimal aesthetic (physical gestures in lieu of dialogue, a cyclically heard Schubert sonata instead of a score) steer the story away from sentimentality to achieve something far more special: a transcendent (though markedly pessimistic) vision of humanity. "Balthazar" requires patience and concentration, but for those willing to yield to the melancholic spirit of this film, the reward is a sublime experience that stays with you.

MASTERPIECE.......2007-04-19

Like Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Walerian Borowczyk's Goto, Island of Love and Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, Robert Bresson's AU HASARD BALTHAZAR belongs to this category of films that must be literally felt to be enjoyed. Just look around you among those who have seen it, you'll find only two kinds of reactions : people who call the film a masterpiece or people who complain about the amateurishness of the acting and say that they simply don't understand what AU HASARD BALTHAZAR is about. In my opinion, this film represents the essence of Cinema, a rare artistic moment where and when images and sound (Schubert: Klaviersonaten, D958 & D959) are in total adequacy together and create the feeling of Beauty in the viewer's heart.

Among the special features of this Criterion release, you'll find an interview of the film scholar Donald Richie who explains with intelligence why he loves this movie, an essay of film scholar James Quandt who takes an almost exhaustive census of the religious symbols found in AU HASARD BALTHAZAR and a programme of the French television bringing together in 1966 Louis Malle, François Reichenbach, Marguerite Duras and Jean-Luc Godard whose words about the film of Robert Bresson still resonate today.

A DVD for your library.

AU HASARD BALTHAZAR.......2007-01-31

I AM STILL WAITING FOR THIS TO ARRIVE AFTER A FEW WEEKS.

Bresson's Balthazar and Mouchette are his most moving films... .......2006-12-18

"Au Hasard Balthazar" and "Mouchette" were convincing portraits of saintliness in the most unlikely of victims, a donkey and a 14-year-old peasant girl, respectively...

The best of the first, persecuted and exploited by its successive owners, and the gloomy friendless child of the second, bear silent witness to mankind's vices and injustices; Balthazar, shot during a minor smuggling operation, breathes his last among a field of sheep; Mouchette drowns herself in a river... In escaping from the misery of existence, both donkey and girl discover grace in a calm acceptance of death...

Miraculously, such spiritual redemptions arise in a grimy material reality, a poverty-stricken rural France peopled by alcoholics, tramps, poachers, rapists and bike-gangs... And since Bresson finds an unsentimental, transcendent goodness in inarticulate figures doomed to seemingly meaningless lives, Balthazar and Mouchette are his most moving films...

As Godard said, this film is "the world in an hour and a half"...........2006-10-29

I have been a Bresson admirer for many years. I remember I saw this film at a Bresson retrospective sponsored by the Cinematheque Ontario. The film was not on video at the time, so I desperately wanted to see it. The film is so amazing, so poignant, and so deeply spiritual that no one could come away from it unmoved (unless they are completely heartless). Instead of recapping the entire film, I'll just talk about the opening scene when Balthazaar is a child. The 2 children who keep him as their pet baptize him. I did the same to my 2 cats after seeing this film; that's how moved I was by it. I remember telling friends about the "plot" of this, and, naturally, they laughed (haha, it's a film about a donkey. Like Shrek, right?). I ignored them, and saw one of the greatest films ever made. Bresson is a master filmmaker, and this film is reminiscent of Tarkovsky and Dreyer, among others. Bresson never belonged to any film movements (even though the French New Wave was happening around this time). He is his own artist. His films can be broken down into 2 categories: masterpieces, and near masterpieces. How many filmmakers can you really say that about? Do yourself a favour and see arguably his greatest film...

Average customer rating:

Variable and corny, but it has some high points
Home Front during WWII
Stage Door Canteen
Complete at last!
mesmerizing

Stage Door Canteen
Starring: Judith Anderson , Henry Armetta , Tallulah Bankhead , Ralph Bellamy , and Benny Goodman
Manufacturer: Critic's Choice
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ASIN: B0006G5KGM
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Product Description

Three soliders meet three girls at the famous canteen before going overseas in this star-studded film. Featuring apperances by Katharine Hepburn, Helen Hayes, Edgar Bergen, & Harpo Marx. Also featuring the bands of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Guy Lombardo, and Freddy Martin.

Customer Reviews:

Variable and corny, but it has some high points.......2007-06-20

What to make of this wartime, home-front morale movie, which is loaded with star players and character actors? It has a slight story-line about four young American soldiers. They're about to ship overseas any day, but manage to visit the Stage Door Canteen just off Broadway, where the stars entertain, dance and talk with soldiers, cook and serve and wash the dishes. The four, of course, all have states as nicknames. One, the innocent California, longs for his first kiss; Tex meets a down-home girl at the Canteen; Jersey isn't seen much as he manages to marry his girlfriend; and Dakota, a young womanizer, meets at the Canteen a woman who's out for a career and they surprise each other by falling in love. All the while we have comedy bits from lots of actors, ranging from Harpo Marx to the distinctively odd couple of Franklin Pangborn and Johnnie Weismuller. We have any number of grande dames -- Helen Hayes, Lynn Fontanne, Judith Anderson, Katharine Cornell, among others, doing their home-trained impression of gracious American aristocracy.

We follow our four while they find that first kiss, relax with and long for the wholesome young ladies they talk and joke with, and rededicate themselves to fight for our American values. Of course, all of the soldiers in the packed Canteen are wholesome and white, and so are all the stars. More startling after nearly 65 years, with all that talent around, is how dated and corny the movie is. This is emotional propaganda, designed to entertain Americans at home, show them how all of America's stars support the war effort, and leave the audience tearing up over the possible fate of the soldiers they've just met...but determined to rededicate themselves to the war effort that will bring the soldiers back safe and victorious. All those heart strings Hollywood pulls, however, are so visible we know when we're being manipulated into a sob or a smile.

Equally unnerving is how dated so many of the comedy bits and musical numbers seem now. Ray Bolger does a specialty number written for him by Rodgers & Hart, singing and dancing to "The Girl I Love to Leave Behind." The dancing is great but the song sure isn't. Amidst all the comedy and the soldiers' love stories we suddenly have Yehudi Menuhin pulling out his violin and playing a carefully lighted Ave Maria...followed by the frenetic Flight of the Bumble Bee. Even odder is Gracie Fields, that dynamic English musical hall star. She does a raucous, energetic, mugging specialty song about "killing Japanese," (she uses the now-offensive shortened version of the word), which has the boys cheering...then announces she's been requested by one young soldier to sing "The Lord's Prayer." Huh?

There are a number of highlights, and seeing all these stars and entertainers doing their stuff is probably worth the price of the movie. A young Peggy Lee fronts the Benny Goodman Orchestra with "Why Don't You Do Right?," Charley McCarthy and Edgar Bergen have a funny routine, Ethel Waters sings with the Count Basie Orchestra, and Lannie Ross, a long-forgotten orchestra crooner sings a great and long-forgotten WWII ballad...the poignant and romantic "We Mustn't Say Goodbye," lyrics by Al Dubin and music by James V. Monaco.

In dreams we'll always be together
Beneath the moonlit sky
We mustn't say goodbye

Each night I'll push aside the mountains
I'll drain the oceans dry
We mustn't say goodbye

I promise you that when the postman rings
My heart will be inside
The envelope he brings

Oh, don't you know the memories we gathered
Can never, never die
We mustn't say goodbye

If you have a chance to hear the Jo Stafford version, you'll be in tears.

Last but not least in oddity, we have the Kate Hepburn closing. Dakota and Eileen decided to get married at the Canteen, and she shows up to meet him there. He never appears. Then a soldier appears and tells her and her friends that Dakota's unit unexpectedly shipped out that morning. Dakota told him to find Eileen and tell her that he loves her. He'll return from the fighting and they'll be married then. Eileen starts to run from the Canteen in tears, when suddenly this mannishly dressed, angular woman stops her. With her face about three inches from Eileen's, Hepburn delivers an understanding but extremely firm lecture that Eileen's duty now is to return to the Canteen and do her job, just as Dakota is doing his job, and that we at the home-front can do no less than what our soldiers are doing fighting for us. Eileen wipes away the tears, and with a tremulous smile walks towards the waiting solders to dance and talk and just listen to their dreams and hopes. Fade to black.

This is a public domain title. The version I saw was barely watchable, so buyer beware.

Home Front during WWII.......2007-06-04

I watched "Stage Door Canteen" the other night primarily because Katherine Hepburn was in the cast (as one of many cameo appearances). I must admit that I was having a hard time figuring out her eventual impact on the movie but she played an important role at the end of the film. The basic plot of this film is secondary to the entertainment. However, the two work together well. We see several GI's on leave 24 hours before they ship off. They are directed to the Stage Door Canteen where four-star meals are served to servicement with five-star entertainment and pristine but friendly young ladies waiting to dance of talk. It's in between the dancing and talking that most viewers will find the movie enjoyable. I don't recall all of the acts (some of whom I never heard of) but Benny Goodman, Xavier Cugat, Gypsy Rose Lee, Count Basie, Harpo Marx and the aforementioned Katherine Hepburn tooks turns on (and off) the stage. Some of the music was very good and some wasn't. There was also some exceptional amateur (I think) dancing highlighted on the floor. The plot seemed to get in the way at times but our soldier boys kept getting another 24-hour leave to keep the entertainment going. If nothing else, the "plot" gave some of us pause to reflect on war-time romances by seeing a few get started.

The movie is a bit long (over two hours) and would have benefitted from jetisonning a mediocre song or two and half of the plot. However, there are a couple of songs that staid with me so I'd better keep this tape if I want to hear them again.

Stage Door Canteen.......2007-05-13

What a delightful music video. So many stars in this movie that one can't count them all. A real classic that everyone should watch with a friend in the military.

Complete at last!.......2007-01-21

I rejoice to say that this version of Stage Door Canteen (Critic's Choice Edition) is the real thing, uncut, with all the vaudeville and band performances intact. I'll bet I've bought this movie, either in VHS or DVD formats, 4 or 5 times at least. Each version would be missing at least one segment, usually more. And each time it'd be different segments! Now all the bands (Xavier Cugat, Kay Kyser, Count Basie with Ethel Waters, Benny Goodman with Peggy Lee, Freddy Martin and Guy Lombardo) are here, as well as all the comic and musical bits I've seen over the years.

If you've never seen the movie, it ain't no great shakes in the drama department, but it is an unforgettable look at both a galaxy of Hollywood, stage and radio stars and at the kind of American culture and attitude that won World War Two. If you're a fan of the 30s-40s pop culture, love old radio, swing music, or if you have a sentimental love for this time in American history, give it a look. Just make sure it's this version!

mesmerizing.......2006-07-13

Stage door canteen is star-studded. The many cameo appearances and stage performances were interwoven nicely, the story intact and fluid. Though not recognising many of the stars, I can't help being impressed by the professional performances and the unquestionable support for the soldiers. Most noted among the performances were The Lord's Prayer (Gracie Fields), Ave Maria and The Flight of Bumble Bee (Yehudi Menuhin)on violin and piano accompaniment, Good night Sweetheart (Kenny Baker) as well as the puppet performances. The beautiful music elicited undivided attention and respect from the soldiers, the mood infectious across the screen. A young soldier lining up for food recognized the orange lady as the famous lady playing Juliet. Thus began the recital of the lines of Romeo and Juliet the play.

The version (not this one) I watched was not digitally restored. Yet it somehow delivered a powerful message. Emotional support from the young waitresses, dish washing and cooking by the show people, food donation from everywhere offered a unified and unreserved support for the young soldiers who were known as Dakota, Jersey, California (named after the places they come from). Simple rules that the waitresses could not meet soldiers outside the canteen and staff could not taste the leftover (such as rationed coffee) were enforced effectively. Back then, things were simpler, more black and white.

Average customer rating:

a very pleasant movie
Mispromoted
Ménage a Trois: Coming of Age Under the Microscope

Cold Showers
Starring: Johan Libéreau , Salomé Stévenin , Florence Thomassin , Jean-Philippe Écoffey , and Claire Nebout
Director: Antony Cordier
Manufacturer: Picture This
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FNNHXY
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Customer Reviews:

a very pleasant movie.......2007-06-20

intense in a smooth way, mildly erotic. if you have heard it was "gay cinema" it is not. but even if that is what you were hoping for you should still watch this film. it is simply a great movie. and the french language makes it sultry throughout.

Mispromoted.......2006-08-24

It's a sign of desperation on the part of the producers that this movie is being promoted as gay cinema. Yes, there is a brief (and darkly-filmed) threesome at the heart of the movie, and it's of the 2M+1F variety. But otherwise there isn't the faintest trace of "gay" in this movie, only a young man confused about his place in the world and driven to desperate acts, from losing more than 15 pounds on a crash diet to get into a lower judo weight class to sharing his girlfriend with a richer teammate to an act of violence that mars the last ten minutes.

With that said, there is a halfway-decent plot here; if you like the "disaffected teenage male" strain of French cinema you may enjoy this. But if you've come for either a gay coming-of-age movie or for the sort of titillation common to most movies promoted specifically to a gay audience, check out Grande Ecole or Latter Days instead.

Ménage a Trois: Coming of Age Under the Microscope.......2006-08-12

'Douches froides' ('Cold Showers') is a film by Antony Cordier that has been marketed in a strange way: the projected audience was supposedly the gay audience, but aside from brief frontal nudity in an innocuous gym shower room there is nothing 'gay' about this movie. Instead COLD SHOWERS is an examination of class, sport, experimentation, and emotional borderlines that are at once fascinating and frustrating.

Mickael (Johan Libereau) is from a poor working class family - his father Gerard (Jean-Philippe Ecoffey) is a boozer taxi cab driver who lost his license as a result of a DUI, and his mother Annie (Florence Thomassin) is a cleaning woman in the high school gym: they live on the edge of poverty. Not a great student, Mickael excels in judo and his life is focused on his sport and on his girlfriend Vanessa (Salome Stevenin). One of Mickael's teammates Clement (Pierre Perrier) is from a wealthy family: his father Louis Steiner (Aurelien Recoing) is confined to a wheelchair and his mother Mathilde (Claire Nebout) is a woman of the world and society. Louis decides to sponsor the judo team, buys them outfits, and asks Mickael to work with Clement to perfect his technique and prepare the judo team for a French championship.

Mickael and Clement relate well and while Mickael is a winning player, Clement is smarter and understands the intrinsic rules of the game better. An incident occurs that forces Mickael to take the position of a wounded mate and in doing so he must lose 8 kilos to qualify for the championship team. The struggle to lose weight (his body is already perfect) places stress on both Mickael and his family and teammates. Mickael and Vanessa include Clement in their camaraderie, a situation which evolves into a ménage a trois as the three have sex in the after hours gym. Vanessa reacts as though this is the greatest physical feeling ever, Clement is smitten, and Mickael has troubling doubts. When the three decide to try it again in a hotel room Mickael is so conflicted that he does not join the other two, only listening to their cavorting in the bathtub feeling inferior to the smarter, wealthier Clement. But on the judo side, the team wins the championship and Mickael's delicate sense of self worth is restored for a moment. It is the manner in which the trio of young adolescents resolves their antics that closes the film.

Though the actors are superb and very beautiful to see and hear, the character development is fuzzy and we are left with little understanding or insight as to the each of the key players. The judo action moments are beautifully choreographed and the intimacy scenes are done with taste and fine lighting but with little passion conveyed. Though we want to identify with Mickael and his methods of confronting his coming of age, there just isn't enough character motivation to make that transference entirely successful. This film feels like two movies: a judo team's antics and a class-crossed ménage a trois. Beautiful to watch, but the script could have been more carefully constructed. Grady Harp, August 06

Average customer rating:

Existential anxiety and a first love
Wonderful but lacks specific chronology
The Search for Self Made Visual
Do not expect a love story.
Flip Flop Plot

Come Undone
Starring: Jérémie Elkaïm , Stéphane Rideau , Dominique Reymond , Marie Matheron , and Laetitia Legrix
Director: Sébastien Lifshitz
Manufacturer: Picture This
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ASIN: B00005RRJI
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Amazon.com

An emotionally subtle film with some surprisingly graphic sex, Come Undone follows 18-year-old Mathieu (Jeremie Elkaim) as he goes on holiday with his depressed mother, her cranky caretaker, and Mathieu's resentful younger sister. At the beach, Mathieu meets Cédric (Stéphane Rideau), a handsome teenager with whom he begins a romance after a kiss in the moonlight. Their relationship is threatened by Mathieu's fears of how his family will react and by a violent former lover of Cédric's, but ultimately is brought to an end by something else entirely. Come Undone shifts fluidly back and forth in time and can be confusing, but by the end it's an affecting portrait of both love and melancholy. Some will find the movie worth seeing just for the many shots of the extremely attractive naked actors romping on the beach. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Existential anxiety and a first love.......2007-06-08

'Come Undone' is a special film which puts together the coming together of two young men as lovers, with the inescapable trajectories of their own family histories. Sometimes sex and even love are not enough to overcome the fact that ones' family is disintegrating, and you have lost your way in terms of working out a future. Stephane Rideau is as marvellous as he was in 'Wild Reeds' (surely that film needs re-release on DVD). 'Come Undone' has high production values and is intellectually challenging as the audience tries to work out what leads to the suicide attempt. At the same time there are great and engaging scenes of sex and love. This film works very well.

Wonderful but lacks specific chronology.......2007-02-11

It was only after the 2nd viewing that I came to realize how much I really loved this film. It essentially has 3 timelines and they all interchange, with no real defining of when the timeline has shifted. It takes a couple of minutes before you realize that you're looking at Mathieu dealing with depression, looking at Mathieu on the beach with Cedric, or looking at Mathieu getting to the point of dealing with his depression. You must pay attention or else you'll be confused. After getting used to the format, I was able to enjoy it much more, especially the 2nd time through.

The majority of the story deals with Mathieu and his first gay affair with Cedric while on vacation. The realization of sexuality isn't portrayed with the typical anguish or guilt and revulsion; it's simply a realization. There are seemingly extraneous issues, Mathieu's mother and her depression and his revoltingly oppressive sister, but those issues become important when we witness Mathieu's own mental breakdown. Was it because of Cedric, Mathieu's dysfunctional family, the pain of coming out? If you're looking for answers, don't, because you won't get any. The story doesn't really have an end; the viewer is left to wonder about so many things and come to their own conclusions.

For Americans, this is a very frustrating exercise because we expect stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. A haunting soundtrack and amazing cinematography enhance. Both actors in the lead roles are gorgeous; but, beware, there is quite a bit of graphic nudity and one really full-on sex scene. If you let go of convention, you can love the movie for what it is, an unconventional study of an intense and consuming relationship.

The Search for Self Made Visual.......2005-12-11

'Presque Rien' ('Come Undone') is an earlier work by the inordinately gifted writer/ director Sébastien Lifshitz (with the collaboration of writer Stéphane Bouquet - the team that gave us the later 'Wild Side'). As we come to understand Lifshitz's manner of storytelling each of his works becomes more treasureable. By allowing his tender and sensitive love stories to unfold in the same random fashion found in the minds of confused and insecure youths - time now, time passed, time reflective, time imagined, time alone - Lifshitz makes his tales more personal, involving the viewer with every aspect of the characters' responses. It takes a bit of work to key into his method, but going with his technique draws us deeply into the film.

Mathieu (handsome and gifted Jérémie Elkaïm) is visiting the seaside for a holiday, a time to allow his mother (Dominique Reymond) to struggle with her undefined illness, cared for by the worldly and wise Annick (Marie Matheron) and accompanied by his sister Sarah (Laetitia Legrix): their distant father has remained at home for business reasons. Weaving in and out of the first moments of the film are images of Mathieu alone, looking depressed, riding trains, speaking to someone in a little recorder. We are left to wonder whether the unfolding action is all memory or contemporary action.

While sunning at the beach Mathieu notices a handsome youth his age starring at him, and we can feel Mathieu's emotions quivering with confusion. The youth Cédric (Stéphane Rideau) follows Mathieu and his sister home, continuing the mystery of attraction. Soon Cédric approaches Mathieu and a gentle introduction leads to a kiss that begins a passionate love obsession. Mathieu is terrified of the direction he is taking, rebuffs Cédric's public approaches, but continues to seek him out for consignations. The two young men are fully in the throes of being in love and the enactment of the physical aspect of this relationship, so very necessary to understanding this story, is shared with the audience in some very erotic and sensual scenes. Yet as the summer wears on Mathieu, a committed student, realizes that Cédric is a drifter working in a condiment stand at a carnival. It becomes apparent that Cédric is the Dionysian partner while Mathieu is the Apollonian one: in a telling time in architectural ruin Mathieu is excited by the beauty of the history and space while Cédric is only interested in the place as a new hideaway for lovemaking.

Mathieu is a complex person, coping with his familial ties strained by critical illness and a non-present father, a fear of his burgeoning sexuality, and his nascent passion for Cédric. Their moments of joy are disrupted by Cédric's admission of infidelity and Mathieu's inability to cope with that issue and eventually they part ways. Time passes, family changes are made, and Mathieu drifts into depression including a suicide attempt. The manner in which Mathieu copes with all of these challenges and finds solace, strangely enough, in one of Cédric's past lovers Pierre (Nils Ohlund) brings the film to an ambiguous yet wholly successful climax.

After viewing the film the feeling of identification with these characters is so strong that the desire to start the film from the beginning now with the knowledge of the complete story is powerful. Lifshitz has given us a film of meditation with passion, conflicts with passion's powers found in love, and a quiet film of silences and reveries that are incomparably beautiful. The entire cast is superb and the direction is gentle and provocative. Lifshitz is most assuredly one of the bright lights of filmmaking. In French with English subtitles. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

Do not expect a love story........2005-12-09

Warning: It is not worthing If you like love story, forget it. Go for "Just a question of love" or "Latter Days". And If you're interested in nudity, well, you won't get much. Although you see a very and close shot of Jeremie's (?)juicy toy. However, the film is French. As any good French movie, it has to be strange. It seems the film and characters go nowhere, and by the end, you are sure that they went nowhere. I felt frustrated.
You never really know what they are thinking or feeling, but that's okay, sometimes, neither we do. After the disappointment I can say that overall I like it because it makes you think. Both boys have problems concerning their inner feelings and you see neither of them are mature enough to speak out. And we adults can't do that either.
But nevertheless, if you like uneasy stories and French movies. That's the one.

Flip Flop Plot.......2005-11-08

I think the director needs prozac to direct this movie, the whole plot is so mess up, junior high student can write better story than this..what was he thinking. don't waste your money buying this movie

Average customer rating:

Big disappointment
A Christmas show for dog lovers
main actress can't act; slow plot
Family Entertainment the Way It Used to Be!
AND A POODLE IN A DOGHOUSE

The 12 Dogs of Christmas
Starring: John Billingsley (II) , Bonita Friedericy , Adam Hicks , Jim Jackman , and Eric Lutes
Director: Kieth Merrill
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Twelve Dogs of Christmas