Description

Provides a behind-the-scenes look, with unprecedented access, into life inside the Vatican. With rare footage of secret archives, private chapels and papal quarters, the program explores the Vatican's long, powerful history, and the unique traditions and ceremonies that have survived for nearly 2000 years. Accounts from Vatican officiants, historians and devoted individuals who work closely with the Pope John Paul II provide privilieged insight into the inner workings of one of the richest wonders of the world. 60 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great insights
This DVD provides great insights into the Vatican and the role of the pope. This video tells a great story with pictures.

EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO THE HOLY SEE
Gain behind-the scenes access to the See of Peter in National Geographic's INSIDE THE VATICAN. This documentary provides an unprecedented view of the inner workings of the Church, such as the election of a new Pope, enlistment of Swiss Guards, the ordination of Archbishops, the restoration of priceless works of art, and a history of the Papacy and its critical role in the development of Western civilization.

The Papacy has its beginnings with St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and leader of the formative Church. He is the first Pope, who ministered the flock in Rome at the time of Nero, and was martyred at Vatican Field in a circus in the outskirts of the city. The disciples recovered his body and buried it in the same field, which became a center of pilgrimage in the ensuing centuries. The exact spot of his crucifixion was preserved by tradition, and is now marked by an altar. Constantine the Great built a basilica at the site of his tomb, which has been replaced with the magnificent renaissance structure of today.
One can see for the first time the original tomb of Saint Peter, which had been lost for centuries and has been rediscovered only a few decades ago, right under the main altar of today's basilica.

Of particular interest are the priceless documents from the last two millennia in the Vatican's Secret Archives. One can see letters from Michelangelo to Pope Julius II, the request of Henry VIII for the annulment of his marriage (this was denied, and led to the formation of the Anglican Church), and even a demand from the Mongol Emperor that the Pope pay homage to him! (Of course, denied.)

Great attention is given into a "normal" day in the Vatican: the restoration of priceless tapestries by Raphael; the cleaning of Bernini's colossal baldachino; meetings of international figures with the Vicar of Christ. In addition, one can see the blessed ministry of Pope John Paul II, a man of great compassion. Particularly moving is footage of his visit to a leper colony in Korea: the Holy Father embraces and kisses these poor souls, not shying from their diseased flesh, but rather sharing with them the love of Christ.

Truly the Gates of Hell have not endured against Christ's Church. The successors of Peter have served the Church, and will continue doing so, throughout the ages. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Ideal for teaching about the Vatican and Papacy
Every teacher of the Catholic faith to young adults and adults should incorporate this DVD into their classes. It is so unusual to see the Catholic faith presented without an agenda -- and this succeeds. Everything is clearly explained and given a historical context. I was impressed with the archival newsreel footage incorporated into the explanation of the papal elections.

Fascinating!
I found this dvd very entertaining and informative. It is a fascinating look into the operations of the most visited place in the world. The beauty and grandeur of the place especially the priceless paintings and artifacts have made the Vatican the most valuable wealth of historical information available. The dvd is great! National Geographic has done a great presentation of the Vatican and great to watch especially if you have never been there. This dvd is a great addition to any dvd collection.

Well researched!
This video is an excellent video to show students, young adults as well as adults who want to know more about their faith and how did the Vatican came to be. I think it is also encourage anyone who is interested or curious about the Cathoilc faith to take a preview of the video. The video decribes how an ordination happens at Saint Peters, what actually goes on during an ordination. The video also decribed a Blessed and is story and how one day, he could become a Saint by the Pope. Finally, once a Pope dies, a new Pope must be elected, the video will cover that as well. The pictures of the Vatican are just awesome. I've been to Rome before, and these pictures just bring back memories. Also, I forgot to mention, the Swiss Guards. The video goes into how one becomes a guard for the Pope and there uniform. You must buy it or at least rent it if you can. The Pope is seen in several frames thoughout the video. ... Read more

Description

Relive one of the greatest tales of adventure and exploration in history, as National Geographic brings to life the epic journey of Lewis, Clark, their guide Sacagawea and the brave Corps of Discovery across the land that would become the United States. Now, two hundred years after the launch of this ambitious expedition, experience first-hand the danger and breathtaking beauty of the unknown West as it unfolded before the eyes of Lewis & Clark. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

See it at an IMAX if you possibly can!
This is a fascinating re-enactment of Lewis and Clark's original journey, told with Jeff Bridges doing the voice-over but with real actors and the original locations. It is authentic down to the last detail, including such remarkable scenes as the expedition shooting rapids in canoes made from burn-out trees, and pulling their boats by rope over the mountains of Montana.

If you possibly can, though, catch this one in its IMAX version. The movie's story is entertaining enough but imagine it on a screen several stories high - literally larger than lifesize - with a powerful sound system to match. Imagine how much cooler shooting those rapids is in the IMAX form! If you can't find an IMAX, make sure you've got a big screen and turn the sound up. This is history as exciting as it was when it happened the first time.

WMV-HD Disc Is NOT Self Destructing
This is in response to the_digital_dude's comments from July 1. The license will renew after it expires as long as the disc is in the drive. You can copy the WMV file to your computer and play it without the disc being in the drive as long as the license is active. After it expires, you will have to place the disc back in the drive and the license will be renewed. As far as I know, this is the way all of the Imax and National Geographic WMV-HD movies are. Unfortunately, one of the earlier WMV-HD movies, Terminator 2, required an active internet connection to acquire the license. I agree that the digital rights management is confusing to the consumer and really should be documented somewhere on the disc or packaging.

WMV HD is MS _JUNK_!
Please note that this film is terrific and rates five stars all the way! I first saw it in an IMAX theater and then had to have it on DVD. Read the favorable reviews of the movie itself to gain an appreciation of what makes it so great, even though it is regrettably very short considering the huge amount of effort that went into making it. It's a timeless masterpiece for better understanding a cornerstone of the history of the United States. Don't be surprised if you watch it a few times!

This review, however, is of the Special Edition DVD. Disc 1 is the standard movie playable in a regular set top DVD player hooked up to your TV. Disc 2, however, contains a high definition 720p version of the film for playback on a fast computer. At first glance of the DVD cover and the generic instructions included inside, one realizes that a fairly recent and rather powerful PC is required. Okay, for a fair number of us, that's not a problem, and it was not a problem in my case. For those of you with a PC slower than 2.4Ghz, your computer doesn't even meet the minimum requirements.

So, I was fairly excited to see what such high definition playback looked like on my 2.8Ghz PC. I noticed that there was no 1080p version of the film on the disc, as the generic instruction card inside the DVD case indicated, but I later realized that the instructions were indeed that, generic, and simply didn't apply to this particular title. Okay, at this point, the documentation goes from bad to absolute crap extremely quickly.

Putting the disc into my DVD-ROM player began Autoplay. Well, immediately an ActiveX control error appeared and suggested I look at www.wmvhd.com for a solution. Actually, that website couldn't have any less technical support for this problem than if it had been written in Latin with a black pen on a black wall and viewed in pitch darkness. Trudging through the Microsoft website links off the main WMVHD page gives precious little useful information, so after Googling on the problem for a while, I found out that this whole scenario is a Microsoft marketing ploy to sell its five-year-old Digital Rights Management scheme to content providers to eliminate media piracy. Wow, talk about shooting the baby when dumping out the bath water. This DRM anti-piracy product is downright draconian in its implementation.

Setting all ActiveX controls, cookies, and security/privacy settings to the lowest possible did not resolve the ActiveX error, nor did disabling my Anti-Virus, Firewall, or anti-Spyware software. Hunting through the Microsoft Support Knowledgebase came up totally empty. Good grief, is this technology ever poorly documented and supported even in house!

Well, after some more Googling, I finally found a piece of advice in an AV forum to just run the main movie file directly from Windows Media Player, but AFTER running the License Registration executable in the root of the DVD directory. Running licgen.exe doesn't appear to do much at first, but apparently it will authorize the playback of the main movie file by unlocking the key encrypted within it.

Okay, at this point, surely one is thinking "Hey, I finally get to see this movie on DVD in high def on my PC". Well, yes, you do, but here's the kicker: THE PLAYBACK LICENSE EXPIRES IN 9 DAYS!!! While the movie is playing in Windows Media Player and looking and sounding nice and pretty, right-click on the filename in the playlist column on the right of the screen and look at the License information. Sure enough, you'll see that there is a limited duration playback period! What in the world?????? Where was this stated on the DVD packaging anywhere?

Truly pondering if this scheme meant that disc 2 of this special edition amounted to some sort of a self-destructing DVD, I ran the license request executable the next day to see if the playback duration would get reset, but no, it didn't.

Keep in mind that none of these limitations are clearly documented anywhere in the online product description, on or in the DVD box, or even anywhere prominently on the WMVHD website. However, if you dig far enough off of that website into the Microsoft sales information for why content providers should use DRM software, it becomes quickly apparent how very anti-consumer this anti-piracy scheme really is, especially as it concerns limiting the playback options for a movie DVD that is not at all advertised in good faith as having such restrictions.

So, whether or not this High Definition DVD ends up being a frisbie in a week remains to be seen, but the poor support and documentation in getting the movie to run in the first place only to learn that it may be self-destructing is absolutely inexcusable. I wonder for this particular release if National Geographic even fully understands what they are selling here.

Again, the movie content itself is terrific. This MS WMV HD DRM DVD, however, is beyond bizarre.

Save your money
There is very little historical information in this DVD. They omitted the number of persons that began the trip, the number of boats and they did they tell anything about what equipment and goods they took along. It may be interesting for someone who never heard of Lewis and Clark nor heard anything about their journey but for the average person it is boring. There are some good scenes along the way but they are generally out takes that do not fit in with the trip. It appears to have been produced by someone that had little knowledge and little interest about the significance of the expedition. National Geographic can do much better!

Four Stars for Your Viewing Pleasure
The photography is superb, and the action and sound are enough to keep viewers of all ages engaged. As an Imax movie, this is designed for the eyes and ears, and towards those goal, it provides a great experience. Don't purchase this with an expectation of learning much about history, however. While the general course of the expedition is followed, the short length of the film severely limit the needed details to describe the journey. ... Read more

Reviews (69)

Doesn't Play Well In Time
I liked this movie when it was first released to the theatres in the 1970s. I thought a revisit on DVD would bring back some of those fond memories, but, sadly, the film looks very dated.'

Forget the premise - it's pure enviro-fiction. Think about it for a minute: the planet earth has no more forests, trees, deserts - no wilderness left. We had to put all our critical environments in pods and orbit Jupiter with them (why Jupiter? why not orbit Earth?).

This very Asimovian premise falls on its face in light of science: since green plants give us the oxygen we need, a planet devoid of all green plants would be a dead planet - there would be no oxygen-breathing life on it.

OK. Let's say, though, that the radical environmental movement has succeesed in numbing your sense of reason - the film still fails in its scripting, which is needlessly whiny. Bruce Dern gives a rather egalitarian performance as the tree-hugger, which doesn't help to lend credibility to his cause.

Some of the effects still hold up, but overall the film has that shaky, matted look of cheesy 70s sci-fi (even STAR WARS has that look).

The most interesting thing about the DVD is the Special Features, and the documentaries on the making of the film. Once I finished with those, I had nothing more interesting to watch.

Great 1970s dystopic...
Like death and dying, there are several stages in evaluating "Silent Running" as a film. The first stage is whoa! great effects, unusual idea for a film made in the early 1970s. The second stage is the realization that you are being hit with some of the hardest propaganda since "Battleship Potempkin" or "Triumph of the Will". The final stage is nostalgia for such a ground-breaking movie with super special effects.

Bruce Dern is comfy in his role as a slowly-unraveling sociopath. What many don't realize is that the screenplay was written by a then-young Michael Cimino and Steven Bochco ("The Deer Hunter", "NYPD Blue". What's truly amazing is the use of mechanical (not visual) effects. If you've never been on an aircraft carrier, you'll believe that there is an American Airlines cargo freighter "Valley Forge". The details are wonderful: the corporate logos on the cargo pods, the technical manuals lying around, the overall believability of the wonderful drones, the background radio chatter from the other ships.

It's a shame Douglas Trumbull hasn't been more visible, this was a great effort.

A Bold Attempt with Fatal Touches
I must say I actually applauded Douglas Trumball for making this film, and upon it's release, it made an impact with audiences, but I never cared for it as entertainment or as serious science fiction. Today, the short-lived "ecology movement", green flags and all, is long gone, and this film is now is a seriously dated curio of it's time.

There are some terrific things to be said about this film... and there are some intelligent reviews of it that I agree with... however there are some fatal touches that make this a dated piece, and that make it difficult to watch today.

First of all, Bruce Dern's unappealing character is a stereotypical "hippie". He is a classic "passive-agressive" person... at one moment "loving and peaceful" and the next minute he is angry, pissed off, not in control of his emotions. He is certainly difficult for me to empathize with, since he reminds me of many "do-gooders" I have known who are unpredictable and untrustworthy and have a "hidden agenda" besides "peace and love". Dern plays this part to perfection, but its not something comfortable to watch for 2 hours. I have seen this film 2 or 3 times and each time I just wanted a chance to stuff something in his mouth to shut him up.

Secondly, the soundtrack of Joan Baez singing her folk tunes in space is just too limited for the scope of the visuals and destroys the impact of the powerful message the film tries to convey about "saving the planet". Her passive, slightly off-key and limited-ranged vocals do not marry well to the scenes of space, stars, planets and infinity. It does not work on any level... either then or now.

Finally, the most fatal flaw of this film is that as the plants begin to die... our hero panics and says he has no clue why. Forgetting about the space ship leaving the solar system and the gigantic glass domes leaving solar rays, he suddenly "realizes" that plants need SUN. What kind of ecological genius is this guy?

Well, the robots are clever and cute, the sets are impressive, the early scenes with the "friendly" plants are nice and the special effects are first rate for their day.... and we get to see Saturn's rings in the movies for the first time looking relatively authentic. It's certainly not as bad as a few reviewers have said, and sci-fi fans should see it, but there are far better sci-fi films out there.... and better ones that deal with the rape of our ecosystem.

Douglas Trumbull's Underappreciated SF Classic
On an overtechnologized and defoliated Earth of the future, the ecosystem has been carelessly destroyed by humans and the only remaining wilderness environs are grudgingly looked after by astronauts on massive domed spaceships. The vitamins, minerals, and such required to sustain human life can be easily synthesized in laboratories, so the folks on Earth are becoming increasingly apathetic about the need to sustain the circumgyrating greenhouses. When the inevitable order to scrap the project and destroy the orbiting flora and fauna finally comes through, Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern), the only astronaut in the project who truly cares about the plants and animals, violently rebels and places upon himself the responsibility of protecting the last vestiges of Earth's non-human life. But just how far will he go to ensure that he's successful in his self-imposed calling?

1972's SILENT RUNNING marks the directorial debut of FX wizard Douglas Trumbull, probably best known for his FX work on Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi epic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Though the skeleton was given flesh by writers Deric Washburn , Michael Cimino, and Steven Bochco, the underlying structure of the plot is Trumbull's. In light of his work with Kubrick, it is interesting that Trumbull would come up with an idea such as that for SILENT RUNNING, as it makes it seem as if he felt that the only way he could demonstrate that he is more than just an FX man was to create a film that is the thematic opposite of the one featuring his best known FX work. Kubrik's opus tells a story that celebrates mankind's intellectual evolution and subsequent technological advancements, whereas Trumbull's brainchild embraces the ideals of 1960's counter-culture ecology movement and implies that technological advancement is conducted irresponsibly and consequently pollutes the environment and wrecks the Earth.

The plot of SILENT RUNNING is a bit slow at times, but the film is never dull or boring. And in the role of the good-intentioned but increasingly psychotic Lowell, Dern turns in one of his most intense and most memorable performances. Due to its anti-technology and pro-environmentalist theme, however, many critics have panned SILENT RUNNING as a '60s throwback in which Trumbull tries to milk emotions from the last vestiges of the pro-ecology hippies, often citing the fact that '60s folk singer Joan Baez performs some of the film's music as proof of their theory. But this is really an unfair evaluation. Environmentalist themes have been a long tradition in science fiction, with a future dystopia used to illustrate what might happen if present society continues being ecologically apathetic. And SILENT RUNNING isn't the only classic SF film from the '70s built around such a theme. Other SF films of the era also express concern about man's effect on nature--NO BLADE OF GRASS (1970), Z.P.G. (1972), SOYLENT GREEN (1973), and PROPHECY (1979) to name just a few. So it's more likely that Trumbull, a science-fiction fan himself, simply chose a traditional SF theme that appealed to his own ideals and tastes.

The DVD from Universal offers a good digital transfer of the film in anamorphic widescreen. Also included are some pretty cool bonus features, not the least of which are the original made-for-tv featurette on the making of the film and an interesting feature commentary with Trumbull and Dern. No true fans of SF will want to miss the opportunity to include this film in their DVD collections.

tell them all they love will die, tell them why, in the sun
I recently purchased this DVD, and viewed the film again after a break of many years.

There is little if anything of a critical nature that I could add to the excellent comments of darkgenius (see below). I did not see the character of Freeman Lowell as quite the fanatic that he did - which surprised me, because that *is* how I remembered him from my previous viewings, many years ago. If we lived in the ecologically monstrous era of the film, yet saw with the vision of a man of today (as Lowell does), I imagine many of us would exhibit more outrage than he does. In fact, I think the indifference of his co-workers astonishes - or perhaps appalls - me more than Lowell's personal involvement.

This is a very moving film. Evil is usually depicted in film in much more immediate and dramatic manifestations than one usually encounters in real life. CS Lewis has made the observation that all evil is ultimately banal. Indeed, true evil often passes before us completely unnoticed as such - in the civil servant who shows a bias for someone of her own race; in the policeman who gets joy out of bullying members of the public; in landlords and banks that use ignorance and intimidation to exact unwarranted concessions from a dispirited public; and so on.

In Silent Running, the last forests on Earth have been shot into space. There is no room for them anymore, but they are being preserved. Anyone of mature years knows how this kind of thing would come about in real life, and how it would end. It would come about because some political group wanted the forest land for some other purpose; and, not having the courage to simply destroy the forests openly -- perhaps not even wanting to do so, initially -- they suggest that this last great ecological heritage be preserved in space against the day when forests are again convenient. They might even weep, saying that the cost didn't matter because the forests were irreplaceable. And it would be done. But: "out of sight, out of mind." It would only be a few years before the expense of maintaining these forests in space would be deemed unjustifiable. And then the order to abandon them would come.

This is the way many societal evils actually come about. Silent Running shows us what depths of depravity are implicit in this common principle of human behavior.

The sorrow conveyed by this film is intensified by the representation of the victims as children. Lowell himself is naïve, thinking that recall and re-establishment of the forests is just around the corner. The drones are diminutive, awkward in their movements, and *trusting*; this last is demonstrated at a couple of points in the film, where it is evident that they are uncertain, look to Lowell for guidance, then go on about their tasks. Don't overlook the watering can. And there is the song, "Rejoice in the Sun," sung by Joan Baez.

We identify with these children. We feel the anguish of their loss as our own.

I venture to say that if you were to show this film to a group of your acquaintances, the ones who wept would prove the best friends. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In its usual engrossing fashion, National Geographic presents The Incredible Human Body. Starting with the science of conception, this special takes you from one couple's journey through in-vitro fertilization to the removal of a man's brain tumor (while he is awake!) to the amazing memory of London cab drivers. Our body consists of 206 bones, 650 muscles, and a heart that will beat three billion times in our lifetime. How and why does our body develop the way it does? DNA expert J. Craig Venter says, "It's just like solving a jigsaw puzzle, only the jigsaw puzzle in our case has 27 million pieces [and] it came in a very big box and there was no picture on the cover." The Incredible Human Body explores how the brain and body interact to not only function, but adapt and learn. Narrated by actress Kate Burton, The Incredible Human Body is a fascinating lesson in mind-body interaction. --Dana Van Nest ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Best Geographic Video I've Seen
I gotta say that this is the best National Geographic video I've seen and I have a whole bunch on my video shelf. The animation is fantastic. I'll remember the story of the school teacher and his brain tumor as long as I live. I also liked seeing behind this scenes of thast basketball team as it was something I hadn't seen before. I highly reccommend this video.

Amazon.com.uk have a much better option...
The Human Body is a good theme, but this one is "no-so-good" approach (very rare, because NGS make very good videos). The better documentary I ever seen about it, is the Dr. Winston's The Human Body, from BBC. Only available from Amazon.com.uk (please American Amazon's friends, what do you are waiting). I recommend to wait.....believe in me !.

Below the average
I thought this DVD slightly below an average National Geographic video once there is more personal dramas than scienfic information. However I was moved by the story of a teacher with a brain tumor and his family anxiety.

An Incredible DVD on the Incedible Human Body
I found this DVD fascinating. It is a great blend of live footage, real life stories and beautiful animation. There is a fun sequence on the brain's of London cab drivers which is followed by a very moving portrait of a school teacher in need of brain surgery. You also get to see the actual conception of a baby and then follow the pregnancy at every step. I was with it every step of the way. By the way, I also really liked the narrator, Kate Burton. ... Read more

Description

National Geographic journeys deep behind battle lines to experience a different side of the Vietnam War - the side seen only through the lenses of North Vietnamese photographers. Renowned British photojournalist Tim Page travels back to the land where he nearly lost his life to meet with North Vietnamese war photographers, revealing remarkable, never-before-seen photos and personal stories long hidden by time and tragedy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Good Documentary
A very good-emotional documentary of the Vietnam War, it's hard to imageine that someone could have so much heart of fighting a war( North Vietnamese). The Film show how the people fought against the American, most of all- how the media was running under the war. A photographer wash his films at night without dark room. A dangerous way of walk the film back to the North. And some images were too horified to look, like the one show what was left of a town after was bomb by US B-52. If someone think that ths documentary or a reinactment they not human- probably some dead animal that has no brain at all. Buy this- it's very good.

A joke at best
1st of all its only an hour long. There is less than a dozen "pictures from the other side" <----------------and these are STILL PICTURES. This reminded me of watching America's Most Wanted.....It had what seemed to be a ton of reinactments. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sean Connery leads a team of asteroid-battling astronomers in Meteor, one of the last and most unusual examples of the disaster movie craze of the 1970s. In this one, a killer asteroid named Orpheus threatens to collide with the Earth, and Connery must come up with a plan to stop it. Cold war politics date the picture a bit, but they also add some weight to the impending doom facing humanity. Like any good disaster flick, it's populated by an all-star cast, including Karl Malden, Martin Landau, Natalie Wood, Richard Dysart, Henry Fonda, and Trevor Howard.Brian Keith plays Connery's opposite number in the U.S.S.R. While the pacing and special effects are weak compared to similar celestial menaces depicted in Armageddon and Deep Impact, Meteor displays all the benefits of its more powerful cast… not to mention Hank Fonda as President. --Mark Savary ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The first meteor-hits-earth movie - solid performances.
This is the first movie (1979) to deal with the subject of a meteor hitting the earth and what the scenerio or consequences might be like. For its day, a very well done film. The acting is very good with performances by many well known experienced actors and actresses. By today's standards the special effects seem a bit like spliced in stock footage, but is convincing enough not to distract from the performances of the stars. The story is believable and engaging, as well as the realism the actors and actresses portray. The art direction is superb, as you feel you are really at the places the scenes depict; subway tunnels, missle control centers, etc. Though not a high-end "Sci-Fi Special Effects Thriller" like we may see today (sometimes devoid of believable or understandable plot and full of bad acting!), Meteor is very entertaining and generally a good watch; an example of solid filmaking where all the parts come together harmoniously...and who knows, it may have stayed within budget!

Superb forerunner of recent hits
When you see this, you may learn where some of the inspirations for ARMAGEDDON and DEEP IMPACT came from. Sean Connery gives a strong performance as a scientist trying to convince the military and government that a giant meteor five miles wide(apparently a rock from the producer's back garden was used and it shows!) is heading for Earth, preceeded by deadly fragments. After the talk comes some action and effects which were good for the time, and sometimes still look great even now. An avalanche in Switzerland, a tidal wave flooding Hong Kong, and as a preview of ARMAGEDDON, a huge fragment demolishes New York(although you can tell it's stock film in parts, even though it's kept to a minimum). And the space scenes towards the end of the movie are great! The characters are much more well-created and acted than in many films of this genre from the 1970s, particularly Connery(he makes anything worth watching when he's in it, with the obvious exceptions of ZARDOZ and HIGHLANDER 2: THE QUICKENING), Henry Fonda(as the President), Brian Keith not speaking a word of English except when he mocks the Brooklyn Dodgers(!), Natalie Wood as his interpreter and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE's Martin Landau as a caricature hot-headed Air Force general! Altogether, if you enjoyed DEEP IMPACT and ARMAGEDDON, don't miss METEOR. You'll be just as entertained!

How The Heck?
In 1979, I would probably guess that big name studios like MGM would have better morals than to put out this pathetic excuse of a movie. Boring, unintriging, and badly acted, this movie will have you on the edge of your seat, to run into the next room covering your eyes at it's badness.

I don't mean to diss, but man. This movie is awful. Why would I recommend this? How can I? I'll just simply put it like this. I'm not.

Cooperating to Save the World
This 1979 movie presents a real threat from Outer Space. An asteroid is hit by a comet and explodes into a million pieces. One piece destroys the observing space shuttle; another is heading for earth - a big one. Orpheus is five miles wide! Even if it only hit the Atlantic, the result would be a cataclysm creating another Ice Age and the possible extinction of most life. The problem is that destroying the asteroid would reveal the presence of nuclear rockets in space, a violation of numerous treaties!

The President addresses the nation to tell of this emergency, and Project Hercules as the solution. Cooperation with the Soviet Union is needed to destroy this meteor. But it is hard to change old ways. The film shows a meteor striking in Siberia, and creating earthquake-like tremors. (Something like this did happen circa 1911.) The first meteors enter the atmosphere and burn up harmlessly. But a bigger chunk hits a snow mountain, causing an avalanche that destroys a small village. One hits the Pacific and creates a tidal wave that wipes out Taiwan. The threat is real and imminent. There is one political problem: because of the difference in orbits, the Soviet rockets would have to be fired first. Trust is needed.

But a new threat arises: a "splinter" is headed for the Eastern Seaboard of the US. It strikes Manhattan, damaging the Twin Towers and other buildings. The command center is damaged, but most survive to escape by a subway tunnel. Then the river starts to break through and threaten the survivors; they muddle through to hear that Orpheus was destroyed.

This story recalls "Ragnarok" by Ignatius Donnelly which analyzed the common legends of mankind and explained them as the remembrance of a comet hitting the earth and causing great climatic changes. Read this 1883 international best seller for its pioneering story.

GREAT MOVIE!
I love this movie! It is a great "feel good" movie. The Russians and Americans working together to save the world. What could be a better movie concept in the Cold War era in which this movie was made. Two great ideas for an exciting movie are brought together beautifully: a meteor five miles wide striking the Earth and a satellite orbiting the Earth armed with the devestating destructive power of nuclear missles now forced to be used to save the planet. If you want great special effects, forget it. This move was made in 1979 when special effects were still in their infancy. But, I still think the special effects are more than adequate and quite believeable. The makers of Meteor did a fine job. The story is believeable and the director lets you feel the emotions of the moment through the characters involved using the little side stories without making the movie to complex. In short, Meteor is one of my favorite movies and one I enjoy watching again and again. If you want to see a lousy movie, try one of the new Star Wars films. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Entertaining
If you're a bit younger or have children and want to find out more about the ocean -- check out Captain Jon Explores the Ocean (also available on Amazon).

Get this cheaper at Target
It is a decent shark presentation, but I've seen some of this stuff before on a National Geographic video. That guy Rodney Fox has been filmed so much that he ends up doing the same thing on several different videos. Anyway, buy this at Target for 9.99 like I did.

Nothing special. Imax deserves something better.
This documentary needs badly a better direction and focus. There's nothing here we have not seen in the Discovery Channel. Furthermore the pace is slow, the story bland and repetitive (how many times must we show wonder for a senior cientist?)and the resources such as Imax film are wasted. If you want to watch something spectacular, try Ray Macgillivray's The Living Seas, Imax-Alaska or Africa-The Serengeti. Buy this only if you want to complete your Imax Dvd Library.

Okay documentary, nothing spectacular though!
I consider myself a documentary, "Discovery Channel" freak, and of the many topics and themes which interest me the most, sharks in general rank among the top 10.

So my review of this DVD may be viewed as biased from the start, hence a high 4 or 5-star rating may be expected. Unfortunately, I've seen the disc and am somewhat disappointed. For one, how can you call a disc "Search For The Great Sharks" when you essentially featured just two species (the whale shark and the ever crowd-pleasing great white)? Nothing about hammerheads? Makos? Tiger sharks?

Nevertheless, I give it 3 stars if only for the overall audio and video quality (expect nothing less from IMAX - I own a couple others myself). Also interesting trivia which would probably please an audience of all ages. The film, unfortunately, is only 46 mins long (how come all IMAXes are this short? grrr!), with nine chapters as follows: 1. Domain of the Shark; 2. Behavior; 3. Steel Cage; 4. Western Australia; 5. Spotted Whale Shark; 6. Great White Shark; 7. Ancient Survivors; 8. Credits; 9. "Making Of".

I intend to order the Operation: Shark Attack 5-disc set soon, hopefully there'll me something more there. For shark freaks out there I'd also recommend getting a copy of the Discovery Channel Great White video (on VHS or VCD) or even the DVD of "Deep Blue Sea" with its interesting featurette(s).

Nice Visuals but you shouldn't ask non-actors to act.
This DVD, (the Slingshot edition 9836), comes with 7 language tracks, english subtitles, Dolby 5.1 sound and a music and ambiance track option, plus a short 7 minute making of featurette that discusses some of the problems of making an Imax film at sea. The film was made in 1993. This is a GOOD documentary, but sadly not a GREAT documentary. Some of the underwater sequences are very good, one or two shots are muddie and appear to have a lucky we got it quality to them. Personally I would have preferred a straight documentary about the Great Sharks. This particular film trys to be a bit action adventure a bit serious documentary and it just doesn't work. While Rodney Fox and Eugenie Clark try their best, they are not actors and shouldn't have been asked to act. Some of the sequences don't work simply because you can see whats coming a mile away. The looking over the side of the boat for sharks sequence comes very much to mind. Suddenly a shark appears. Surprise! And everyone reels back in fake horror. Some sequences have obviously been staged after the event to get close ups. The seal sequence where the Imax camera twists and turns through a seaweed forest is obviously designed to make you feel sick when watching in an Imax cinema. It goes on a little too long and is one use of the Imax format I wish some film makers would get away from. Dispite these criticisms it is a quiet enjoyable film. Worth getting? I bought a copy and have enjoyed watching it a number of times, corny acting and all. Try using the music and ambience track option if the narration gets a bit much. Theres no real point to the Search except to show some rather good underwater footage. Considering the extreme difficulty of making this kind documentary I think its a fine job. With a bit of luck it might have been as good as the exceptionally excellent Whales: An Unforgetable Journey. ... Read more

Description

Noted Egyptologist Zahi Al-Hawass showcases the most up-to-date archaeological work going on in Egypt and reveals new discoveries that may shed light on some of the most enduring mysteries of the pyramids. You'll witness the opening Egypt's oldest intact sarcophagus and follow a specially-designed robot as it reveals what lay beyond a blocking stone in the Great Pyramid's mysterious southern shaft You'll learn more about how the Great Pyramids were built as a worker's city is unearthed and its clues revealed for the first time. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

All Speculation
This show presents a lot of inaccurate and unsubstantiated information about the great pyramid.

They drill a hole through a so called 'door' in the pyramid to reach a tremendous archeological discovery: there's a wall behind the 'door'.

Then they suggest that there are more archeological treasures waiting behind this. So I guess they're planning on drilling another hole into the pyramid to destroy it even more than it already has been.

Christopher Dunn in his book 'The Giza Power Plant' has discovered the true secret behind the great pyramid. It was a machine.

There's no evidence that anyone was ever buried inside the great pyramid.

The current theories about the great pyramid being built to bury someone are not substantiated. It should be obvious that nobody would build something like this just to bury someone.

Nobody knows how it was even built anyway. The new age psychic Edgar Cayce said the great pyramid was built using anti gravity forces.

Jeff Marzano

egyptologists passions...
I have been studing Ancient Egypt for many many years . I got addicted and could never stop, but I had many questions about the Pyramids. This DVD answered them all and i enjoy watching it over and over again! If you are as passionate about Egypt as me or Zahi Al-Hawass then this is a must have! The only flaw was an american personality doing the report on the sarcopogus! He was pushy and whine.

Five Stars For The Information, One For How It Was Done
The vast amount of information on this subject found on this DVD well exceeds my expectations, But I did not like how it was done. They tried to make this too exciting, In a similiar style to Dick Clarks' New Years Eve Party but more closer to a live on the scene news broadcast. "Stargate" fans, Who believe what they see on that show, Will probably not like this documentary. It proves what I've always believed, We built the Pyramids. The scientific facts are all here, That prove beyond any doubt, That the Egyptians had everything it took to build such awesome structures. Yes, The facts presented here disprove the myth, Which "Stargate" embraced, That aliens built the Pyramids. We built them. I do love the "Stargate" movie and TV show, It's good sci-fi entertainment to me, But that's all it is... Just a fantasy. National Geographic does a fantastic job on their documentaries. For what i've learned from watching them I must show them a little respect. I just don't like their style, But maybe you will. Cheers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Murky and grim encounter with Christmas skyscraper fire.
I am afraid that this rather murky and smeary print of a most forgettable film does full justice to the original. Materials handled with a certain amount of class in THE TOWERING INFERNO (such as the flashback, the smoke-filled room, the heroic firefighter, etc) here receive short shrift. This is disaster by the book, with little sympathy for the participants, little compassion for the victims, and little effort in the effects.

The print from which this DVD is taken seems in dire need of restoration. Focus is foggy, color faded, images darkened, clips and frames missing.

And yet, if you are a disaster-film junky such as I am, this film at its modest price will be a suitable addition to your collection. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Watergate + "2001" + "Close Encounters" = HANGAR 18
The Utah-based Schick Sunn Pictures corporation, known for churning out highly speculative documentaries, turns to science fiction for this interesting conspiracy sci-fi drama. The question: What would the U.S. government do if it suddenly had an alien spacecraft in its possession?

Two shuttle astronauts (Gary Collins, James Hampton) are in the process of launching a military satellite from the shuttle, when they encounter a UFO in orbit. When the satellite is launched, it hits the UFO with explosive results, killing a third man who was inside the shuttle's cargo bay watching the satellite's progress. The UFO, however, makes a controlled landing in the Arizona desert.

When they get back on the ground, Collins and Hampton soon find themselves the target of charges that the incident in orbit was their fault, and are forced to clear their names by finding the right evidence, all the while being tracked by government agents. Meanwhile, a team of scientists, led by Darren McGavin, are ensconsed at Hangar 18, located on the grounds of an Air Force base in Texas, trying to learn everything possible about the UFO and its occupants...whose appearances bear an all-too-uncanny resemblance to humans.

Thought I dock this film one star because its special effects aren't exactly up to snuff (a lowered budget is the reason), HANGAR 18 is otherwise a very good film. In basic terms, it combines a Watergate-style political scenario with elements from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and Steven Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. This is not to say that HANGAR 18 is a masterpiece like those two films are. But the combination of such elements manages to work in a fairly narrow framework. The cast is also quite good, with McGavin giving one of his most memorable and stimulating performances. Robert Vaughn is equally good as the President's devious chief-of-staff, who concots the cover-up to get his boss re-elected.

To sum it up, HANGAR 18 is a somewhat imperfect movie, but it still holds up well despite its flaws.

Pre-X Files, but only better and much more exciting!!
I remember when this classic movie came out in 1980. I really enjoyed seeing the previews and what the film was all about. Surprisingly, my parents took me to see the film, and all of us really enjoyed this science fiction/conspiracy thriller classic. All of us even jumped when that alien environment suit popped out of the UFO's closet by accident. Nevertheless, the movie was in a way like an earlier version of The X-Files. Only just as better and more exciting than the series that would come some 13 years later.

Hanger 18 tells the story of how a satellite, launched by a NASA space shuttle/orbiter, collides with an Unidentified Flying Object, causing the death of an American astronaut in the process. When the UFO crashes on Earth, the U.S. Air Force and NASA recover it, and take it to a manned lunar receiving station in Texas. There, they uncover some hidden secrets that soon take the scientists by surprise. And makes the Government nervous. At the same time, two of the shuttle astronauts who witnessed the incident in space, are "blamed" for the other astronaut's death, and try to clear up the situation, by hunting for the UFO. The government tries to prevent the two from locating the UFO, but to little or no avail. That situation leads to something even more drastic made by the CIA and The Department Of Defense.

Like the classic film Capricorn One, Hanger 18 does a remarkable job of playing on the government conspiracy angle, and at the same time, deals with the ancient astronaut theory. The subplot involving the two astronauts trying to clear their names is also good, as is the storyline about the scientists trying to unlock whatever secrets are in the flying saucer.

And it also had a wonderful cats of veterans. Darren McGavin, Gary Collins, James Hampton, Pamela Bellwood, Robert Vaughn, William Schallert, Joseph Campenella, and Bill Zuckert among others. Though one wishes that James Brolin, Roy Thinnes, or Tom Berenger had been in the role played by Collins. Collins did a good job, however, if I had been the casting director, I would have picked one of those three.

Overall, a very good and entertaining film. One of the best in the hall of science fiction. If you enjoy watching the X-Files and other films about flying saucers, then you will definately enjoy this film.

hanger 18
I love this movie its a must see. the starteling truth behind this could be so scary. I was a little girl when this movie was made in my home town. I remember getting to stay up and watch them film this movie. my father was an extra in this movie too. I always loved this movie and now that i am an adult i still love this movie

This is a must-see.
See this. It is self-explanatory. As far as reality is concerned, I place it right up there with the book "Psychic Warrior". If you don't think our government is capable of such deception, think again!

interesting
I liked it as with any movie you have to suspend reality and just sit back and enjoy the ride. I read Leonard Maltins review and do nort agree. Lets review Leonard Maltin he gets paid to watch movies then tell us what we should think this is a man with a beard that he can not trim straight and who wears crooked glasses. Make up your own minds. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Understand the Drive to become Italian-American
This video helped me to understand my Italian heritage, and how my ancestors were driven to come to this country to make a better life for themselves. It explains when and why the Italians began to immigrate to this great country, and the difficulties they endured while trying to become integrated in this new world. Overcoming the language barrier, and the prejudices by other ethnic groups that immigrated around the same time, were some of the obstacles they faced. Italian traditions, and the Italian family life style and structure were threatened by the intense need to assimilate, which was necessary for survival. Assimilation, however, was a terribly slow process because of the language barrier. If you're interested in how and why you became an Italian-American, you should see this video. It'll make you very proud of your ancestors, your culture,and your heritage. It'll give you a better perspective on what it means to be Italian-American, and make you feel proud to be one.

Bravo to Italians in America
Although I am an Irishman, I loved the fact how the video informed me on how Irish and Italians are the most integrated nationality in America. Their common bond with the Catholic Religion, toughness as a people, and their willingness to fight for their rights.

Film counters traditional Itlo-American stereotypes
Italians in America shows the real struggle that Itlo-Americans faced in this country from the first immigrants to today. While the documentary promotes our great culture, our heroes in sports, film and the arts it gave a pass to Hollywoods depiction (generally unfavorable) of Itlo-Americans. It also failed to show the real bias that exists against Italian Americans in some major cities with regards to politics. I also would have hoped that Chicago, which has the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and Taylor Street - which is heart of Italian Chicago - could have been profiled. This being said, the film was well done, well written and well researched. ... Read more

Description

JACKIE and MATT, a young loving couple, are looking for an affordable apartment in New York City. After much frustration, Matt meets a charming elderly couple who own a posh brownstone occupied by several other elderly couples. Surprisingly, they've got a vacant unit - which is spectacular and insanely cheap.For Jackie and Matt this seems too good to be true. Because it is.Strange things begin to happen.Jackie's having terrifying dreams.Mysterious screams are coming from the basement.The senior couples start to look weak and feeble, their health deteriorating.The only other young couple in the building disappears into thin air, after which, the seniors' health and vitality are suddenly restored. Jackie investigates and discovers that this is not the first young couple to have disappeared from the building. The elderly couple begins to pry into Jackie's life, manipulating Matt against Jackie, and wreaking havoc on her relationship.In the fight for her and Matt's life, Jackie discovers that those screams coming from the basement aren't stray animals...but young people being drained of their "glow." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Such a bad movie from such a good book.
The Glow (Craig R. Baxley, 2002)

The idea of turning Brooks Stanwood's wonderful novel The Glow into a film has been kicking around Hollywood for almost a quarter-century; the first paperback releases of the book had "Soon to be a major motion picture!" on them. As usual, that didn't pan out...until 2002.

Would that we had waited another quarter century rather than get a Lifetime Original Movie™. Not only that, but a Lifetime Original Movie directed by Craig Baxley, whose feature film record was so bad it's a miracle anyone lets him work in Hollywood at all.

Baxley (director of such brilliant cinematic fare as "I" Come in Peace, Stone Cold, and Deep Red-and fear, my brothers and sisters, for he has been put in charge of the remake of The Kingdom) takes a script by Stanwood and equally good teleplay artist Gary Sherman (Dead and Buried, Vice Squad) and comes up with, well, bupkus. Jackie (Portia de Rossi) and Matt (Dean Cain) Lawrence are typical struggling-to-get-by New Yorkers. Matt, on his morning run, is mugged in Central Park, and a trio of septuagenarians comes to his rescue. By the end of the day, they've offered him a cheap apartment on the Upper East Side. The couple move in, and all goes well. Or so they think; Jackie starts becoming suspicious that things are not all as they seem.

The cast, to give credit where credit is due, do the best they can with what they've got. Others on the docket include Hal Linden, Dina Merrill, Grace Zabriskie, Sabrina Grdevich (whose face may not look familiar, but Sailor Moon fans know her as the voice of Sailor Pluto), and a host of others. All of them work relatively well within the parameters of what they've got, which is zilch. Baxley misses hundreds of small details which could have been used to build suspense, sets up silly situations (hiding under the stairs only works when the people you're hiding from can't see under the stairs!), things like that. All of them add up to, well, your typical Lifetime Original Movie; slapped together without any thought to the details of filmmaking.

Brooks Stanwood (actually, a pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team, both of whom work in the publishing industry) is still alive, and still producing. With any luck, the authors have been shielded from seeing what their work hath wrought. Were there any justice in the world, the rest of us would have been shielded from it as well. *

THE BOOK IS BETTER...
Based upon an excellent book by Brooks Stanwood, this film tells the story of a young, attractive couple befriended by a group of attractive senior citizens who own and live in a gorgeous townhouse in Manhattan, replete with its own state-of-the-art gym. They offer the young couple (Portia Derossi and Dean Cain) a fantastic, spacious apartment in their townhouse for a fraction more than the young couple is paying for their current cramped quarters.

They lose no time in accepting this chance of a lifetime deal, not knowing where it would lead. Shortly after they move in, another young, attractive couple living in the building mysteriously disappears. The elderly residents of the building explain it away somewhat implausibly, arousing some initial suspicion in our newly moved in pair. Still, their initial concern is quelled, when an NYPD Detective appears and ostensibly sets the story straight.

Still, some mysterious, unexpected deaths raise the suspicions of the female half of this young couple. Moreover, the elderly residents seem to be becoming somewhat more intrusive, as they seem to impose themselves upon the couple at every turn. Reminiscent of "Rosemary's Baby" in some ways, it forges off in another macabre direction, having nothing to do with the supernatural.

Just what is going on? Well, that is what is at the heart of this film, which plays like a made for television movie. Portia Derossi and Dean Cain are out-acted by every one of the senior citizens, who are lead by Hal Linden. The plot is fairly obvious after a while, though it does keep the viewer entertained and, being moderately entertaining, is certainly worth a rental.

There's better things to watch.
The plot was OK, but I think there were some big plot holes: was the 'parentless kids' connection ever explained?, Why was the star made to beleive she was pregnant??? And she was easily able to kill that guy in the end.
Agrivating scene: the police let the people accused of murder take the accuser into the building against her will!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

"One Good Movie"!
I loved this movie from beginning to end. Marc Singer made this movie so interesting in my opinion. I haven't seen a movie of this genre since "Fatal Attraction" (which was just as awesome).

Marc Singer RULES!
This a great movie not only because Marc Singer is in it, but is very well done. Don't be put off by similarities to Fatal Attraction...it is in some ways better. Plus Marc shows his behind.

Marc Singer vs. Michael Douglas!!
First off everyone should watch this movie for one reason alone! Marc Singer! This guy was the Beastmaster...THE BEASTMASTER!! Not to mention staring in tons of great soft core Cinemax at night style movies. Don't stop with this movie. Watch Street Corner Justice, Cyberzone, Deep Space, etc. The list goes on and on. This movie right here is pure genius. Leonard Maltin refers to it as a Fatal Attraction clone but in reality this movie was filmed prior to Fatal Attraction. It just took longer to get released because it lacked the mega-starpower that Fatal Attraction had. Not to mention this is far superior. Marc Singer is ten times tougher than Michael Douglas. And with lines like "I didn't want anything serious, but you do. You want to get beaten up." it's clear that the scriptwriter was a absolute genious. I cannot say enough of how great this movie really is. Please do yourself a huge favor and pick this screen gem up immediately.

HOT, HOT< HOT
Lisa Pescia should be famous. She's made an appearance or 2 on Seinfeld, but she's got the goods. Like Leonard Maltin said, not bad for a low-budget ripoff. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

NOT A GOOD MOVIE
Sorry, but this film is rediculous. Casper Van Dien is awful in the role. It's obvious he doesn't know how to act and whoever said Van Dien looked like he did alot of research on the role has got to be out of there mind. It's even a horrible love story, it's often very corny and is horribly photographed. And seventy-five percent of the whole film wasn't even true. He never came on to Natalie Wood and never talked to Pier Angeli after she broke up with him.
To start with: Casper here, portrays the Hollywood legend as if he were some big time macho skirt chaser (as mentioned, in the film he came on to Natalie Wood), looking for trouble. James Dean was not a skirt chaser, he was shy and took his acting seriously. He wouldn't moon the camera (as at the beginning of the film he moons the camera when shooting for "East of Eden"). And when he's at Pier Angeli's house in the film. He turns on some Rock'n'Roll music. Jimmy listened to classical music, with classic singers like Frank Sinatra (not insulting Rock'n'Roll or anything, just noting it). Also, the racing sequences are horrible. It looks more like they're racing at a theme park. And also the film doesn't even cover Jimmys whole life, it didn't cover the years that effected his life. And at the end when the cars collide it's horrible. It shows the hero dead, it's really painful and heart breaking (even if it is pathetic Casper Van Dien) to see the hero die, especially when it's supposed to be James Dean.
As asnother reviewer said, I would recommend the bio-pic starring James Franco, although not totally accurate (but more accurate than this film) it shows James Dean for who he was. James franco is a real gifted actor (unlike Casper Van Dien) he has a bright future ahead if he keeps acting.

An insult to Jimmy!
This film is extremely insulting to the memory of James Byron Dean, and attempts at presenting a "cool-legend" other than how Jimmy actually was. Bad, bad, bad stuff right here. Please, ... Casper? (I can't believe I can't get work acting (I look more like Jimmy than he does), this performance was pathetic and one-dimensional.) For a great and multi-layered portrayal of how Jimmy was check out "James Dean" starring James Franco (a role in which he won several awards). While the TNT film may have some factual slip-ups here and there, it does not romanticize and idealize James Dean. It presents Jimmy as a lonely boy with vast emotional problems searching for acceptance and love. (Which is exactly who he was)...

Pure [junk]
I could play a better James Dean than Casper. I cannot even believe they chose him, I find that so insulting. This movie [stinks] royally and thats that. And for once could we please have an honest hollywood film about his LIFE no fiction added romance.... EVERYONE KNOWS he was bisexual... whats the big deal? I think its okay to make a film about that as well as all the other real things he did and what he delt with. Enough of this low budget trash.

Get Over it CRYBABIES!!!! Good Film , Casper is awesome
I think this is a good film, period!!!! I live in Indiana and I have been a Jimmy Dean fan for over half my life (I'm 36). The point here is that there will never be another James Dean, we all know that, so get over it!!!!! I'd never expect any guy to play Jimmy and capture his whole persona. Jimmy was too talented and special for that to happen. Casper is blond, blue eyed, medium-short height, and pulls off Jimmy's facial expressions and body gestures well. What else can you expect? I think Casper is a fine actor and he does a sensitive thoughtful acting job in the role of James Dean.

For starters, everyone knows Pier left Jimmy for Vic Damone (documented facts here, even Pier said so later). The story of Pier and Jimmy in this movie is considered by most Dean fans to be the true one. Pier's mother pushed her to marry Vic, end of story. Unless you subscribe to the story that Jimmy was gay and their relationship was a farce (for myself, I think the idea of Jimmy being gay is a farce in itself).

Yes this film has flaws. Sal and Natalie are depicted unfairly, but that is a judgement call depending on whose facts you choose to believe. I thought the jibe to both was unessesary. sal was gay and Natalie slept around, but Jimmy was no angel either. It was uncalled for.

Robert Mitchum and Connie Stevens are awesome in this movie as well as Carrie Mitchum (Casper's ex-wife). Diane Ladd was so good as Mama Pierangeli that I wanted to reach through the TV screen and punch her lights out. If you like Dean and are open minded enought to seeing someone play Jimmy, then you may find that you will like this film. It is meant to be an action-drama, not a serious hardcore bio picture. Lot's of cool scenes of Jimmy (Casper) riding a motorcycle and Jimmy's Porche's. The soundtrack can be overbearing at times, like alot of film's nowadays.

Poor Jimmy and Pier, I'll bet they are in heaven right now snuggling. I hope they are together finally.

but the music is good
i have to agree with the other reviewers for the most part this movie stinks. With the possible exception of Robert Mitchum the acting is horrid and the movie very inaccurate. James Dean was not madly in love with Pier Angelli and in fact broke off the relationship with her. In the movie the reverse is true. On the plus side the music, at least the songs by Gordon Waller are excellent if you like mid 50s music or are a Peter and Gordon fan. You may consider buying the soundtrack 'Race With Destiny" if you can find it. I give it 4 stars, fron what i have heard from the movie. ... Read more

Description

Inspired by a true story, A SHOW OF FORCE follows a TV reporter's investigation into the brutal and suspicious deaths of two young Puerto Rican nationalists. The government claims the victims were terrorists, while some believe them to be student activists.It's up to this crusading reporter to find the truth despite threats to her own life. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Interesting Fact Based Thriller
Based on actual events, "A Show of Force" was based on the scandalous Cerro Maravilla incident that rocked Puerto Rican politics in 1978. On July 25, 1978, two young independence-seekers were ambushed by island police and murdered in cold blood near Cerro Maravilla. Police reports claim that the activists were trying to sabotage a radio transmitter to air pro-independence mes