Live in Los Angeles

Customer Reviews:

Just Okay.......2007-09-08

The DVD is okay, songs are short it's a brief snap of a few good songs and it's over. I would not buy it for a gift and the price should have been much lower.

Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly Live in Los Angeles.......2007-08-08

This is an outstanding DVD! Frankie Beverly was in his prime, his voice was superb, and Maze is jamming!!!! I was actually at this concert when it was filmed. I play this over and over again!! I have all of the Maze DVDs and this is one of the best ones!

Fantastic.......2007-07-10

There just aren't any words to discribe how mesmerized I become when viewing this DVD. I have seen Maze many times live and it is still always the most exciting and entertaining concert to watch.

Frankie Beverly & Maze.......2007-06-16

Excellent DVD. I prefer Los Angeles rather than New Orleans. This DVD was a vibrant one and I watch it every morning before I go to work.

I love this Dvd!! If your a fan you must have it........2007-05-20

I play this DVD constantly. If your a fan, you better get this. Its good to watch anytime of the day. If your about to have some friends over put it in and play, if your going to have that special lady over, put it in and play or if you just feel like chilling, put it in and play. The video is clear sound quality is outstanding. This DVD really show how talented Frankie really, he play instruments and dances.

Average customer rating:

New Orleans
Poor Audio. Great Concert.
Frankie
WONDERFUL!!!!!!
This Is NOT The Live In New Orleans I Know....

Frankie Beverly - Live in New Orleans
Starring: Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly
Manufacturer: The Right Stuff
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005MAG5
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Description

Thanks to their ongoing touring and top-selling catalog titles, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly remain one of the most popular R&B groups of all time! Enjoy one of their best live performances, culled from their 12 show dates at New Orleans Saenger Theatre (and from the companion gold-selling album). Songs: You, Changing Times, Joy and Pain, Happy Feelin's, Southern Girl, Look at California, Feel That You're Feelin', Back in Stride, Never Let You Down, We Are One.

Customer Reviews:

New Orleans.......2007-06-16

Prefer live in Los Angeles instead of this DVD.

Poor Audio. Great Concert........2007-04-20

First, I have to say that the audio quality is poor. I got my system all set up to bump, like Maze was in my living room. What a disappointment! I adjusted my equalizer. I balanced. I did it all, but nothing rescued the audio from lowest depths of noise, distortion, and lack of dynamics. I got over it.

The concert was the B - O - M - B! For one thing, it proved that Frankie is the coolest person to walk the planet Earth. (Well, okay, Philip Bailey is right there with him.) I just love his groove. It was a great performance. Despite the audio quality, it still had that feeling that the band was in my living room.

What can you say about Maze's songlist? It was awesome!

Notice that I rate this DVD higher than both the Isley Brothers and Sade (I did write about those, didn't I)? They may have a better discography, but they don't perform it better. This is a great DVD, as long as you're just partying, and not picking on the audio. It's a "must buy" for old-schoolers like me.

Frankie.......2007-01-05

One of my best concert tapes, this one i recomend to all the fans of maze!! Great concert too!!

WONDERFUL!!!!!!.......2006-01-01

I enjoyed this concert. This whole concert is all of that. Frankie B. and Maze truly rocked the show. Words cannot describe. Frankie just have raw talent to get you up out of your seat. I would recommend this album to anyone who likes this group of musicians. My favorite performances are Look@California and Feel that Feeling you're feeling. But the best performance is 'Look at Ccalifornia'. Frankie and Maze really rocked the show with this song. I love this song they really rocked the show with this song. I watch this dvd and jump out of my seat. The quality is pretty good also, Also, this dvd contains some bonus footage some bonus music videos with some of my other favorites by the group Never Let You Down, We Are One, and Back In Stride. I love this dvd if you like this dvd then I would recommend that you buy Frankie Beverly Live in Los Angeles and also I recommend any MAZE fan to buy this dvd .

This Is NOT The Live In New Orleans I Know...........2005-05-19

Don't get me wrong this DVD is better than nothing but if you listen to the album (that's right I said album, will never buy the cd until it is no longer "the abridged version") it's not the same set. Now I could be crazy but I swear that I have seen the true "Live in New Orleans" on A&E or Bravo back in 1981/82 when the cable channel first started. They played the concert like everyday sometimes twice a day for about 2 to 3 months then never again. Another thing the concert they showed was outside like at a festival in New Orleans/SoCal or something in the daytime not in a arena. Up until then I had never seen Maze, didn't know who they were, only that when I was forever record shopping, there records always drew my eye cause of the six finger hand always on the front cover. So, after seeing Maze on cable 500 times at least, I was hooked and couldn't get Frankie's vocals out of my mind:-) Now I am 41 years old now and anybody I tell this to says I'm crazy that Maze was never on TV back then and that I must of been dreaming. Was I? I hope someone out there who loves Maze as much as I do can back me up. We need to get A&E or Bravo to release that version of Maze in New Orleans...I promise you folks it will blow this DVD out the door and into the trash can...I promise!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Maze
Starring: Rose Gregorio , Robert Hogan , Laura Linney , Rob Morrow , and Craig Sheffer
Director: Rob Morrow
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A2X424
Release Date: 2005-08-25

Average customer rating:

A passable time-filler....really nothing more...
The Path of Pardu...
A bit dated but I liked it
A time capsule of idiocy, for sure, but not much else...
So what does this movie mean . . . twenty years later?

Mazes and Monsters
Starring: Tom Hanks , Wendy Crewson , Peter Donat , Anne Francis , and Murray Hamilton
Director: Steven Hilliard Stern
Manufacturer: Trinity Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BGQUHA
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Description

Synopsis: Bound together by a desire to play "Mazes and Monsters", Robbie and his four college classmates decide to move the board game into the local legendary cavern. When Robbie starts having real life visions, the line between reality and fantasy fuse into a harrowing adventure.

Customer Reviews:

A passable time-filler....really nothing more..........2007-07-09

Before Tom Hanks joined Hollywood's A-list, the actor starred in a comedy series called "Bosom Buddies" on ABC and several forgettable made-for-tv dramas like this one, "Mazes and Monsters" created to capitalize on the "Dungeons and Dragons" hysteria and bad press the game received during the early 80's. Despite a fairly good cast, mostly in cameo roles (Anne Francis, Murray Hamilton, Lloyd Bochner, Susan Strasberg) and Chris Makespeace ("My Bodyguard"), and a interesting premise about a college student who retreats into a fantasy world depicted by the game itself; his character "Pardu," the vehicle of his quest for the "Great Hall" (subconscious guilt over his brother's death) and the "Two Towers"--a "quest" that takes him from the bowels of NYC's subway system to the World Trade Center.

Adapted from the Rona Jaffe novel of the same name, the film has some good scenes, but tends to drag in the middle. And the love interest between Hank's character and the female lead seems rather forced and artificial only to move the plodding storyline along. (After Hank's character leaves her for his "quest," she immediately takes up with the other male member from this quartet of gameplayers.)

The movie serves no real purpose but to show, albeit negatively, that "D & D" players are nothing more than your brighter-than-average talented misfits that never "fit in" who dream and manufacture their own world of monsters, heroes, heroines, and far off places. The parents too are mere cardboard cutouts of the same tired cliche: Robbie's mother is an alcoholic, Jay-Jay's mother is a vapid interior decorator who changes his room every semester. The ending of the film, however, was unexpected and helps dispel some of the bad reputation most, if not all, made-for-tv movies have earned over the years. This transfer to DVD is rather poor and a very bad transfer overall. I bought mine for $3.99 at Ross Dress for Less.

The most telling and effective scene occurs at the end of the film when Robbie's friends visit the protagonist at his home (apparently on leave from the university and recovering from a nervous breakdown); we think he is recovered and ready to join his friends back in school next semester, but alas, he only sees them as the fictional characters they portrayed on a gameboard--his idyllic backyard the setting for yet another adventure.

Hanks does his best given the limited material and script he had to work with (he had done pretty much only comedy at this point) but it's a solid reading that would provide this actor with a springboard to a distinguished acting career and several Academy Award winning performances to follow.

The Path of Pardu..........2007-06-09

PLOT

The film begins with the excitement of a new college semester on the verge - Kate, Daniel, and Jay-Jay travel to school with their seemingly 'normal' stereotypical families'... then there's Robbie, a sensitive sort with an alcoholic mother and verbally abusive father, trying to align his priorities despite his past extreme distractions with a fantasy board game akin to "Dungeons & Dragons" called "Mazes & Monsters", when lo and behold, he spies an "M&M" group advertised on the posting board in the cafeteria... and it begins... the obsession resurfaces, progressing from a gloomy candlelit room to "taking it to the next level" wherein the players actually don the accoutrement of their characters {acquired from Theatre class} and travel to the local caverns where Jay-Jay, the resident "Game Lord" {eq. 'Dungeon Master'; D&D} has arranged several objects including a skeleton which appear on cue when the wayfarers pass through certain spots in the caves, whereupon the Game Lord's voice echoes forth with warnings and instructions. This is where the hallucinations begin for Robbie, imagining a literal "Gorvil" creature stalking the stalactite-laden corridors, which becomes the first indication of his mental degeneration.

He confides in his girlfriend Kate about the loss of his brother 'Hall' on Halloween to a mysterious dissappearence and was never found...

Thus, on Halloween night, while others were living it up, he sleeps and begins dreaming of a dark figure named "The Great Hall" who informs him of his erstwhile 'destiny' as 'Pardu' the Holy Man, who must seperate himself from the group, become {ack!} celebate {there went Kate...}, and seek 'The Towers' by engaging upon a quest, which takes Robbie to New York City where he roams in a hypnogogic state until an attempted mugging by a couple of greasy thugs results in him defending himself by stabbing one of the lowlifes, all the while perceiving himself as this 'Pardu', and the attacker as another Gorvil.

Frightened by this encounter, he almost comes to his senses and calls for help. Being skiddish however, seeing another couple of guys on a street corner scares him enough to descend into the city's subway system and further below into the labyrinthine underworld beneath the streets, and its roaring "Great Dragon"...

Meanwhile, the Police become alerted to his sudden disappearence, and the group are payed a visit by an investigator. Scared that they may be implicated in his missing, his friends scramble to figure out where he may have gone by inspecting his room and find a hand-drawn map, carefully brainstorming to decipher his 'journey'.

Robbie eventually encounters a homeless man who jestingly refers to himself as 'The King of France' - of course, being in a completely delusional state of mind, "Pardu" acknowledges him as such, inquiring for directions to 'The Towers'*, which turns out being 'The Twin Towers', The World Trade Center, to be exact, which one could see coming from a mile away, as it were, both figuratively and literally. Included is some extensive interior footage of the WTC from lobby to observation deck.

His friends eventually catch up to him as he climbs out on the parapet preparing to join with "The Great Hall", until tearfully awakening from the somnambulism. He is eventually committed to a scenic mental home where his delusions persist, and after one last 'adventure' with friends, is left to live out his days in his fantasy world.

ANALYSIS

Obviously, Robbie dealt with the loss of his big brother by anthropomorphosizing his memory as "The Great Hall", and his desire to reunite with him. Delving into the board game as a form of escapism taken to an extreme, in this case served as an affectation of his mental illness, but may not necessarily have been the cause of it, but merely placed fantastical definitions and terminology to establish an albeit false identity.

Through a balanced perspective, these games can be an amusing recreational activity, but there may always be the danger of those with a wayward brain who will literalize elements therein and attempt to detrimentally personafy either the characters and/or activities described. While the exercise of the imagination is encouraged and channelled into creative endeavors, care must sometimes be taken with the mentally ill in order to prevent compulsion, lest you travel the "Pardu Path" to insanity.

__________________
* 'The Towers' as part of the legend of 'The Lord of The Rings' series writ by sage Tolkien were acknowledged as one of the possible motivations while the group were inspecting a map and gathering clues to his whereabouts, defining his mentality by the persona of the Pardu character. Ergo, "What Would Pardu Do?"

A bit dated but I liked it.......2007-05-20

It's no great epic or anyting like that, just a tale of how some people lose touch with reality. Mazes and Monsters deals with how a player of a role playing game begins to lose touch with reality and sinks into the make believe world.

This movie means a lot to me because I grew up in that time when D&D first came out. Not having anyone close to me get that 'confused' but there were tales of kids poking out their eyes and replace them with 'magic buttons' and so forth.

A time capsule of idiocy, for sure, but not much else..........2007-01-11

On August 15, 1979, a troubled child prodigy named James Egbert slipped into the steam tunnels beneath Michigan State University with a pocket full of 'ludes. And lo, an urban legend was born. You see, James had occasionally played Dungeons & Dragons some time before enrolling at Michigan, and his oblivious parents along with a news media hungry for scandal latched on to the idea that the fantasy world of role playing had driven him to suicide. The reality was Egbert wasn't dead, or even lost in the tunnels, but hiding at various locations in fear of his folks. The truth rarely matters in such circumstances, though, does it? Soon word of other suicides by teenagers who played D&D began popping up like dandelions in April, and a new hysteria had gripped America. Anti-gaming advocacy groups were formed. Chick tracts were published. The makers of the game even began to change some of their manuals to avoid controversy. And just before the madness peaked (around 1983), Rona Jaffe published a fictionalized warning of the sinister power of RPGs, "Mazes and Monsters", based loosely on James Egbert's story. This film was a television movie adapted from the novel, and is notable today mostly for starring a young Tom Hanks.

Now, before I get started, I'm not a gamer. I've never played an RPG in my life to be honest. However, I know how the 'fear and consumption' media works and a little bit of digging will turn up studies that prove the suicide rate among gamers is lower than the national average. And anything reguritated by the Falwell crowd is automatically suspect to begin with, right? This isn't the usual "incredibly strange film" that occupies my late nights. But when you spend money on a movie, even a few bucks, even if it was a year or two ago, don't you kinda feel obligated to watch it if for nothing else than to justify that you got something, anything, for that wasted cash? Ditto, amigo.

905 Studios is the party responsible for "Mazes and Monsters" DVD debut. This disc doesn't give me much hope for the quality of "Death Wish Club", a truly strange film that 905 is allegedly releasing soon. There are no extras, and the transfer isn't very good. "M&M" centers around four university students who decide to play a live action game in the caverns around their school. During one of these sessions, Hanks character goes nuts. "Bardu" dreams that his long lost brother is calling him to Manhattan, so he breaks up with his girlfriend (he's a cleric, after all!) and takes off. Well, everyone thinks he's missing in the caverns, and his fellow gamers lie to the police so they won't be expelled. Finally, Hanks snaps out of it for a moment after knifing a mugger, and the gang comes to get him. The final scenes show "Bardu" hopelessly and forever immersed in his character as the heartbroken friends decide to play one last campaign with him on his folks estate.

As propaganda, "Mazes and Monsters" fails on every level. It's not even that entertaining as kitsch like "Reefer Madness" or "Safety Belt For Susie". Lord knows that theme song gives Debbie Boone some competition in the ghastly department. Maybe someone who games and was a wee tyke (like me) during the time it was made might find it amusing as a time capsule of an era they were too young to remember. I tend to doubt it has much replay value even then. A much better purchase for you wizards and paladins out there (and even us boring folks who don't game or read comics ;) is the 5-disc set of the D&D toon that ran on CBS. Not only is that series entertaining, but BCI threw in the kitchen sink as far as extras. There's even a D&D compatable manual included. As for 905, let's hope a truly DVD worthy piece of junk like "Death Wish Club" gets the justice it deserves. I'm not expecting Criterion quality, but c'mon guys, you can do much better than this.

So what does this movie mean . . . twenty years later?.......2006-12-06

So what does this movie mean . . . twenty years later?

First of all, the footage inside and outside the World Trade Center is worth the cost of DVD, for historical and sentimental reasons. My memories of the WTC are limited to the King Kong remake, one episode of the Simpsons (wisely taken out of syndication so as not to hurt our feelings--LOL), and flying over the Twin Towers on my way to Portugal. So I saw them as most of humanity will see them--from a distance and on old films.

In a second sense, this film is a must for a Tom Hans devotee. It has one of Hanks's earliest non-"Bosom Buddies" performances. And you can see what the director saw. Hanks, despite his callowness, still stands out among the rest of the Unknowns in the film. He gives an A- performance in this midgrade B movie. Of course the script stinks, but it was a vehicle for Hanks, and suggests the much better things that were to come. So you can enjoy it on that level.

So about the dragons . . .

I confess that I was a pseudo-gamer, and when this first aired, I caught only the first three minutes before switching it off. Even at that young age, I was tired of the Grown-Ups criticizing a game they had never played, nor have understood. They were just repeating things that other people had told them. And they would not admit it. So this film was basically a Scared Strait film, based on hearsay, exaggeration, and a hasty generalization from one incident from Michigan State in 1979.

Time's irony is that both adults and Christian fundamentalists have embraced fantasy. You know that men who criticized D&D in the 1980's had wives in the 1990's who devoured the Harry Potter books and films. And many Christians have embraced Tolkien's and C. S. Lewis's Christianity that was all along embedded in their fantasy.

Of his own work, Tolkien said, "The Gospels contain a fairystory, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. They contain many marvels-- peculiarly artistic, beautiful, and moving: "mythical" in their perfect, self contained
significance; and among the marvels is the greatest and most complete conceivable eucatastrophe. But this story has entered History and the primary world; the desire and aspiration of sub-creation has been raised to the fulfillment of Creation. The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man's history. The Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation. This story begins and ends in joy." (The Tolkien Reader, 88-89).

Role-playing games were a way to tap into this joy. The film illustrated what the hystericals ignored: the reason why people got involved in war-games and fantasy was that their real world. In the film, all the weird students had even weirder parents--controlling, pushy, and therefore evil. By entering the sub-created fantasy world, it provided a realm where they could experience control.
For young adults, and definitely for college students, this control is an essential part of development. That is why children's games--dress-up, playing house or soldier or Batman--are all important for later development. At some point, you really have to play house, soldier, or really play Batman.

This is not quote-unquote escapism. Tolkien keenly observed that the "class of men . . . you expect to be most preoccupied with, and most hostile to, the idea of escape" are in fact the "jailers." (Lewis, On Stories, 63; cf. Tolkien Reader, 79ff).

Of course there is a general message here about addictions, with D&D being a mere vehicle. War-games can be addictive, but so can video-games, shopping, or drugs. In this sense, M&M is like "Reefer Madness," since they both warn about a real, potential danger.

The ending of this film is a bit disappointing, and that is where the film falls down. The message is that D&D is so bad, if you play it, you are irredeemably doomed. This is silly propaganda, and it was preaching to the choir for the faithful, or a backfire to people like me.

This brings us back to the World Trade Center. We need to have a proper scale of dangers and valuations.

(Bad transfer to DVD, and no bonuses)

Average customer rating:

Cheap Fun Anime
Maze
Dull........................................................
for your own sake, take my word: this is a terrible show
...Um...It was different...

Maze DVD Collection
Starring: Maze
Manufacturer: Software Sculptures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JH9R
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Description

Maze wakes up with amnesia in a zany fantasy world to find herself surrounded by evildoers. Luckily, she's developed superpowers, but they come with a strange side effect...every night, Maze transforms into a flirtatious man.

Customer Reviews:

Cheap Fun Anime.......2006-07-24

First of all, only watch it in Japanese with English Subtitles. As a rule, I never watch the Dubbed version of Anime. Because the Japanese voice actors are almost ALWAYS way better than the American voice actors.

Second, don't take it seriously. If you are looking for a Cowboy Bepop/Trigun experience this isn't it. If you are looking for an intellectual experience like Lain, this also isn't it.

Third, If you are offended by off color sexual humor this is not for you. If anime like Slayers, Sorcerer Hunters, Golden Boy, and Excel Saga bother you, then you wouldn't enjoy Maze.

However...!!!...if you are looking to purchase a low cost, fun, WTF, kind of anime - I completely recommend this series. I picked it up b/c it was only 30.00$ and had 52 episodes. I figured it would be something to keep me entertained for a couple of days. Plus, how can you not buy an anime that describes itself on the cover by saying, "Maze is a college girl who one day lands on another planet, has amnesia and discovers she has super powers."

Overall, this anime is fun, fast-paced and completely wacky. And it is absolutely re-watchable. I wouldn't pay more than 40.00$ for it but I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the wacky anime humor. BTW, I have all of the anime discussed in this review, to give you an idea of my taste.

Maze.......2006-02-21

My girl friend and I rented afew episodes at a local Blockbuster and I would say it's an Anime that you have to like. I read the reviews here and saw 5 stars "best anime ever" and 0 stars "this sucks" so I want to give a better thought. It's a really intresting show, the action is so-so but I think the plotline is great. I would say it's Ranma 1/2 meets fantasy. So if you like Ranma 1/2 Im sure you'll like this too, else go rent it or something and see if you'll like it first.

Dull...............................................................2003-08-02

I seldom give bad ratings to things, so when I give something a low rating it means the product must be really bad. I was bored by the FIRST EPISODE and it got worse from there. The action wasn't that impressive, the comedy was flat, there was just lust rather than real romance, and the plot was incomprehensible with something about collecting five stones. I am forced to agree with the Anime Encyclopedia's rating that it is "off-the-peg" and "the plot moves at blinding pace to disguise the fact that nothing happens at all." They spend the first five episodes in the forest before coming the town while fighting enemies with silly names like Undeader. Meanwhile, Maze learns that "kindness alone is not enough" to solve her problems, or some such moralistic garbage. Further, the music stinks something awful.

for your own sake, take my word: this is a terrible show.......2003-06-29

In this series, we have the story of a girl (Maze) who wakes up in a swords/sorcery/giant mecha world with amnesia. She meets up with a fleeing princess (Mill), a few wandering soldiers(?) (Astur and Solude), a female knight (Rapier), and a fairy (Randy). Plus, Maze mysteriously turns into a man at night, and adventures ensue.

This is one series that completely leaves me speechless, and not in a good way. I guess I'll start with the few things that Maze does right: Astur and Solude are an amusing pair at first, and remain among the more tolerable characters for the rest of the show. Also, the voice acting is at times humorously melodramatic and overblown which leads to some humor, intentional or otherwise. Finally, for it's mainly light tone, the show contains some of the more obscene language that I've seen in anime, and seeing the characters violently swear at each other in melodramatic voices is pretty funny.

Now as for all of the other stuff: Maze contains a good deal of political goings-on, and none of them are explained well at all. there are three or four countries all waging war against each other, or launching coups, or being manipulated by someone else. Exciting as this seems, it all manages to be quite boring and incomprehensible, and while it may in theory affect the plot, it seems to do more to alienate viewers than draw them in. And since some of these plot strands become dormant for awhile and are then revived with little explanation, I had no idea who was attacking whom at the end.

Second, Mill is among the most annoying conceivable characters ever. Her voice is quite high pitched, and it's grating as hell. She's not too bad at first, but after awhile her voice gets into your head, and it will drive you insane. Whenever she talks to Maze she calls her "Big sister-brother" (because during the day she's like a sister, but at night when she turns into a man, she's like a brother; hence, big sister-brother). It really wasn't funny the first time, but the script-writers decided to make it the biggest running gag of the show. If you watch the show and decide that Mill shrieking "YOU'RE SO COOL, BIG SISTER-BROTHER!!" wasn't funny enough, there's even a special feature on the first DVD, in which they've collected a bunch of clips of her screaming that line and put them together, so you can watch Mill bleating away to your heart's content.
There's also the rather strange fact that all of the characters fall madly in love with Maze on sight, be they man, woman or close blood-relation (I'm not making this up). What other anime can claim a touching, incestuous relationship as it's happy ending?

But Maze's biggest problem may be it's utterly chaotic, nonsensical plot. Maze's plot wanders all over the place. The characters get transported into a couple of different worlds, the writers throw in bizaare explanations and plot strands, and none of it makes any sense. There is no possible way to tell what might happen next, because everything is completely done at random.
In one scene Maze and Mill find themselves transported to a strange technologically advanced world, and are approached by a young female scientist. "What?", thinks Maze, "she looks just like Mill; what can this mean?" It turns out to mean nothing whatsoever, because a few episodes later the writers got tired of that plot strand and abruptly ended it. This sort of thing happens more commonly than you might think.

So in conclusion, Maze is just a really bad show. Don't believe the voice actors in the "meet the cast" option for disc A who hilariously try to make the show (and their character) sound deep and meaningful. The primary entertainment value of Maze for me came from ridiculing it, and as I look back I think that was a survival mechanism to help me get through the last few episodes.

Don't bother with this swill, as there's far finer anime to spend your money on.

...Um...It was different..........2002-05-11

I really can't describe "Maze" in mere words...it's very different. A lot of the plot and story truly makes no real coherent sense; however, if you want something to laugh with (or in my case, at), then "Maze" is certainly a winner. The basic premise of the story is a girl who wakes up in an alternate dimension, has total amnesia, special (phantom) powers, and turns into a guy at night. That's just the beginning, and I'm afraid it digresses from that into something totally weird. Small children, i.e. those under 35 years of age, probably should not watch Maze, and should instead be content with staring at their washing machine for hours upon end. It's not totally bad, but if you don't have a flair for something different, then I implore you NOT to buy Maze.

Average customer rating:

Works well as an allegory, poorly as a movie
Sometimes They Come Back...
He's back...
Andy came home, some boys never do....
Crazed Vietnam Vet comes back to kill.

Deathdream
Starring: Arthur Anderson (II) , Richard Backus , Jeff Becker , Scott Becker , and Arthur Bradley
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00026PA70
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Customer Reviews:

Works well as an allegory, poorly as a movie.......2007-09-14

Deathdream/Dead of Night is very interesting when viewed in the context of the Vietnam veteran returning home. The veteran has been changed by his experience and none of his family or friends seem to know or care. His father and the postman claim that they went to World War II and came back fine. His mother, near hysterics, wishes desperately for everything to be fine. His sister invites him out on a double-date with his former girlfriend: both tell him that it'll be just like the old days and they can "pick up where they left off." However, Andy is numb to all this. The only thing that drives him is the need to inject junk into his veins; though he's out of Vietnam, he's being eaten alive...almost literally. You see, Andy is a zombie brought back by his mother's prayer. His flesh is rotting, and the junk he injects into his veins isn't heroin but the blood of the living.

Spotting allegorical moments like this is very fun--too bad the movie isn't great. Andy's mom comes across as a complete loon, with Lynn Carlin overacting outrageuously. Andy's Dad flipflops between happiness that his son is back and surliness/suspicion. The part's not written terribly convincingly and John Marley is little help. Andy himself sometime elicits unintentional giggles, especially when he comes down for his first date in sunglasses and leather gloves. Only Jane Daly, as Joanne, elicits much feeling from the audience. The direction is reasonably competant, though the film stock looks cheap, and Tom Savini's makeup work is effective.

Overall the film is still perhaps worth a recommendation, especially if you enjoy reading into films. However, please disregard people who say that this is "basically The Monkey's Paw." Though they share similar themes, it's akin to claiming that Match Point is "basically Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Sometimes They Come Back..........2007-07-04

From the wonderfully twisted minds of horror-meisters Benjamin "Bob" Clark and Alan Ormsby, comes DEATHDREAM (aka: Dead Of Night, originally released in 1972). This wicked tale of terrifying wish-fulfillment is right up there w/ the other Clark / Ormsby classics, CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS and BLACK CHRISTMAS! Richard Backus is unnerving as Andy Brooks, re-animated vietnam casualty. His slowly rotting, soulless zombie character is unforgettable! John Marley (The Godfather, It Lives Again) plays Andy's dad. DEATHDREAM is "The Monkey's Paw" w/ an amped up scare factor and a sly political statement about the war. As a straight horror movie alone, this is a masterpiece! It's well past time that Clark and Ormsby got the recognition they deserve! I only wish they'd made more horror movies together. Watch for their cameos too (as a cop and a bystander respectively)! Also, this is Tom Savini's first make-up effort, as Alan Ormsby's assistant! Buy immediately...

He's back..........2007-01-25

...I was pretty pleased with this fairly unknown film. I bought it along with "Unlce Sam" in a "Zombie Two-fers" pack. It is about a Vietnam soldier. His family is notified that he has died, yet he later shows up home. He begins to behave strangely, and later has to kill people to inject their blood into his body in order to regenerate his body, as it starts to decay once it is out of blood. Interesting film here, not at all boring. Would tell you more about it, but don't want to ruin it for you.

Andy came home, some boys never do...........2007-01-22

Deathdream is a farely unknown thriller/horror film brought to you by Bob Clark (Black Christmas) & Alan Ormsby (Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things). It also marked Tom Savini's real movie debut, if you don't know who he is, watch Dawn of the Dead or From Dusk Till Dawn to catch up. The movie is about a soldier who returns home after the Vietnam war but left the boy they remembered in the trenches. Is Andy really the same person he use to be or something totally different? Deathdream has the most believable characters I've seen in any movie, this might be because his family reminds me so much of mine. His father, a man afraid to show the softer side of himself, strict, angry, and more attached to the family dog than his own son. His mother, a caring and defending woman even during all of the drama & madness that surrounds her. His sister, a concerned woman who tries her best to make Andy feel at home, but confused at the same time. If your local video store doesn't carry this film, order it now! It's a must have for all true horror fanatics. Deathdream is a depressing film, which is a rarity in horror.

Crazed Vietnam Vet comes back to kill. .......2006-08-30

First , a few things to get out of the way, this is NOT a Zombie movie at all. I laughed at some of the reviews saying it's a zombie flick, It's not, it's more along the lines of a dramatic thriller mixed in with a supernatural twist (the undead part).

A typical vehicle of the 70's. The 70's and early 80's flicks took advantage of the attention of Vietnam to come up with these anti-war flicks (Soldiers coming home but never being the same, being either violent or suicidal and ultimately hurting themselves or others). Enter "Deathdream" which skims over into the crazed Vet coming home to kill phase.

Andy is allegedly killed in Vietnam. His family is devasted but Andy , however, is displaying psychotic, and violent tendecies as time goes on. He kills a truck driver, kills a dog, and then well I won't spoil.

A great acting job by Richard Backus as he shows us the detoriation of one kind man corrupted by war and violence into a crazed soldier. The performances all around are excellent but like I said, it's not a zombie movie. The only zombie twist is that the guy's dead but that can easily be put into the supernatural category. The ending is very predictable, but this is quite an entertaining descend into madness, and social. commentary by Bob Clark. I don't think he needed the zombie twist at all but perhaps thought it was necessary to sell the film. Speaking of which includes early makeup effects by Tom Savini.

Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

To good to describe
Moving in a way that one better not talk about it....
very good
Insightful Drama, Good Performances
An important gem

Maze
Starring: Betsy Aidem , Gia Carides , Wally Dunn , Lanny Flaherty , and Kathleen Goldpaugh
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005U8QL
Release Date: 2002-02-05

Customer Reviews:

To good to describe.......2006-01-06

One of the best films I've ever seen! Wonderful pictures, perfectly fitting music, great and inspiring camera and cutting, beautiful warm story and outstanding unbelievable good acting!!!
It's realy a sin you can't get this DVD in Germany (where I live) and many other countries. So nobody knows this phantastic work... All that hollywood trash you can get, but... whatever...

Moving in a way that one better not talk about it...........2004-10-17

My favourite sequence in "Maze" is when Morrow runs on the streets, silence behind, and "I was Brought To My Senses" plays in the background...this is one of the most poignant depictions of despair, and despairing love between two people who shouldn't have any romantic feelings for each other, on film. The pace with which Maze runs in the scene, and the haunting beginning of the song, which is sung without any musical accompaniment till the fourth line, are in stark contrast, but that is exactly what makes this shot one of the finest moments on celluloid. It befits a film on a touching subject.

very good.......2003-05-25

This film is very good. It really doesn't try to be very fast or furious, but instead really dedicates its content to some real life issues for once. It is like an indie film, since it deals with an issue not usually approached, so it will be probably loved or totally rejected by the individual viewer, depending on your particular interests. Worth renting at least.

Insightful Drama, Good Performances.......2002-08-23

There are many people-- too many, in fact,-- who live their entire lives on the "outside looking in," to one degree or another, because the "normal" ones among us-- the ones who govern the great majority, or even the ones who just have a hand in formulating the criteria by which the parameters of our great "Society" are established-- deem it to be so, and have the wherewithal to effect their ends. Indeed, there are those who probably prefer an "outsider" status, rather than succumbing to the tenets of what is essentially the wide spread hypocrisy so prevalent throughout our world today. But it would be nice to at least give them that choice, which unfortunately, despite all the "politically correct" posturing that goes on and on around us daily, we do not. Yet, ironically, often it is these denizens from beyond the mainstream that so enrich our lives with their thoughts, art, and by their mere presence amongst us. "Maze," written, directed by and starring Rob Morrow, is the story of one of these: An artist, whom we discover early on is also a very caring person, who is nevertheless relegated to that outer rim because he suffers from Tourette's Syndrome. He's different; he doesn't fit in; he's an embarrassment. He's also a very accomplished artist who puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us. And-- like the rest of us-- he has very basic wants and needs, all the things that give definition to what he really is: Human. Just like the rest of us.

Lyle Maze (Morrow) is an established artist on the verge of a critical and financial breakthrough, but he lives a solitary existence, spending most of his time holed up in his loft, alone. He has one good friend, Mike (Craig Sheffer), but stays to himself, attempting to avoid the ridicule and embarrassment, or just the unwanted attention elicited by the uncontrollable "tics" generated by the Tourettes. Mike is a doctor and prescribes medication that may help, but Lyle fears it may stifle his creativity, as well, so he refuses to take it. it affects his work though, too, as his sudden outbursts are too disconcerting for even those with whom he must work, as when a model he has hired to pose for him walks out, unnerved by his seemingly erratic behavior.

Then Mike makes a decision that ultimately becomes the catalyst for what becomes a significant emotional event in Lyle's life. Mike, following an altruistic bent, signs on with a medical group and commits himself to months of work in a third world country. It's an admirable pursuit, but to follow this particular dream, he must leave behind the woman he loves, Callie (Laura Linney). And though Mike doesn't realize it, it is a very fragile time for Callie, and for their relationship. As Mike prepares to leave, Callie, aware of Lyle's predicament with models, volunteers to pose for him. Things become complicated, however, when Lyle suddenly begins to realize that he has feelings for Callie-- feelings he should not have in light of the fact that Mike is his best (only) friend. Lyle is conscientious and sensitive to the issue, but as is always the case in matters of the heart, all bets are off. And so, to his problems with Tourettes, Lyle must now add the inner conflict and guilt born of his (as yet unexpressed) feelings for Callie, as he seeks to resolve yet another of the curves that life seems determined to throw at him.

This movie marks the feature film debut of Morrow as a writer (along with Bradley White)/director, and it's one of those little gems that it's so gratifying to discover after sifting through all of the "fools gold" that Hollywood continues to pollute the stream with. Morrow successfully taps into that vein of need that runs through the human condition, places it in a proper setting, measures the finger of his audience and sizes it accordingly. And like a hand crafted item made with precision and an eye for detail, the result is a small, but invaluable treasure. Morrow (probably best known for his work in the TV series "Northern Exposure") has an acute grasp of human nature, and his insights provide the basis for a thought provoking, emotionally involving sojourn through the landscape of the human condition. Indeed, it is the humanity he finds in his characters that makes this film sing. It is a sensitive presentation devoid of any overt sentimentality that would have rendered it maudlin; with a seemingly innate sense of the emotional boundaries within which he must stay to be effective, Morrow keeps his finger on the pulse of the story, makes the necessary adjustments and keeps the heartbeat steady. And it works.

As Lyle, Morrow gives an extremely affecting performance; his "tics" are done to perfection, to the point of an irritating realism that so effectively gives you that sense of what it must be like to suffer such a malady, as well as offering some real insight into how it affects those who encounter someone with Tourettes, and how difficult it can be to respond appropriately. Morrow's portrayal generates understanding and sympathy for the sufferer, while at the same time offers some vindication to those who simply cannot cope with it. As a filmmaker, Morrow is to be complimented for offering up such a sensitive subject for the consideration of his audience, doing it objectively and without passing judgment on their response.

Laura Linney is terrific, too, as Callie, giving a performance that evokes the empathy of the viewer with her portrayal of a woman at an emotional crossroads in her life, who though beset with inner conflict finds the strength to overcome her troubles and decide for herself the direction her life will take. It's the kind of memorable performance which, along with Morrow's, makes "Maze" an entertaining and satisfying cinematic experience. It's the magic of the movies.

An important gem.......2002-08-12

This was an original and extremely well acted film. Rob Morrow was genious in his portrayal of Lyle Maze, and artist with Tourretts syndrome who falls in love with his best friends girlfriend. This film took so many unexpected turns, and steared clear of all the cliches that we have been accustomed to with this genre. I originally picked up this film because Laura Linney tends to do really good independent films, who knew when I took it home that good ole Dr. Fleischman from Northern Exposure had so much talent in writing, directing and starring in this fantastic gem. I hope that he keeps up the good work and gives us many more movies with such wondful performances. I highly reccommend this film to anyone who wants to see something original with great acting.

Average customer rating:

A great low-budget movie

Pick-up Summer
Starring: Michael Zelniker , Carl Marotte , Karen Stephen , Helene Udy , and Thomas Kovacs
Director: George Mihalka
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005QJK5
Release Date: 2002-04-02

Customer Reviews:

A great low-budget movie.......2007-05-12

I purchased this movie because its original title was "Pinball Summer". In 1980 before the movie's release, the studios decided to rename the film because pinball was beginning to see its demise due to the rise of the video game. The theme to the film still has off-pitch vocalists singing "Pinball Summer!"

As a pinball enthusiast, my hopes were high for a lot of really nice pinball action sequences. Pin geeks like me enjoy spotting familiar machines in movies and attempting to name them. I was not disappointed! There are some really wonderful pinball playfield action sequences. Bonus points if you can name the real-life games that were repainted and turned into fictitious titles created for the film itself ("Arthur", "Pinball Summer").

As you might expect, the movie is short on talent and story, but it's a nice brainless summertime teen sexploitation comedy. The film is obviously Canadian in origin, but that didn't detract from its appeal, even for a Texan like me.

For those who appreciate gratuitous nudity, this film also sports some topless pinball at a backyard party by a nicely stacked airhead. What's not to love?

I'd probably be disappointed had I paid $10 to see this in a theater, but for the dirt-cheap price of a used DVD, this little film is well worth it - particularly if you're a pinball fan.

Average customer rating:

Iron Maze
Starring: Jeff Fahey , Carmen Filpi , and Bridget Fonda
Director: Hiroaki Yoshida
Manufacturer: Allumination
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009PW4DM
Release Date: 2005-04-01

The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo - The Coral Maze

Average customer rating:

The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo - The Coral Maze

Manufacturer: Digiview
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

ASIN: B000BCLUB0

Product Description

Episodes: 1. The Tuna Trapper 2. The Fish Bomber 3. The Devil's Doorway 4. The Coral Maze 5. The Mine At The Bottom Of The Sea 6. Wild Water And Oil 7. The Silver Sea 8. The Ice Menagerie 9. Behind Bars 10. Shark Patrol 11. Dolphin Express 12. Collision At Sea Approx. 150 Minutes Compatable with all DVD players.

DVD:

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