5 comments about Dark Secrets.

1. This is the only DVD i've ever thrown away. Bad bad bad.

   "Funky clunky shunky and all sorts of bad stuff - woo." to quote the hitchhickers guide to the galaxy.

   Ok lets face it, i wanted to get some dvd porn - and i still do - this is not it. Soft core usa after dark quality grainy picture. I've seen better film on my teeth.




2. This is a yawn fest from start to finish. Weak acting all around. Julie Strain is the only & I mean ONLY reason this flick didn't get a negative 3 stars from me. Save you money & get Sorceress kids. Julie is a really underrated actress. But this isn't the right environment to showcase her "many" skills. The scene in the rain at the end is pretty cool, otherwise it's all "fast forward button time"



3. the graphic is blurry and fuzzy. The plot is extremely stupid and hard to understand what's going on and don't know what's the point of the movie. Little actions, and the music is terrible. The good lesbian theme at the end(last less than 2 minutes) is captured in a dark rainy day and the graphic is really horrible, unable to show the details. I won't recommend to anyone, i bought it and watched it, and has to fastfoward several parts. After i viewed it i have the intention to throw it away!



4. I have no real clue what this movie is about, but Julie Strain & Monique Parent in the rain *almost* make up for it.



5. I've always enjoyed this movie but was disappointed with the DVD version. Scenes were left out (the wax session at the beginning) plus they could have encluded more on the special features to please those not into the leather scene. But for the price you can't go wrong.

1 comments about Christmas on TV with Bonus CD "Mantovani: The Joy of Christmas".

1. One episode of a Bob HOPE christmas special with a sad Sherlock Holmes story having nothing to do with joy or Christmas nostalgia. I am so embaressed that I was the only fool to buy this DVD. The Bob Hope portion was barely acceptable. It was disjointed featuring Jerry Cologna and Hedda Hopper with walk on walk off roles they should have phoned in. Mickie Mantle had to be blatantly introduced to recognized at all. I shall be sending my DVD back. The seller should be ashamed.

No comments about Holiday in Havana - Desi Arnaz.

2 comments about Christmas Holiday [Region 2].

1. This is perhaps Deanna Durbin's finest acting in her brief career with Universal Studios. It is a film-noir with Deanna Durbin as a nightclub singer, married to a gambling murderer, Gene Kelly, pining her estrangement from her jailed husband. A young service man has just been jilted by his girlfriend as he is about to leave for a Christmas Holiday. He becomes entangled in the life of Deanna Durbin and witnesses the murder threat to Deanna from recently escaped Gene. This is not strictly speaking a musical, but some of Deanna Durbin's best known songs are from this film: Always; Spring Will be a Little Late This Year; etc.



2. Christmas Holiday is very different from the musical you would think Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly would make together. It is in a completely different genre. This film is definitely part of the film noir genre, a dark film told mostly in flashback by imperfect characters. The title comes from the man being told the story. A soldier is on leave and gets stranded going to San Francisco in Louisiana. There, he meets a nightclub singer named Jackie (Durbin), a seductive woman with many layers and a story to tell. She gets to talking to him and relays the story of her life. Her name is really Abigail; she changed it to escape her past. She is married to a murderer (Kelly), a man she still loves despite his crime.
   
   Durbin is breathtakingly gorgeous here in a mature role that allows her to be emotional in a way that her breezy musicals never allowed. It makes one wonder why she never made more films like it. She does however sing a few songs, most notably the lovers theme, "Always." Kelly is also impressive as a complicated villain, a man one wants to protect, love, and yet fear all at the same time.
   
   Unfortunately, this film is only available through bootlegged versions recorded from rare TV broadcasts. Hopefully, because of the star power involved, it will be released on DVD.

5 comments about A Christmas Carol (50th Anniversary Edition).

1. Amazon seems to have mixed up the reviews, so I will say that I am writing about the 1999 DVD of Alistair Sim's A Christmas Carol as released by VCI. I also have the 2007 release, and this 1999 disc is MUCH more enjoyable. Not a perfect transfer of the movie, but good enough to get lost in and revel in Sim's and all the other actors' marvelous performances.
   
   Avoid the 2007 2-disc set at all costs.



2. This is by far the best version of A Christmas Carole out there. Black and White all the way!



3. Be careful what you're buying here. Pictured is a 30 minute animated version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL with the VOICE of Alistair Sim. But read the other reviews and you'll discover that they're describing the live-action 1951 version in which Alastair Sim played Scrooge also. Both are great films. If you want the animated version, do an Amazon search using the two principle voices as your search criteria: "Alastair Sim Michael Redgrave".



4. In December 1845 Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol was first published. Many consider it the best short story (70 pages) ever written. There have been more film versions of A Christmas Carol than any other story, the latest has Micheal Moore as Scrooge. This version in B&W is by far the best. Other reviews praise the style and narrative of this version, and miss the fact that this is the story word for word as Dickens wrote it. Dickens like Shakespeare is best in his own words. Alastair Sim heads a great cast, Even death is the best one ever done. I have watched this movie on TV, DVD, and VCR, every Christmas Eve since the late 50's when it first came out on TV. (except the two Christmases I spent in Viet Nam) It's as much a part of my Christmas as a Christmas tree, and the best story of redemption ever written.
   The only suggestion I have to improve the movie is read the story then watch the movie.



5. Very good adaptation on film for of this classic book written by Ch. Dickens but I think there are more adaptations much better as release.

5 comments about A Christmas Carol.

1. Amazon seems to have mixed up the reviews, so I will say that I am writing about the 1999 DVD of Alistair Sim's A Christmas Carol as released by VCI. I also have the 2007 release, and this 1999 disc is MUCH more enjoyable. Not a perfect transfer of the movie, but good enough to get lost in and revel in Sim's and all the other actors' marvelous performances.
   
   Avoid the 2007 2-disc set at all costs.



2. This is by far the best version of A Christmas Carole out there. Black and White all the way!



3. Be careful what you're buying here. Pictured is a 30 minute animated version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL with the VOICE of Alistair Sim. But read the other reviews and you'll discover that they're describing the live-action 1951 version in which Alastair Sim played Scrooge also. Both are great films. If you want the animated version, do an Amazon search using the two principle voices as your search criteria: "Alastair Sim Michael Redgrave".



4. In December 1845 Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol was first published. Many consider it the best short story (70 pages) ever written. There have been more film versions of A Christmas Carol than any other story, the latest has Micheal Moore as Scrooge. This version in B&W is by far the best. Other reviews praise the style and narrative of this version, and miss the fact that this is the story word for word as Dickens wrote it. Dickens like Shakespeare is best in his own words. Alastair Sim heads a great cast, Even death is the best one ever done. I have watched this movie on TV, DVD, and VCR, every Christmas Eve since the late 50's when it first came out on TV. (except the two Christmases I spent in Viet Nam) It's as much a part of my Christmas as a Christmas tree, and the best story of redemption ever written.
   The only suggestion I have to improve the movie is read the story then watch the movie.



5. Very good adaptation on film for of this classic book written by Ch. Dickens but I think there are more adaptations much better as release.

No comments about Holiday Treasures.

2 comments about Caillou - Caillou's Holidays.

1. My 3 year old daughter, Rachel, loves this video. She has watched it several times. It deals with Halloween as well as Christmas and she enjoyed it as much as she does the shows on tv. She liked the little game on the dvd also. Dressing Rosie to go outside. She squealed and giggled through the entire video. If your little one likes Caillou, buy this.



2. THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE --VHS-- VERSION (Amazon will put it on both listings)
   
   (the DVD version gets 5 stars)
   
   My daughter loves Caillou (and tolerates the puppets - but that is not a big deal).
   
   I like him myself - much better than Dora, clearly better than the Berenstains and Clifford (though they are closer).
   
   This is a 40 minute tape. The DVD version is 80 minutes. Probably more expensive but you get twice the Caillou!

1 comments about The Toys That Rescued Christmas.

1. This DVD is a riot! Smuckey the monkey is histerical and the animation is amazing! The characters are one-of-a-kind, and the songs are pepppy! I love this DVD.

1 comments about The Sound of Jazz.

1. I had heard the LP put out in the 1950s of this great program. I have owned it on tape. I've seen portions of the performances in Jazz documentaries over the decades. I even bought the VHS as a Christmas present for my Dad.
   
   Simply nothing prepared me for how much fun and joy it was to watch this. Nothing!
   
   The story goes that this was underwritten by a wealthy Jazz lover who paid for such a great bevy of Jazz legends to be gathered in the studio that it included the three greatest tenor men in Jazz history--Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Ben Webster--Basie and Freddie Green reunited with Joe Jones, Danny Barker, Billie Holiday, Buck Clayton, Milt Hinton, Hank Jones, Thelonius Monk, Pee Wee Russel, Jimmy Jufree (know I can't spell that right), and others I have probably forgetten like the great Vic Dickinson and the super great Jimmie Rushing.
   
   Seeing all these musicians together, jamming, though most of the big band events are really united by the principles of Basieism Old Testment style with the sold All-America Rhythm Section beat provided by the three originals, Basie, Green, and Jones with Eddie Jones filling in more than adequately on base. You have a lot of that with Old Testment Baseites like Rushing, Morton, and Dickinson returning to join the Count and barely any of the new Testament crowd in evidence. Of course, on top of these soloists having Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster just in the room, let alone playing their horns, was probably Basie's dream.
   
   The only concession to Bop Here is Thelonius Monk who plays a cool version of Blue Monk supported by his own bass and drums. Monk said having Count Basie staring at him on the other side of the piano during his tune didn't exactly make him happy, but you won't notice that on the DVD.
   
   Generally, seeing the reactions of the different musicians to others playing is one of the best things about this DVD. I especially love seeing Jimmie Rushing and Billie digging the band sessions just walking around singing. I have heard on live recordings like Basie at Newport, the impact of Jimmie Rushing's encouragment and hand clapping and shouting to swing the Basie band, and heard more about that from elders who were there, but to see this actually happening, and to see as well as hear Jimmie sing, oh my oh my, why dont I go home and spend all day playing this over and over.
   
   The most famous part of this DVD is the Billie's performance of Fine and Mellow with Lester Young Soloing. Folks have written songs and poems just about this one cut long before this thing was available on video. They say when it was over everyone in the TV control room was in tears.
   
   Lester was not well that day and so he only participated in this one cut. He played in the slow, deliberate understated way he did when his body wasn't up to the punishment he was giving it by drinking a quart of bourbon every day for 10 years! His great collaboration with Billie Holiday from 1937 to 1941 had ended when Billie became a heroin addict because Prez refused to have anything to do with anyone who used needles. And this was a great moment to see the artistry pouring out of both of them, even though they had both destroyed the bodies that had made them great artists in the 1930s and 1940s.
   
   As much as I have worshipped Lester's solo and Billie's singing on this track, recognition needs to be given to Ben Webster's solo on this tune. Webster had actually been working with Billie in the great set of Verve recordings they did with folks like Harry Sweets Edison. In fact, while Lester's work with Billie in the 1930s is the true masterpiece of vocalist instrumentalist collaboration, Webster and Sweets later work needs some mention.
   
   Jerry Mulligan's solo on Fine and Mellow would also be famous were it not for the Lester/Billie connection. You not only hear it but you can see Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins being wowed by Mulligan's playing.
   
   In fact, besides the overwhelming fact of the superiority of the swinging nature of Basieism, the thing that impressed me most was the playing of Webster and Coleman Hawkins who were veterans of the 1930s--and in Hawkin's case the 1920s--who could still play it hard, dirty, and almost bopish in the 1950s.
   
   Juffre's third-stream number is interesting, although it mainly impresses one with how pallid 3-d stream and "cool" or "West Coast" Jazz was compared to Black swing and Dixieland or bop. We get to see this vividly when Juffre and Pee Wee Russell trade clarinet solos on a blues jam afterwards. Juffre is clearly slumping off compared to the strength drive and dirtiness of Russel.
   
   The cult-hero of this film is the great drummer Joe Jones who appears with every one of the ensembles. His drumming is relaxed, fluid, time keeping, and his interaction with the other players is one of the most interesting things in the film.
   In the clarinet duo, we can see him kind of grimacing and being a little irked and bored while Juffre plays while he brightens up for Russell. I really like digging him when he has the big band going and the old Basieite rhythm is being revived.
   
   On the DVD you get two extras, sets that were cut from the broadcast that are not on the LP. One is a forgettable Ahmad Jamal trio performance where Jamal focuses on pyrotechnics and not swing, on demonstrating his technical skills without really communicating much musically. He is immediately shown up by the playing of the great Hank Jones in an ensemble led by Ben Webster that includes Buck Clayton and Vick Dickinson (it would be interesting to know why Clayton never plays in the Basie sets since at the time Clayton was making his famous Buck Clayton Breakdowns which were recordings of Baseites and Southwestern era musicans creating old testament Basie music after Basie had gone on to the new.)
   
   Oh how could I forget the two numbers done by a traditional jazz combo led by Red Allen. There is some really great playing by Allen and by Vick Dickinson and Coleman Hawkins.
   
   This is simply so good that you are going to play this like a record, over and over again.