The Stand

Amazon.com

After a government-spawned "superflu" wipes out more than 90 percent of the earth's population, the devastated survivors must decide whether to support or resist the advances of a mysterious stranger from way down South (heh-heh) who wishes to claim this new world order for himself. Although the six-hour length makes it nigh-impossible to digest in one sitting, this well-paced adaptation of Stephen King's apocalyptic magnum opus ranks among the best adaptations of the author's work, with strong performances from Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, and especially Jamey Sheridan as a good-old-boy version of Old Scratch. The opening scene, set to the strains of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," is one of the most chilling things ever shot for television. Director Mick Garris is no stranger to King's world, having also helmed Sleepwalkers, the recent television remake of The Shining, and the upcoming Desperation. --Andrew Wright

Customer Reviews:

Captain Trips is tasty .......2007-08-02

When I saw this movie all by my self when I was young it freaked me out! Considering that this movie was made for TV it could not have been done better...I plan on read the book soon, sense I loved the movie so much...this in my opinion is the greatest story the King ever wrote, considering that there are so many others just as good.

Watch it...and pick up some Flue Buddy!

Good adaption of the monsterous novel by Stephen King.......2007-07-31

My lady and I both agreed that this may have been more accepted as a major motion picture, but you could not cram this story into that type of time frame. Instead, Mick Garris took the bull by the horns and along with King, set out and made a TV mini series of sorts with it. The film does follow the book fairly well although I did notice some inaccuracies but nobody is perfect. The story is about a super flue virus that is accidentally unleashed after a failed quarantine at a military testing facility. One man who is a guard on duty flees with his wife and baby, only to end up finding out that he had been infected before he left. In 3 months 99% of the population of the Earth is dead, and what is left are two camps of survivors, one good and one not so good. The bad guys are assembled by a spawn of hell, some sort of supernatural demonic power that takes on a human form as a long haired guy in a jacket and cowboy boots. The man is called Randall Flag and he is played by Jamie Sheridan. The good people have dreams of an elderly woman in Nebraska who summons them to follow her to Boulder, Colorado where they will all meet and eventually take on Flagg and his followers. I am dismayed at the reviews that say the casting is bad, this cast is just great! Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe just to name a few, and they are all fit for the role that they play in The Stand. The scenes of an empty New York city are very sombering and the ideals of good vs. evil are shown exactly as they should be. I think I liked Rob Lowe as Nick Andros the best, Lowe plays Nick who is a deaf mute and he is amazing in this movie. If people liked the book it is a must see, and even if people did not read the book they still might like it anyways. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because the sound quality is not great, not bad just could have been better. Grab a bag of popcorn and turn off the phone and see how the world ends!

Decent adaptation, but appalling cast .......2007-07-06

The Stand is by far the greatest Stephen King novel and one of my personal favorites. And I am not saying this as a die-hard King fan so I believe I am not biased on the subject. However, the movie was anything but great. As such, I am greatly surprised with all the good reviews!

First, in defense of the movie, the adaptation was decent. It wasn't good mind you (how can it be with a 1200 page book), but decent. It did catch the "over-all" drift of the plot but not a bit more. The movie should have been at least double the length (just like they did with Shogun running over 10 hours) to help truly grasp the characters and the "new world" that King built in the novel. Maybe that is too unfair to ask...so be it.

The question comes begging, why only one star? The acting was some of the worst I have ever seen in a film! I felt like I was watching some homemade video that a group of teenagers did for a senior project! Over 90% of the actors made me cringe at their performance over the most basic interactions!
The graphics were ABSOLUTELY PITIFUL to the point where I laughed at the ridiculousness of it all (the nuclear bomb at the end completely looked like a homemade rocket!!!). Not to mention the 80's style rock music deterred from the gloomy atmosphere that comes from the destroyed world King described in the novel.

I actually ended up fast forwarding through the rest of the movie after the half way point because I could no longer endure the pain of watching such a poorily budgeted film attempt to portray one of the greatest books ever written! What a waste of my time!

A bit more true-to-the-book than many other King movies, but ............2007-06-12

It's been too many years since I've read the book, but I recognize plot deviations when I see them. At least this movie didn't veer as far away as Jurassic Park did from *its* book ... or as far away as *other* King movies did from *their* books!

No, really. This movie overall was pretty well done. I, of course, would have chosen some different actors and actresses to play some of the characters, especially Frannie and Nadine, but the remainder of the cast sufficed. The acting was great. The human interaction was very realistic and enjoyable.

I gave this movie a "medium-ish" rating because it really *tried.* And trying is very important. It's just that I read the book first and *everyone* knows better to expect a movie to equal the book it's based upon, right?! :-)

Hollywood Version Different??.......2007-06-11

I just rented this from Hollywood Video and it was on one 2 sided DVD.
Parts 1-2 side A and 3-4 on side B.
However something is missing here when you flip the disc!........
Side B (Pt 3 Betrayl) opens up with Stu crudely operating on someones body on the floor. (Who is this that dies?)
Ossie Davis(the judge)is also there(When and where did he appear before-storyline?)
Gary S.and Molly R.are already lovers and shes pregnant (When and where did they hookup?)Last thing I saw in Pt 2(Dreams)was Stu telling a jealous Harold he wouldnt cut in on his action.......
There is alot more but my question is are these scenes on the 2 disc set or just not explained? I believe the running time 366 min is the same.
Overall I found it to be one of the best TV mini-series ever.
Those that disliked the Christian elements should take heed.This was truly about the everyday struggles we all go through.The constant battle of good/evil,love/hatred,positive/negative,caring/uncaring,beauty/ugleness,day/night,death/birth and yes God and Satan!It was a story of struggles and having faith that good will over come evil! Even Satans/Flaggs men knew it was wrong but where tempted with lies and promises.Trashman even asked for forgiveness in the end and brought the bomb to end it all.The hand of God was very symbolic,though a bit chessy effect.
If you got anything out of this beautiful epic remember this:
"THE GREATEST LIE THAT SATAN HAS GOTTEN US TO BELIEVE...IS THAT HE DOES NOT EXIST"...Scary stuff indeed: Where will you be a second after you die?
If you cant anwser that with 100% accuracy you need to take a STAND.......

Dragon Ball Z - Bardock: The Father of Goku

Average customer rating:

My second favorite
One of the two DBZ "Specials"
The History of Goku's Pops
Goku's roots
One of the few good DBZ Movies

Dragon Ball Z - Bardock: The Father of Goku
Starring: Dragon Ball Z , Lee Tockar , Ryan Thomas Brockington , Dylan Thompson , and France Perras
Director: Daisuke Nishio
Manufacturer: Funimation Prod
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Animation | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B00004YKPM
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Product Description

When a low-class Saiyan soldier named Bardock unexpectedly inherits the ability to see into the future, his life takes a dramatic turn for the worse! Haunted by visions of his own end as well as the destruction of his entire planet, Bardock sets off on a nightmarish race with fate to avert the impending disaster. But Bardock seems to be stumbling along in a maze of hopeless despair until a vision of his baby son, Kakarot, as a grown man inspires him to make a change and confront his destiny head on!...This is the story of Bardock, the father of Goku!...

System Requirements:

Running Time 48 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Bardock was one of the Saiya-jin Frieza used as mercenaries to conquer other worlds. Although he was only a "low-level" warrior, Bardock grew so powerful that Frieza and his lieutenant Doodoria feared he might become a threat to them. Doodoria brutally murdered the other members of Bardock's squadron; Frieza destroyed the entire Saiya planet--Vegeta, Nappa, and Goku (né Kakarot) were the only survivors. Before he was killed, the fishlike Tooro cursed Bardock with the ability to see the future, including his own brutal death. But his new psychic powers enable Bardock to establish a mysterious bond with his infant son, who will grow up to defeat the monstrous Frieza. Bardock the Father of Goku uses some of the same characters as the popular Dragon Ball Z TV series, but the continuities don't necessarily match. The one-hour TV special, which first aired in Japan in 1990, has been so heavily edited, it feels fragmented. The viewer is never told who Goku's mother is or why the infant is sent into space in a tiny ship, and the rock soundtrack can't quite marry the scenes that are often jarringly cut together. Unrated: suitable for ages 8 and up for cartoon violence and slight nudity. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

My second favorite.......2006-07-16

This tells the story of Goku's father and why Frieza betrayed the Saiyans. THe story without a doubt is one of the best ever in DBZ. Great action and music. And to me the best ending in DBZ. You cant go wrong with this one, if you new to DBZ.

One of the two DBZ "Specials".......2006-02-25

This DBZ special is before the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z & GT timelines. It gives a good background or Goku's ancestry and Freiza's past. A must see for DBZ fanatics! I remember watching the Cell and Bu Sagas on Japanese TV every Wednesday night at 7 PM. I wish the US would sell the whole DB,DBZ,and DBGT series on DVD instead of just a few episodes per disc.

The History of Goku's Pops.......2006-01-26

DBZ is one of those mainstream anime that has been able to reach a huge audience of people, namely for its past run on Cartoon Network as well as attempted runs on other networks over the years (I used to watch it on Sunday mornings on Fox, I think, when I was a young kid). Now, it's become a world-wide craze that is only now slowing down because there are no more episodes to see or release on DVDs. DBZ stays alive through movie releases and re-releases.

Though Bardock: The Father of Goku wasn't exactly a theatrical movie, but was actually a special previously shown on Japanese TV, it still runs very much like the other movies, acting as a stand-alone adventure. It runs nearly fifty minutes, and follows the exploits of Bardock, a relatively week Saiyan warrior who only barely acknowledges the recent birth of his son, Kakarot (a.k.a. Goku). When Bardock obtains a certain ability to see the future from an enemy on a distant world the Saiyan's have slated for destruction, he begins to see strange glimpses into the future. In these visions, he sees the death of his friends, his own death, and the possible future of his son. Inspired to revolt by these visions, Bardock fights to save not only himself, but the entire future of his people.

This movie is probably my favorite of all the DBZ features. It doesn't struggle to fill time with epic, yet redundant battles, seen in later DBZ movies. It actually allows itself to play out and has a surprisingly emotional lead character. Bardock, though certainly not a good guy, learns of the mistakes of his race and tries his hardest to change his ways before he dies. This movie also reveals a little of why Goku is the way he is, why he's willing to die to protect those around him.

Like all DBZ movies, though, Bardock is extremely short, and a lot of the time is taken up by the useless screaming and powering-up seen in the series (though not nearly to that extreme). This is a constant problem with all DBZ movies, which is why none of them really ever catch my interest for long. If you aren't a fan of DBZ, avoid this. If you are a fan, then pick this up because it is perhaps the best of all the stand-alone DBZ adventures.

Goku's roots.......2005-07-01

Bardock and his other four saiyan team members are on this planet conquearing it, Bardock was cast with powers by a fishlooking creature giving him the power to see the future and read minds. Bardock keeps seeing images of his son Goku as a kid & growing up fighting villins saving the earth and universe by defeating Frieza. Bardock's crew was killed by Doodoria cause they were a treat to Frieza by them keep on getting stronger after every battle. I hated the person that voiced Doodoria in this movie it's not the same voice actor on the Frieza sagas, another thing I couldn't under stand is why did they only showed Vegeta and Nappia as the only two saiyans left alive after their planet was distroyed and no Raditz the brother of Goku was not even seen one time during this movie were was he.

One of the few good DBZ Movies.......2005-01-30

Many of the DBZ movies I have watched had a weak story line and plot. But this movie goes into the deep history of Goku's father(Bardock)and how Goku came to Earth. This movie shows how cruel both the saiyan race and Frieza could be at times. At the same time though, it shows the good side of a saiyan and how powerful they can be. Some people don't like this movie because of its lack of action and that there is no Super Saiyan transformations in it, but they do not understand the whole meaning behind the movie. It is part of the actual DBZ storyline and you understand in this movie why Frieza was starting to get so concerned about the saiyan race. As for the translations, I watched both the Japanese and American version, and they are nearly identical. Some the words were changed, but I would just watch the English version. The voices are great, and I think they did a great job on the music in this movie. To any DBZ fan who wants to know more about the background of Goku and the Saiyans, I highly recommend this movie to you.

Average customer rating:

4 the Good Times
Starring: 4 the Good Times
Manufacturer: Ground Zero
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0007QJ24M
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Description

A sometimes funny sometimes brutal look at two young men who, at all costs, are enjoying their last days as "free and single men." Before surrendering to their girlfriends' marriage demands, "Peanut" and "Bang" embark upon amorous escapades throughout the city. Peanut is committed to consuming all the women, sex and booze he can handle without losing his mind. Bang is into grind parties and coke. Eventually, one of them will realize the importance of family and responsibility, while the other will succumb to the ill will of the streets.

DVD:

DVD

DVD