Reviews (21)

A parable of modern China
This is a story about saving face and winning face, and what can happen if you carry things too far. Gong Li stars as Qiu Ju, a peasant woman with child whose husband is kicked in the groin by the local chief. She wants an apology. The chief of course will not apologize since he would then lose face. Both are stubborn and obstinate. Proud and determined, Qiu Ju steers her way through the bureaucracy from the village to the district to the city; but the thing she desires, an apology from the chief, eludes her. He cannot apologize because he has only sired daughters. He has license (he believes in his heart) because he was insulted by her husband who said he raised "only hens."

The Chinese locales, from village roads to big city avenues are presented with stunning clarity so that the color and the sense of life is vivid and compelling. Director Zhang Yimou. forces us to see. From the opening shot of the mass of people in the city walking toward us (out of which emerges Qiu Ju) to the feast celebrating the child's first month of life near the end, we feel the humanity of the great mass of the Chinese people.

In a sense this is a gentle satire of the bureaucratic state that modern China has become. But Zhang Yimou emphasizes the bounty of China and not its poverty. There is a sense of abundance with the corn drying in the eaves, the sheets of dough being cut into noodles, the fat cows on the roads and the bright red chili drying in the sun. There is snow on the ground and the roads are unpaved, but there is an idyllic feeling of warmth emanating from the people. One gets the idea that fairness and tolerance will prevail.

In another sense, this is a parable about the price of things and how that differs from what is really of value. So often is price mentioned in the movie that I can tell you that a yuan at the time of the movie was worth about a dollar in its buying power. (Four and a half yuan for a "pound" of chili; five yuan as a fair price for a short cab ride; twenty yuan for a legal letter.) Getting justice in the strict sense is what Qiu Ju demands. Her affable husband would settle for a lot less. He is the wiser of the two. Notice how Qiu Ju is acutely sensitive to price. She bargains well and avoids most of the rip offs of the big city. But what is the value of being a member of the community? This is a lesson she needs to learn, and, as the movie ends, she does.

Good Movie
I first saw Gong Li in "Raise the Red Lantern" So I had to see this one.
Here she plays a pregnant peasant woman, wife of a chili farmer. Who receives a kick in the groin, from the village chief. Because he believes the farmer insulted him.
Qiu Ju is hell bent on getting an apology for her husband. She is more determined in this than her husband.

The chief offers money but throws it on the ground, saying then she will be forced to bow to him as she picks it up. She refuses.

She sells their chilies a little at a time for money to travel to the city, to see if justice can be got there. But she's a country woman with not much city experience or money, can she do it?

I won't spoil the ending---- Good movie.

Yimou's Most Thoughtful Film
Zhang Yimou's "The Story of Qiu Ju" is not a masterpiece as is his film "Raise the Red Lantern." It doesn't have the epic qualities of "To Live" nor is it as visually stunning as "The Road Home." But "Qiu Ju" may well be Yimou's most thought provoking film, leaving you pondering the messages a long time after the film has ended.

Qiu Ju's husband has been kicked ("where it counts") by the village chief. The only bit of justice Qiu Ju wants is an apology. It seems to be a simple enough request, but her search for the apology proves to be elusive as she encounters a legal system more interested in its own red tape than in the needs of ordinary people.

But this is not "Erin Brockovich" where the sides of "good" and "bad" are easily defined. The people in the legal system Qiu Ju encounters are genuinely decent folks. They are also, unfortunately, a bit clueless. And Qiu Ju is not beyond reproach herself. At the conclusion of the film even she is realizing that she has pushed the matter too far.

Just how far should one go to seek justice in this world? Even if you are totally in the right, does there come a time when you must let the matter rest for your own sake as well as everybody else's? There are no easy answers.

This is another great performance by Gong Li in the title role. She may be one of the most beautiful women in the world, but here she is not above playing "dowdy." And as usual, Zhang Yimou is nearly flawless in his direction. He gives a wonderful tip of the hat to the late French director Francois Truffaut in the end, echoing that famous final shot of Truffaut's "The 400 Blows."

But this is a film that will stick with you well past that last shot.

OUTSTANDING in all respects
I viewed this film on a CVD without benefit of subtitles and had to rely on a Cantonese speaking colleague to translate the Chinese subtitles. It was well worth the inconvenience (for both of us). It is a simple story that takes on comic proportions as the stubborn protagonist pursues her concept of justice through the snakelike pathways of the bureaucracy to an unexpected outcome - a universal problem that is as much in evidence in a democracy such as North America as it is anywhere.

I lived in Hong Kong for twenty years ('66 - '86) and experienced only the farcical soap operas etc of the Hong Kong film industry. This production was an eye opener for me of the high quality that exists in Chinese films. It set me on a trail of discovery that has resulted in a substantial number of Chinese films on DVD gracing my bookshelf (some produced by Hong Kong companies - Shaw Brothers (HK))

Gong Li plays the role of the relentless, stubborn housewife superbly and is an actress who has built herself a solid reputation for excellence for her roles in many films. For a contrasting role by this brilliant star, I recommend Shanghai Triad.

The film is also expertly crafted and shows how much can be done with a simple story in the hands of skilled film makers. This is also true of Shanghai Triad which I also remember for its music and photography.

Some of the other Chinese films I admire are The Road Home, The King of Masks and Farewell My Concubine (which paved the way for me to the Peking opera The Peony Pavillion).

I eagerly await the release of The Story of Qiu Ju for the North American market so it too can take its rightful place on the shelf among my other Chinese DVDs.

Be careful what you wish for
I was very looking forward to seeing this movie, and I did enjoy it, but, I think not many americans would endure the entire movie.The main character, Qiu-Ju, is very pregnant, and a woman with a mission. The village Chief kicked her husband in the "privates" ( bad call, but not unprevoked ) and he is "out of commision" for a few weeks. Understandly, she wants justice in the form of an apology. She goes through all the correct legal roads in China and time and time again they come up with the same verdict. The chief has to pay medical bills and loss of wages and a little more, but Qiu_Ju only wants an apology. The Chief is a proud man who will not "bend". Most of the movie is Qiu-Ju and her sister-in-law trudging by foot up and down small roads to big cities with little or no conversation. Her husband and family wish her to stay home and "get over it" but she is stubborn! I will not spoil the end, but "be careful what you wish for"! not everyone's cup of tea ... Read more

Description

Underwater Pokemon Battle! Misty is the star of the Cerulean Gym's underwater play, but the villains in the play are the dramatic Team Rocket! Then, neither Misty nor Jessie have ever owned princess dolls, but now the winner of an all-girl Pokemon tournament takes home the priceless Pokemon Princess Collection! Plus, a little boy knows which is the braves, most honorable Pokemon in the world: Meowth!? Contains TV episodes: Princess vs. Princess, The Purr-fect Hero, The Misty Mermaid. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Enjoyable series but too expensive
Pokémon is the story about Ash Ketchum and his friends, Misty Williams and Brock Harrison. Ash's goal is to become a Pokémon Master. Misty's goal is to be "the best at everything" but, more specifically, a Water Pokémon Master. Brock's goal is to be the world's best Pokémon breeder. Pokémon are the animals that inhabit their world. They come in many different species (mouse, cat, dog, etc.) and types (electric, grass, water, fire, etc.). Each Pokémon trainer trains his or her Pokémon to battle other Pokémon and win badges to compete in Pokémon Leagues. Ash, Misty, and Brock must deal with Jessie, James, and Meowth of the evil Team Rocket, who want to steal Ash's first Pokémon, Pikachu, and usually other Pokémon as well. This Japanese animation series is an advertisement for the Pokémon video games, and the episodes' plots are usually simple, but this is actually an enjoyable series. Common themes are friendship, not giving up, parting ways with a dear friend, and other good morals. Parents and guardians that are concerned about the violence need not worry. Yes, the kids have their pets fight each other, but they also must learn to take care of and love their pets. Girls will find a strong female role model in Misty. Overall, this is a fun, simple, warm-hearted, rather repetitive series. However, despite how much I like the anime, the DVDs are not worth your money. Each episode is probably less than twenty minutes long, and there are only three episodes on each DVD. You would be paying the price of this DVD for around one hour of Pokémon. That's ridiculous. They don't even include the Japanese vocal tracks with English subtitles or the fun music videos from the TV airings. You can rent these same English-dubbed episodes on VHS. If you really want this series on DVD, my advice to you is to buy the movies and the special, "Mewtwo Returns", and wait for box sets of the series.

Go Misty
Finnally 2 whole shows about Misty. As you may know Misty is one of the main charecters. She sometimes is sort of mean but shes 100 times better than Team Rocket.
Our hero Meowth is OK.
I rate the ones about Misty 100000000000000000000000000 out of 10. I rate our hero Meowth 5 out of 5.

Princess Vs Princess -- The Purr-fect Hero -- Misty Mermaid
"Princess Vs Princess" is a good episode for Misty and Jessie. I assume this Princess Festival thing is a Japanese holiday that we don't get in America. For a historical note, this is when Jessie catches Lickitung. Anyway, it seems the deciding factor in the princess contest is a Pokemon battle, for which Jessie has borrowed Weezing and Misty has borrowed Vulpix (always cute) and some of Ash's Pokemon. Surprise, surprise, Jessie does not win, though she would have if Psyduck were more obedient. Anyway, good episode for Misty or Team Rocket fans. I don't know what it has to do with Meowth specifically except that he is briefly in the battle and reminds Jessie that she still has Lickitung after the rest get defeated. "The Purr-fect Hero" -- One of Meowth's episodes, although it doesn't focus on him as completely as "Go West Young Meowth" does. It's another Japanese holiday, which we are calling "Kids' Day." I like cats, so it was nice to have an episode featuring another Meowth that acts more catlike. Team Rocket's disguise for this episode is magicians, with James as the lovely assistant. An above average episode in my opinion. "The Misty Mermaid" -- Good if you like Misty and her sisters, I guess. James's, uh, costume, uh... this is not my favorite episode. But if you don't mind James wearing pink frilly stuff (at least he complains about it a little), well then... I really don't see what this episode has to do with Meowth. One thing I like about this episode is that Arbok is really, really formidable. IN the water, the water Pokemon's element, it is winning (!) against about seven water Pokemon at once (!) until the lousy Seel goes and evolves and Arbok finally loses. Go Arbok! So, Lickitung was great in the Princess festival episode, and Arbok is great in the mermaid episode. Jessie has really great Pokemon.

TEAM ROCKET ROCKS !!!!
LONG LIVE TEAM ROCKET! See Ash die. DIE, ASH, DIIIEEE! See Misty die. DIE, MISTY, DIIIEEE! See Tracey die. DIE, TRACEY, DIIIEEE! As EVERYONE knows, TR is THE BEST!!! TPTWFDTUAPWONTDTEOTALTEORTTSAJJTRBOATSOLSNOPTFMTR Stands for TR motto! I dont have to type it all out...yay. Anyway- Ash should be stabbed 50 times, then burned, then simmered in water, then get all of the remains broken on a tree and stomped on!!!! DIE! Misty should be burned at the stake. SHES EVIL I TELL YA! EVIL! Tracey should have his sketchpad burned, his head cut off, his arms cut off, burned, simmered in water, thrown into a tree, and the remains should be stomped on. DIE!! DIE ALL OF YOU, DIE!!! I am a ROCKETSHIPPER, ANTI PALLETSHIPPER, GENKISHIPPER, YAMASHIPPER, AND MEOWSHIPPER! ARE YOU?? Ask me about Rocketshipping! Enuf with the ads- one last note. DIE, ASH, DIE!

The impurr-fect hero
Here's something from the you've-got-to-be-kidding department: Meowth, for once in his life, has to play the hero for kids who need entertainment. Big deal. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Fans of the comic will not be disappointed
Based on the excellent Faust: Love of the Damned comics from David Quinn and Tim Vigil, this film version won't disappoint fans. Brian Yuzna has some decent horror films under his belt, many considered cult classics, and he is at the top of his game here. In his screenwriting debut, David Quinn does a surprisingly decent job, and Yuzna works well with it. Production values are low, as could be expected with a budget of $2 million, but it all comes together. I saw this film at an art house a few month ago, actually, and was pleasantly surprised, especially being a reader of the comics. The look and feel is relatively the same, and the overall style matches well. The graphic sex and violence will no doubt be cut a bit (or a lot...) in this "R" version, which pretty much guarantees an unrated/cut version in the future. Overall, Faust is a decent horror movie, with symbolism and style.

Faust: Love it, hate it, or both
OK, here's my thoughts on the movie adaptation of the famed gothic-horror-erotica comic book:

In order for a movie to truly capture the essence of Faust: Love of the Damned, the movie would have to be a freaky XXX adult movie. No ifs ands or buts about it. This version was either rated R or UNRATED. I think it would have been much better if it was Japanese animation! I've read the comics and quite frankly, David Quinn, the author of the comics, couldn't put every detail into the film script: some stuff was added, some was left out, and some was a jarbled confusing mess!

The movie could have been a WHOLE LOT BETTER, but if you read the comics, you'd probably figure that if Faust was made true to the comic, it would have been probably banned in 80 countries around the world (or probably even more!).

The only character I felt they at least got partially right was Clare, M's "wife" (the woman with the two-toned hair). Many reviewers felt confused as to why M melted Clare. Well, in the comic, Clare insults M's authority and basically tells him that without her he's nothing. Well, M shows her who's the boss!(...) She was just melted, but M revived her after she learned "humility". That's about it. Jade, I felt so-so about.

Goodness, they really messed up John!!! In the comic, he's portrayed as a sympathetic, yet dealy insane, kinda guy. His love for Jade comes through in the comic. But in both movie and comic, the costume is downright laughable! So Faust came out before Spawn but I really couldn't stop laughing at John's costume which is a crazy funny hybrid of Spawn/Wolverine and Batman!!!! Even as I type this review, I start cracking up!

So remember folks,Faust: Love of the Damned is just an extremely poor adaptation of an EXTREMELY ADULT comic that depicted bestiality (Clare did a snake for Christ's sake and demons!), devil worship, blood drinking, loads of dismemberment, gratuitous sex, cannibalism, gay sex and the list just goes on and on!

Like Spawn......but not good.
This is the story of a resurrected artist who is reborn to kill evildoers every where!...or any one that happens to be in the same room.

When they showed the guy at the embassy with two long claws growing out of each of his hands, I thought he was a Wolverine rip-off. Things got worse when we see what he looks like fully formed...I didn't know what the hell he was. He's like a devil, but he looks more like a Batman wannabe at a comic book convention; you'd think the devil would have given him horns that didn't shake like rubber. His special powers include jumping on top of stuff and acting like he's flying, and licking cops in the ear.

Reading the other reviews, it would seem this is based off a comic series. So I would like to ask those comic fans...just what WAS this movie about? This reminds me of anime films that are based off manga and begin the story in the middle of the series. There was a pact with an evil being, then suddenly a conspiracy where all the big-wigs in the town are behind evil, and some how this "Faust" guy is the one being that can stop all evil...though I don't know how he can save people when he keeps killing them! How many cops did he kill that thought they were just doing their job? And again...why did he LICK THEM?

"Hellboy" is coming out tomorrow. I used to have reserved feelings about that, but after watching this any superhero movie I see will appear to be the greatest film ever.

Damned bad.
This flick fails in every aspect. The plot is jibberish. The acting non-existant. The special effects laughable. The action still-lifed. Ranks up there with CAPTAIN AMERICA for worst comic book movie of all time. DAREDEVIL was better than this mess, and that's saying a lot. If you enjoy good comic book films (even the smaller, independant type), avoid this tripe at all costs. If you like the darker, more violent heroes watch the excellent BLADE again and revell in the fact that good, bloody horror/action films still need writitng and acting to entertain. FAUST: LOVE OF THE DAMNED is so damned bad it qualifies as anti-entertainment.

Disappointing
I was hoping for a faithful rendition Tim Vigil's Faust comic, which in and of itself is horror at it's finest. It saddens me actually to see such a great story as presented in the comic twisted in this way.

The acting is less than interesting, the only redeeming feature I found to this move was having Jeffery Coombs in it. For anyone that's a J.C fan he once again presents a character that is subtle and shakey, and yet just horrifying in his insanity. You got to love the guy. In addition, Isabel Brook ( Jane) has great legs, and we get to see them a lot.

Aside from these two points, I left the credits feeling very disappointed. I agree with a reviewer above that the comic should have been much more in the way of it's sexuality ( at least a light X ) and the drizzling insanity of Jasper should have been delved into much deeper. I wouldn't buy it.

And for gosh sakes, they don't even have Jasper quoting or singing 'Papa Has a Brand New Bag'. That was Jasper's trademark in the comic. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Perhaps the Definitive Version of This Lugosi Classic
Among horror fans, Lugosi fans, and fans of psychotronic films in general, "The Devil Bat" holds a special place. Made by poverty row studio PRC in 1940, the film is a wonderfully ridiculous chiller about a mad scientist (Lugosi, of course)who takes revenge on his double-crossers (no, not the producers of this movie) by enlarging a normal bat to gigantic proportions through electrical treatments and using a new shaving lotion he perfected as the bait to attract the bat to its victim. ...)...

The film has kicked around the public domain for the last decade or so, with the result that VHS prints of it were either excellent or hardly watchable. DVD versions in general have been clear, but this version beats the others and comes close to being a definitive version of the picture, if one is possible.

Released by the Lugosi estate, "The Devil Bat" is the first in a proposed series of definitve versions of Lugosi films. (The unjustly overlooked "Bowery at Midnight" is the second movie in this series.)Extras on this DVD include stills from the movie, a poster card (very well done), and a commentary track featuring Bela Junior and film historian Ted Newsom. The commentary track is a laugh in itself as the two quickly run out of things to say about the movie (in fact, one wonders if Bela Jr. even saw it before this)and switch topics to Bela Junior's memories of life with father. As he provides some unusual insight into the life of his father, the commentary track is a must for all Lugosi fans, and, combined with the price, makes for one of the biggest bargains for film fans.

so bat it is goot
This would have simply been a terrible movie with laughable special effects if Bela Lugosi were not the star. As it is, he lends the film his uncanny talent of elevating even the worst flicks into pure entertainment.

It is funny. Some of the stock characters banter and talk real cool. A gigantic furry bat on a string shrieks like a teradactyl. Bela tells each of his victims "goodbye" before he sends them to their deaths at the maw of the devil bat.

Still Lugosi is worth watching as he plays yet another mad scientist bent on revenge. This time a brilliant perfume maker who is also capable of raising and training gigantic bats. There is a high body count for a film of this era, and unlike too many Lugosi films, Bela gets plenty of camera time.

The print looks good to my untrained eye--far better than my video copy. The extras aren't bad-- it's great to have any extras--most Lugosi films don't. The radio show is an interesting curio. I hope this DVD sells well so there will be more films in this series to recieve this deluxe treatment--such as The Corpse Vanishes...

Bela Goes Batty!
Dr. Paul Carruthers (Bela Lugosi) is a scientist who invents new fragrances for a successful aftershave maker. His failure to invest in the company has left him without the millions he feels he deserves. Carruthers is a bitter man who has sworn revenge. How? Does he plan to sue for his fair share of the profits? Nah, the sinister doc creates a small army of giant, mutant, killer bats to exact his vengeance! These fuzzy monsters are attracted by a new aftershave lotion he's formulated in his secret laboratory. He gets his intended targets to splash some on their faces. One by one, the victims are attacked, their throats ripped out by soaring, shrieking, stuffed devil bats! Bela is priceless as always. This movie belongs in every horror collection...

THE povery-row Lugosi film
Here's a nice treat: Bela Lugosi Jr. has acquired to rights to some of his famous father's lesser films, and the first offering is the lovable, laughable PRC programmer THE DEVIL BAT.

Bela is Dr. Carruthers, plotting the death of his enemies by training giant mutated bats to attack those who wear the doc's new experimental shaving lotion. Bela has some great, darkly-comic dialogue. When one intended victim comments on how smooth the new lotion is, Carruthers offers, "I don't think you'll ever wear anything else."

THE DEVIL BAT has, of course, been previously available on DVD and VHS, in various conditions. The best previous DVD release is certainly the one offered by Roan. This new "official" version compares favorably to the Roan disc, though acute listeners might find the sound is a touch clearer on this new disc. Bela Lugosi Jr. partners with genre critic Ted Newsom for an interesting commentary track, which unfortunately shows how little Bela Jr. actually knows about the film.

There are 2 other Lugosi theatrical trailers (but not one for Devil Bat?), some archival photos and a pretty neat audio-only feature: A radio play from the 1940's starring Bela.

If you're a fan of these type of "poverty row" horrors, DEVIL BAT will certainly make your day. If you're a fan of his more popular Universal features, this is a good introduction to a very different career path that poor ol' Bela got stuck on around 1940.

Just a few drops on the neck, where the skin is tender
OK. The plot of Devil Bat doesn't sound that impressive, but Bela Lugosi's performance earns the movie five stars from this reviewer. Lugosi plays Dr. Carruthers, a doctor and scientist beloved by everyone in the village of Heathville; he is the last person anyone suspects when a series of strange murders take place. The first three victims are all sons of the rich and powerful Heath and Morgan families. These two families made their fortunes, it turns out, on one of Dr. Carruthers' formulas, and all the doctor got out of the deal was a measly ten thousand dollars compared to their millions. Ah, yes, we have a motive. Of course, these are no ordinary murders; they seem to have been made by some type of unknown wild animal. It couldn't be a bat, of course, because the killer was definitely a pretty large specimen. Carruthers' plan is hokey but brilliant. He still works for the cosmetics firm, and he has just come up with an experimental new aftershave formula. Naturally, he wants the Heaths and Morgans to try the product out themselves before marketing it-just a few drops spread across the neck, where the skin is always tender. He doesn't bother to tell his victims that bats really, really hate the smell of the formula's secret ingredient, nor does he mention the fact that he has figured out a way to use electrical stimulation to turn a normal bat into a Devil Bat. Everything is going according to plan until a nosy reporter shows up and starts snooping around.

Lugosi is great in this movie. By 1940, he had the whole mad scientist act down to a science, and his secret scowls are enhanced by just the right touch of madness in his eyes. Best of all is the way he tells his victims "Goodbye" in a sinister voice once he has them in the soon-to-be clutches of his Devil Bat. One thing that bothers me about great old horror movies like this is the fact the moviemakers always felt compelled to provide some comic relief in the form of a goofy character-this time around, we have the newspaper photographer "One Shot" McGuire who is more interested in shooting pictures of the Heath's French maid than any silly old bat. The Devil Bat itself isn't very impressive; without the grainy, far from perfect black and white print, I am sure it would look quite ridiculous. It never even moves when Carruthers is handling it, it looks more like a hawk or eagle to me when it is flying, and its swoop attacks on unsuspecting victims make me think of the scene in Naked Gun where Frank Drebbin struggles against a towel thrown in his face. None of that matters, though, because Lugosi is just so much fun to watch. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I'm very dissapointed with this pack
I though I have made a good election but this 2 dvd pack has two lenght episodes but the sound is quite bad is very hard to hear some sentences and the most important the famous theme has been changed by a ridiculous country theme.

Gladdly I didn't pick the 5 dvd pack made by the same studio.

Don't buy this please,try something else.

Could have been much better
Good story and good acting, but audio is quite poor. The familiar theme music is missing entirely and the dialogue is spotty at best. Several sentences were hard to hear, and then the background music would blast you out of your chair. Glad I didn't buy the 5-pack. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

3 out of 4 are Excellent; Those 3 are worth the price alone!
Three out of these four DVDs are excellent! This is probably the nicest series of Bible stories available. The photography is beautiful, as well as the costumes, props and sets; the acting of the main characters is superb, likeable and believable; and the scripts usually stay very close to the actual Bible verses.

Genesis is the only stinker in this set. It is nothing like the other 3. The Genesis DVD has nice photography, but it does NOT act out the Bible scenes like the other three movies do! Genesis just narrates a reading of the book of Genesis, while showing contemporary desert people going about their daily lives.

If you are undecided about buying the whole set, then I would suggest buying at least one of these separately. "Jeremiah" is my favorite, and it really captures the attitude of a humble prophet being persecuted by the wayward Israelites. "Esther" is probably the most accurately told of these three good movies. It is a pretty clear storytelling, where the other movies sometimes change the order of events (but still portray the overall message accurately). "Solomon" covers the biggest chunk of Scripture, retelling many scenes of the life of Solomon and what Solomon wrote in the Bible.

I would rate the Genesis movie with 1 star, for being so misleading as to its content. But the other 3 films, Esther, Solomon, and Jeremiah are all 5 star movies! Even with the useless Genesis, the price of this DVD set is still a bit cheaper to buy the three good movies here, at one price, than to buy them one at a time.

It's ok
I just recently purchased this movie from Amazon.com, and they flashed up a message that the NTSC format may not be playable in Australia. Well, it is playable! All modern VCR's sold in Australia can play (and some can record) NTSC tapes. I have found this very useful as 'Solomon' and the other movies in this series have never been released in Australia.
'Solomon' is a solid, well acted drama (what do you expect, with Ben Cross taking the leading part). I found the first part of the movie quite entertaining, with plenty of action, as old King David's reign comes to an end and two brothers compete for the throne.
With the sequences dealing with the building of the Temple, I felt that little respect was paid to the holiness of the dwelling place of God, or of the Ark of the Covenant. Solomon treated the Holy of Holies with triviality. The inside of the temple walls were covered with gold, so the makers of the set should have paid more attention to detail.
Overall, the movie is well done, with a bit of laid back humour, especially when Solomon greets all his children after a hard day at the 'office'. If you like Biblical dramas, this is worth getting, provided you allow for a bit of 'licence'.

Fabulous Bible movies
Now I have to say that 3 of these movies are absolutly great, but the genesis one is a stinker! Esther, Jeremiah and Soloman are all dramatisations of the Biblical stories with great actors who put in brilliant performances. Genesis is a bunch of weird looking guys just walking around with a boring narration. And the narration does not even match what is on screen half the time. If Ed Wood did a Biblical epic it would look like Genesis!

Ok, glad I got that off my chest. Buy the box set, use Genesis for a frisbee!

God made him strong, women made him weak
A romanticized but quite accurate account of what is written in I Kings and II Chronicles, this made-for-television film is exceptional and boasts a brilliant international cast and fabulous settings.
Filmed in Quarzazate, Morocco, the landscapes are wonderful, and the buildings and set decoration, in warm amber shades, are a visual delight, enhanced by the cinematography of Raffaele Mertes. The terrific score by Patrick Williams also adds much to the atmosphere.

The section devoted to the Queen of Sheba has been embelished, but Viveca A. Fox is ravishing as the queen, and it makes for great drama.
The emphasis on this part is to show Solomon's destructive tendencies; women were his weakness, and the rationalizations for his behavior his undoing. From Adam to modern history, it's a common story, but in the case of Solomon, what he gave up for his weakness was God's mighty blessing, and the inheritance he would leave his heirs.

Ben Cross ("Chariots of Fire") as this complex character is marvelous, and he is surrounded by a superb supporting cast. Though it's hard to take the nordic air from Max von Sydow (who in 1965 played Jesus in "The Greatest Story Ever Told"), he is nevertheless an aging giant of a man as King David, and France's great Anouk Aimee plays Solomon's mother Bathsheba with vigor, as she holds on to the reins of power with tenacity.
Other notable performances come from David Suchet (who was so good in the 1998 "The Perfect Murder") as Joab, Ivan Kaye as Solomon's half-brother Adonijah, and Richard Dillane as the laborer who ultimately rules ten of the twelve tribes, Jeroboam. Even the smallest parts are believable, which reflects on the excellent direction by Roger Young.
This is a Bible epic well worth owning for repeated viewing; some of it is poetic, some of it action-packed, often inspiring and thought provoking, and always fascinating.

Accurate
Overall these are very accurate. I would like to point out, that many biblical scholars believe that Solomon did in fact marry the queen of Sheba. This is based on the history of the nation of Sheba (aka Ethiopia) and although the Bible dosen't explicitly say that they were married, there is nothing in Scripture that would contradict it. In fact the people of the Ethiopian nation were followers of the Jewish faith, that is why the Ethiopian enuch in Acts is reading from the Old Testament. According to the history of that country Solomon and the queen had a son and he sent priests and Levites to train him in the faith. This isn't somthing that the films makers made up.

Esther and Jeremiah are also very accurate, but I thought that Genesis was a little slow. It is mainly narative. After the story of the Creation it could have been acted out. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Jeepers !!!!
I can't say anything bad about a movie with Merle Haggard, Joi Lansing, Lon Chaney,Basil Rathborne, JohnCarradine, and Molly Bee. So what if has little or no plot and some bad corny country humor and a man in a goriila suit......I'd sooner watch this than most of latest so-called country music crap

Yahoo
Mix horror-greats Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine with the lovely Lansing and some good country music and you have a fun movie. Thanks to miserably poor acting by Ferlin Huskey's sidekick (Huskey is no actor either), a man in a gorilla suit and continuity errors worse than "Plan Nine from Outer Space" and the unintentional humor makes this much more fun. Watch midnight turn instantly to noon and back again. The slender and loopy haunted house/spy plot is all part of the fun. Buy this one for repeat viewings.

I'd rather eat green road apples in July than see this again
Hey ya'll. Yessa yessa, this film is scraping the bottom of the cider barrel. Although the voluptious 'Boots Malone' and the Oriental chick with the constant pearl necklace give some great eye candy, this film takes a nose dive shortly after the opening credits. I like the car though, it seems to have been made with over 30 handguns and rifles.

Not much to say here some country singers playing honest to goodness country entertainers wind up staying the night in a house that everyone in town believes is haunted. It's not, it's run by spies or something masterminded by the hot Asian chick, who also has Lou Chaney Jr. (aka The Wolf Man) as a henchman. There is also the skinny, corpse like dude who floats around the movie like a ghastly fart.

The directing is imaginative with the dream sequences. This movie also pulls in country acts by showing them on the television. Yeah right, way to break up a non-existant plot. Even if you like old time country Hee Haw music, this movie is a stretch.

Merle Haggard vs. John Carradine!
"Hillbillies in a Haunted House" is a sequel to "Las Vegas Hillbillies" and is one of the most entertaining Country and Western monster musicals ever made. Ferlin Husky, Don Bowman, and Joi Lansing are an act on their way to the Nashville Jamboree who decide to spend the night in a haunted house, where they meet up with, among others, Linda Ho, Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney, a Gorilla, and best of all, the always cheery John Carradine. Along the way there are many country songs (including one truly dreadful number by Joi all about the history of gowns...) some of which are good, and some of which aren't. I loved "The Cat Came Back", and was amused by the extremely youthful Merle Haggard cameos.

There is a conspiracy involving an agency named M.O.T.H.E.R. and a villain named Dr. Fu. There is a guy in a gorilla suit (George Barrows, perhaps?) Best of all is the television broadcast that Jeepers watches to help him go to sleep in which the hilariously scowling faces of the villains haunt poor Jeepers while a bad C&W song is being performed. Needless to say, John Carradine wins the contest for chewing the scenery. His scowls and eyebrow twitches never fail to make me laugh. There are silly subplots about spies and the like, and homage is paid to Ed Wood in the 'timeless' day/night location shots (and continuity gaffes of positively Woodsian proportions.)

Finally arriving in Nashville, the last fifteen or so minutes of the film are good old C&W stage acts like Merle Haggard, Sonny James, Molly Bee, and Marcella Wright.

If you like Country music, particularly the vintage stuff, or you just like goofy, nonsensical movies that make you laugh, though sometimes you aren't sure why, this film is for you.

A JOI TO BEHOLD!!
If you don't have a serious bone in your body, you'll love this 'so-bad-it's-good' movie. It's a follow-up to LAS VEGAS HILLBILLYS with some of the original characters. Ferlin Husky is 'Woody Wetherbee' again...but this time around, the beautiful Joi Lansing takes on Mamie Van Doren's role of 'Boots Malone.' This is an update of one of those Bela Lugosi/East Side Kids/Ghosts-On-The-Loose-type old dark house movies but with country music and film making from the school of Ed Wood Jr. There are the Ed Wood 'confusion between day and night' shots, boom mike shadows, a graveyard at the back of the house resembling the one in "Plan 9" as Richard Webb (TVs Captain Midnight) hides behind a very skinny branch to see Lon Chaney Jr emerge from the crypt. We have a gorilla on the loose and Oriental spies/villains with names like Madam Wong and Dr. Fu. Great dialog, too. Example- Madam Wong (after seeing a kidnapped, bound and gagged Joi Lansing in the cellar)to John Carradine:"YOU IDIOT!" John Carradine:"THE GORILLA DID IT!" The last 15 minutes of the movie consist of great country music acts from the mid 60s. Merle Haggard does the classic "Swingin' Doors" and Molly Bee (looking a bit like a young Connie Stevens in a sequined cowboy hat) does "Heartbreak U.S.A." Sonny James appears earlier for a couple of numbers and the delectable Joi sings her heart out with "Full-Time Lover." (Joi can also be found as an extra feature on Something Weirds 'Horrors Of Spider Island' DVD. It's a Scopitone juke box film short called "Web Of Love" and is worth the price of the disc alone). Buy this DVD now and put it on your shelf next to "ROAD TO NASHVILLE" and "LAS VEGAS HILLBILLIES." Good fun at a good price! Thanks Amazon. ... Read more

Amazon.com

An underrated gem of the early 1980s, this film is a solid mystery with a terrific and unlikely romance at its core. Hurt plays a New York janitor whose fantasy life centers on TV reporter Sigourney Weaver. When a murder occurs in the office building where he works, he claims to have seen more than he did just to get her attention. But when the murderers believe him, they both become targets. The plot is workable, but mostly serves as a meet-cute device for throwing together the unassuming janitor and the TV star, and the resulting collision of social strata when he successfully woos her. James Woods nearly steals the film as Hurt's jumpy Vietnam vet friend, a shifty operator of whom cop Morgan Freeman observes, "He was born to be a suspect." --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Underrated Gem!!
Sigourney Weaver,William Hurt and James Woods rule in this great underrated gem.It's well worth watching!! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Collectors dream gone bad...
Everyone should buy this dvd......NOT!!!!!!!! This is one of my all time favorite shows and they really made a mess of it. The quality was bad and the theme song...WAS GONE!!!!!
Simply this, don't waste your money. If you never saw "Petticoat Junction", you're in for a treat, but don't watch it this way. Wait for a qulified company to put it out. Doesn't even deserve one star.

The pits
As a big-time fan of Petticoat Junction, I was tremendously disappointed in this DVD. The picture quality is the absolute worst. This is a major rip-off and the company that released it should refund everyone's money. Who's idea was it to over-dub the theme song? Give me a break! I will certainly make a note of the releasing agent of this disc and NOT PURCHASE anything else with their name on it!! Shame on you! Junk, junk, junk!!

I want to see the entire series transferred with SUPERIOR quality and sound, with no rediculous over-dubbing or edits. Whoever owns the rights to the show needs to sell permission to a QUALIFIED DVD entertainment group. I think Mr. Haney had something to do with this fiasco.

Ok but not collector quality
For people who just want to casually view the episodes this is OK, but collectors will be disappointed with the quality. For me the best part of the whole show is missing. The main theme, beginning and end, has been overdubbed with some really hokey banjo music. Unfortunately, the theme was the main reason I bought the disc. Being a rail fan I was also disappointed that none of the episodes featured the train or railroad.

Technically, this is not a good copy. It doesn't look like the film was cleaned and treated before it was transferred. There are white spots and blotches throughout. The master was not aligned well frame-to-frame the background motion makes me feel like I'm standing on the deck of a ship. It is especially noticeable in the introduction still shots of the water tower and hotel. Finally, one can see the jittery 25 fps compression. While being the nature of a DVD I think it is exaggerate by the poor alignment of the transfer. Note, this review is based on viewing on a Pioneer Elite DVL-91.

What happened to the theme song?
I was so glad to get these old episodes on DVD, however, I was extremely disappointed that the theme song had been replaced by some generic banjo music with no lyrics. I don't have a clue why they did this, but it ruined it for me, because the theme song is one of my favorite parts of the show. But, for the extremely low price, it was worth buying despite the absence of the theme song.

Good down home fun!
Petticoat Junction is good viewing for people of all ages.Set in the southern or midwest town of Hooterville (the name of the state is delightfully not given) the show focuses on the Shady Rest hotel.It is run by Kate Bradley, her 3 outstanding looking daughters and their crusty but likable Uncle Joe (Carson). Stories relate to the amusing run ins they have with their guests and the girls' romances. ... Read more

Description

The end of the journey to the Johto League Championship draws near! But that doesn’t mane that the journey is over, not by a long shot.The road to becominga Pokemon Master goes on… Features 10 episodes, including! • Turning Over a New Bayleef • Doin’ What Comes Natu-rally • The Big Balloon Blow-Up • The Screen Actor’s Guilt • Right On, Rhydon! • The Kecleon Caper • The Joy of Water Pokemon • Got Miltank? • Fight For the Light! • Machoke, Machoke Man! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Cool!!!
If I evened the episodes out right, this DVD should have 11 episodes on it! They are.....

-Turning over a new Bayleef: Ash gets mad at Bayleef, and tells her to go away, so Bayleef runs away. Then Ash misses Bayleef, but Bayleef has found a new trainer. Who will she go with?

-Doin what comes Natu-rally: Ash & co. meet a boy and his Natu who predict the future.

-The Big Balloon Blowup: Ash & co. enter a balloon contest. But when TR comes, it means trouble!

-The screen actors guilt: Ash gets a Smoochum from a movie actor who doesnt think that a Smoochum really fits him.

-Right on, Rhydon: Ash & Co. Meet a girl who is trying to catch a surfing Rhydon so she can drill a tunnel to Olivine City.

-The Kecleon Caper: Ash & Co. see a blimp with 2 sick Kecleon on board. This means brock & Pineco to the rescue!

-The Joy of water Pokemon: The gang meets a Nurse Joy who hates water Pokemon.

-Got Miltank: The gang arrives at a miltank ranch and meet lots of Miltank.

-Fight for the light: Ash arrives at Olivine Gym and finds out that the leader is healing a sick Ampharos.

-Machoke, Machoke Man: Ash arrives at the next gym and fights a fighting Pokemon Leader and his machoke.

Out of all these episodes, Right on, Rhydon and Machoke, Machoke Man are the best ones. Johto League Champions was a good season, but now its time to watch Master Quest! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Finally!
Glad to see this out. I bought the box set and got the inflatable beach ball! Definitly worth it. The anime is very cute and if you like magical girl anime, you'll like this. There will be 10 DVDs out and i'll be getting them all!

maho shojo at its finest
wedding peach is everything you would expect from a magical girl anime its funny sappy sweet and serious when the need arises this series so far exceds sailor moon in quality because it flows more quickly with fewer fillers and the characters have some good depth to them and they are funny to watch. if you are a fan of sailor moon ccs or tokyo mew mew wedding peach is one for you

It's been done, but still is fun....
[I would probably give this 4 1/2 stars, if it were an option]
At first glance, Wedding Peach seems to be a lower budget rip-off of Sailor Moon. The main character, Momoko, or Wedding Peach, is a clutzy junior high school girl who sleeps late and likes to eat. She uses a brooch to transform, and the transformation scenes and attacks are very reminiscent of Sailor Moon. However...
There is a reason why we liked Sailor Moon. It was cute, it was quirky, it was entertaining. Sure, we always knew what would happen...eventually, Sailor Moon would conquer the bad guys by joining together with her friends, and believing in the power of love. But we still watched it, and we still loved it. So why not love Wedding Peach as well? Different characters, slightly different plot (Raindevilla is out to destroy all of the love in the world instead of collecting rainbow crystals, or finding the imperium silver crystal, or the pure heart, or whatever the fourth season was about), but it is still the formula we love!
Although I've only seen the 1st DVD (which contains 6 episodes!!), it already seems to me that Wedding Peach will not be quite the same "enemy of the day" as Sailor Moon. Or at least, the enemy doesn't seem as if it will be presented in the same way every time. Also, the story line seems to move a little more quickly; we have already met THREE Wedding angels, seen Jama-P go from bad to good (we hope!) AND met Momoko's possible love interest. One of the things I always thought was a bit of a down side to Sailor Moon was that there were just SO MANY episodes, and the story moved SO SLOWLY!
All in all, if you liked Sailor Moon, or any other magical girl anime, give Wedding Peach a try. Otherwise, this won't be up your alley at all.

Gotta love girls who fight in wedding dresses...
...and attack with rings, lipstick, a watch, and a bouquet. Not your ordinary weapons, even for a magical girl series. But it's true. And actually works pretty well. But be expected to hear sap every few seconds. The heroines get their powers from the greatness of love and their dreams of getting married. The villains are demons looking to harness the power of love through the Sacred Four Somethings (which are four items that a woman is supposed to wear in a Western-type marriage--they will supposedly bring her happiness). Of course, once the demons have the Four Somethings, then they plan to destroy them and wipe out love altogether. Wedding Peach and her pals plan to stop that.

The colors in this are bright and cheery, and the dialogue can get rather childish and goofy at some points. Not that this is a bad thing--these girls are still in junior high, so they are making the transition out of childhood. The designs for the wedding dresses and the 'armored' outfits are top notch and gorgous to look at, which is a definite plus.

There are six episodes on this dvd; this is a bonus considering that many dvds only have two or three episodes for the same price. And while there are not many extras, just the usual clean opening/closing animation, I still felt I got my money's worth with this dvd.

I saw these episodes a few years back on fansub, and loved them. I had always thought that there must be more to the story, since the girls had not had a chance to do anything (and I knew that another heroine was coming), but the video store only had the two tapes. Imagine my excitement when I found out that there are other volumes after this one! So I am eagerly awaiting the second dvd, not just because it has new episodes I've never seen, but in the hopes that my favorite character will (finally) arrive....

I have also read the translated manga, and I recommend that as well.

All in all, I suggest you get this dvd if you are into shows like Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena, or any other type of magical girl show. You will not be disappointed. Both the dub and sub versions of Wedding Peach are good, though I tend to watch the Japanese version cause its what I saw first and think is better. But you can make your own decision.

Best magical girl series!
This is so addective. Its alot better then sailor moon, cardcaptor sakura and saint tail. There are 6episodes per dvd.
This deserves 10stars. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A hilariously campy piece of garbage
This is such an atrociously awful movie that it's a joy to watch. You have to be aware of the real life events that were ongoing during the making of "The Klansman." Burton and Taylor were busting up and Burton was awash in vodka. He arrived in Oroville, California and promptly proposed to an 18 year Denny's waitress. His costar, Lee Marvin, was also drinking a bottle a day. Neither was sober for a single syllable of this terrible movie and their struggles to appear sober make for some hilarious moments.

Burton, as usual, dreadfully overacts and his attempts at a Southern accent are pitiful, to say the least. Marvin's acting is much better, but when he has to speak inane lines from a miserable script, he can't fare much better. The highlights has to be the scene in the bus station when Burton karate chops poor Cameron Mitchell nearly to death. The movie was so cheaply edited that you can clearly hear director Terrence Young yelling, "Cut, Cam! Get up! Cut!" They don't even bother to edit out the director's instructions. You will be laughing yourself into a choking fit during this lengthy bus station melee,

This is a great movie to watch with a couple of beers. If you appreciate a terrible script, crude sets and two major stars who were drunk out of their minds while filming, you'll love this one.

Truly disappointing!
Firstly, poor sound. Secondly, the film has been cut, heavily.
Let us hope that Paramount release it on DVD soon, as it is their film. In the meantime, if anyone wants to see this film then just buy the Paramount VHS tape- it's very good quality for picture & sound & it is UNCUT! Do not waste your money or time on this poor attempt at a DVD release!!!

"THE KLANSMAN" WAS A DISASTER
In the Spring of 1974 Director Terance Young and company came to Oroville, California to film the Klansman. The locals were excited to have a big studio film made in the small town. However, when it opened at the State Theatre in Oroville, there was widespread horror.

The film included a castration, an attempted rape and two rapes, plus a whole lot of racial comments and some god-awful acting. You would have thought that Richard Burton would have done well with his acting, but he was one of the worse. He was drunk and chasing an under-age girl for most of the shooting schedule and could not seem to handle the southern accent. (This may have been the incident that destroyed his and Liz Taylor's marriage.)

Lee Marvin, Cameron Mitchell, Lola Falana and a few others did well in their acting but the script shot them down. It was full of racial stereotypes that probably set back racial relations for the next 100 years. (This was OJ Simpson's first film.)

I was there in 1974 and saw a lot of the shooting of the movie. It's only redeeming value to me is the fact that it showed a lot of areas of Table Mountain, Cherokee, Oroville and Sugarloaf Mountain (75 miles north of Sacramento in Northern California).
The scenery is beautiful but the movie is awful.

There are many scenes that are unintentially funny because of the bad acting plus a hilarious scene where Richard Burton "slaps" Cameron Mitchell into a blood pulp. A Classic!

All in all a minor film but worth seeing if you want a laugh or two. Warning, the rape scene with Lola Falana is not for the faint of heart! Plus the castration scene makes ME grit my teeth!

Sad waste of two powerhouse talents
Richard Burton was one of the all-time great thespians and it's a travesty that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences never honored him with an Oscar for any of his numerous nominations. Lee Marvin was a dynamic actor in his own right as well. Why they are wasting their time in this ugly, worthless (...) movie is anybody's guess.
Many films that incorporate a racist theme merit importance when they depict the horror and any subsequent violence that such bigotry and hatred derives. This film does nothing but present a shallow glimpse into the racial tensions stemming from the South (a common and unfortunate stereotype).
One interesting note: OJ Simpson made his film debut here as a radical "Black Panther"-type militant who murders white folks whenever he has a chance. (...)

Campy in the extreme!
This is such an atrociously awful movie that it's a joy to watch. You have to be aware of the real life events that were ongoing during the making of "The Klansman." Burton and Taylor were busting up and Burton was awash in vodka. He arrived in Oroville, California and promptly proposed to an 18 year Denny's waitress. His costar, Lee Marvin, was also drinking a bottle a day. Neither was sober for a single syllable of this terrible movie and their struggles to appear sober make for some hilarious moments.

Burton, as usual, dreadfully overacts and his attempts at a Southern accent are pitiful, to say the least. Marvin's acting is much better, but when he has to speak inane lines from a miserable script, he can't fare much better.

This is a great movie to watch with a couple of beers. If you appreciate a terrible script, crude sets and two major stars who were drunk out of their minds while filming, you'll love this one. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The pilot episode is not time comressed.
After reading a claim of time compression by another reviewer,I checked the time of the pilot and it is 22 minutes and 29 seconds and not the 21 minutes that he claims.
It has to be remembered that this was the pilot and not a regular episode so comparing times is not valid. Also if it was time-compressed the voices would be one semitone higher as they are on PAL versions of American shows in whuch the shows are sped up by 1/25th of a second. The voices sound exactly the same on the pilot as the other episodes.
My verdict on the show,four episodes with clear pictures and good sound. A good job done by Rhino on this production.

Pilot episode TIME COMPRESSED!!!!
Notice how everything in the first episode or pilot is un-naturally rushed. Listen to the music. Check it's running time. Then check the running time of the additional episodes. The pilot 21 min. the others 25. Rhino has released this otherwise great show in a TAMPERED with digitally time compressed/edited version. All dvd collectors of classic t.v. want versions better, sharper and at the very least UN-CUT then those shown on Nick at Nite and T.V. Land. Rhino did us no favors with THE REAL McCOYS (EDITED), THE LONE RANGER (EDITED) and add to their list My Favorite Martian!

I like old time tv shows
I have always liked black & white tv programs!{ in FACT I STILL OWN A 20INCH BLACK AND WHITE TV SET} my favorite martin ran on tv when I was kid. today I like the program even more because it is clean and it is still funny after all those years! I would love to see more of the programs released on DVD. I don't mind that some older prints have minnor defects in the film. it is the story and the plots that our the most important to me. I realize that rino did the best they could with the prints they had to work with. the recent passing of ray watson was a great lost to me. I would recommend this disk to anyone looking for funny and fresh stories. I detest the foul mouthed south park that every "thinks is so good today" we need more clean comdy on television today.

A gem
Startlingly good comedy from a bunch of pros. I hadn't seen these episodes in thirty-five years, and I was amazed at how fresh, light, and full of heart they were. Watched them with my kids, 6 and 9, and they both loved the episodes and keep demanding more. Get to work Rhino! Rhino did the best it could with the source material, but one doesn't watch these episodes for the David Lean directorial qualities: just the wonderfully haywire plots and the tight, consistent characterizations of Bixby and Walston. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good eps, so-so quality
These are classic "Bonanza" episodes. I would prefer that the videos include the original theme music, but I understand that copyright issues prevent that. The technical quality of the video is not the best, but the DVD is quite watchable. I'm happy to see "Bonanza" being released in DVD format, and look forward to more eps on DVD!

Struggles for justice amidst violence and lawlessness
Bonanza is the famous television western series, set in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, during the years of the Civil War, soon after the discovery of the fabulous Comstock Silver Lode. Bonanza is the saga of the Cartwrights, a prosperous family of ranchers. The stories relate their struggles for justice amidst violence and lawlessness as they attempt to maintain and operate their timberland ranch, known as the Ponderosa Ranch. Many of these classics were produced in the early years of filmmaking. This means that primitive audio recording technique will be more noticeable in the DVD format, so will glitches in picture. These movies ("Desert Justice" & "Badge Without Honor" have been rescued from the film vaults in most cases and have not been restored. "Desert Justice" is the story of Dave Walker, one of Ben's ranch hands. Dave is accused of murdering the wife of Marshall Dowd. After the Cartwrights discover that Dave was beaten while in jail, they decide to accompany him to Los Angeles where his trial is to be held. "Badge Without Honor" is about a man named Gerald Eskith who comes to town claiming to be a Deputy Marshall. He wants to take the Cartwrights friend Jason Blaime to San Francisco to testify against the Murdock Gang. Adam, however, has his suspicions and decides to go along with them..... On the DVD (one episode on each side) you'll also find Interactive Menus, Interactive Film Trivia about Bonanza and information about the actors. A pity is the missing well-known "Bonanza"-tune. Now all the episodes start with a nasty kind of music. See Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright, a three time widower; Pernell Roberts as his eldest son Adam; big Dan Blocker as son Hoss; Michael Landon as the youngest son, Little Joe. It's nice to see all the famous characters back on the screen. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Zombie Film with Humor
I thought the movie was entertaining and humorous. It was a typical zombie movie of the era (Caribbean Island with old house,and a sinster character controlling the zombies) with a plus--humor provided by Mantan Morland (he also starred in some Charlie Chan movies).

dull vintage horror movie, but Mantan MORLAND is fun
Although I am not a fan of vintage horror films I purchased KING OF THE ZOMBIES because of a very favorable review in a German movie magazine.
The plot has an US secret agent, a pilot and their black servant crashland on a small Caribbean island. It turns out that the island is ruled by a German expatriot, who has kidnapped an American general and uses black magic Voodoo Mumbo Jumbo to get some military secrets out of the unfortunate high ranking officer. Of course the zombies of the title are not the flesh-eating ghouls of todayÂ's splatter films, but the living dead of Voodoo magic, will-less slaves of the Nazi, who uses them for his sinister plans. Will our heroes succeed in thwarting the NaziÂ's evil plan? Well, I do not want to give it away, so watch for yourself...
Despite the unusual storyline involving espionage, a sinister Nazi, Voodoo and zombies, I found KING OF THE ZOMBIES rather dull and talky. (I am aware that fans of vintage horror will have a different view and likely rate it higher than I did.)
Despite the brief running time of a little over an hour it drags in places. However black actor Mantan MORLAND was fun and his many funny lines will make you laugh throughout. While I am usually not into comedy, I found his performance a real joy to behold. Be aware that KING OF THE ZOMBIES shows his age. This is evident not only in the choice of the baddie as a German (owing to the propagandistic needs of the time), but also in a few of MORLANDÂ's jokes, which are of a racial nature (like commenting his appearance, when he looks into a mirror, "the tropics sure gives a man a colour"). DonÂ't watch, if you dislike such jokes. However there is no doubt that MORLAND was a great actor. Were it not for him, this film would have been a complete waste of my time. I also liked actor Victor HENRY, who played the baddie. As usual in these films the heroes are bland and boring.
The DVD is a bare-bones release, with no extras whatsoever. And donÂ't expect picture quality to be as good as of a recent blockbuster movie. This is only natural given the filmÂ's age.

Get Zombified With Laughter!
When it comes to Poverty Row horror classics of the 1940s, King
of The Zombies has to rank right at #1, personally that is.
Yet King of The Zombies is not really "horror", it is actually
a comedy with Mantan Moreland as the TRUE STAR of this picture.
The Roan Archive DVD edition of this film is beautifully
restored to crystal clarity. Other DVD versions of this film
I have seen were either too dark or the source material was of
a bad VHS transfer to disc variety. Now, enjoy the film.

OK Copy?
One of the reviews for this DVD actually refers to another edition which was paired on a double feature with 'Revolt of the Zombies'.
I haven't heard any complaints about the print quality on this particular release.

king of the zombies
King Of The Zombies is a very fun movie for the entire family to enjoy...This film stars comedian Mantan Moreland who is one of the funniest men ever in movies...Although the film is very low budget it is well worth watching or buying just to see Mantan Moreland...Watching this film is time well spent and will make you feel better and laugh more than you ever have...I would advise any serious movie fan to watch this almost forgotten classic and enjoy it again and again...thanks...Jeff Johnson ... Read more

Reviews (3)

No Ranger retires perpendicular
Nasty and corrupt Mayor Nard Lundy (Edward Andrews) is challenged by idealistic Jeff Rose (Ricky Nelson) in an upcoming election. Lundy has Sheriff Clyde Barnes (Jack Elam) rough the young upstart up some. Rose's visiting father-in-law, retired Texas Ranger Captain Oren Hayes (Pat O'Brien) sends an urgent telegraph to three of his former command (Walter Brennan, Chill Wills and Edgar Buchanan) to come to Boulder immediately and help him clean up the town.
THE OVER-THE-HILL GANG is a 1969 made-for-television movie that was popular enough at the time to lead to a sequel a year later. For old movie fans it's hard to beat the appeal of this veteran character actor laden movie. It's fun to see them play off each other and confront a situation that their advancing years have forced them to deal with more with guile than brute force. What's not so much fun is seeing them saddled with this tired, predictable plot.
Brennan and Buchanan shine brightest in this one; Brennan as the gun slinger who's lost a bit of speed on his quick draw and Buchanan as the scout who's eyesight has deteriorated to the point that he's drawing his guns on stuffed and mounted bears. With a better script, and a more delicate and penetrating examination of what it feels like to suddenly find yourself old and in the way, this one could have been a classic for the ages rather than an amusing piece of fluff.
The print transfer to dvd is so-so. Some of the night scenes are muddy and it's hard to make out what's happening. The dvd also comes with the Little Rascals' short "Hooky Spooky."
Fans of old movies should enjoy the veteran character actors in this, although they may agree that the folks in front of the camera in THE OVER-THE-HILL GANG deserved far better.

One more chance to see some ol' western stars
The technical part of this review refers to the Brentwood Home Video or BCI Eclipse version.

From the Aaron Spelling stable of TV movies comes this tale with Ricky Nelson (and his wife Kris Nelson) as an idealistic couple. Ricky is running for Mayor of a small western town against Edward Andrews who plays a corrupt town boss. Jack Elam is his Sheriff and Andy Devine is his Judge, both firmly entrenched in his back pocket.

Pat O'Brien comes to town as Ricky Nelson's father-in-law, a retired Texas Ranger who rounds up his old partners (Walter Brennan, Edgar Buchanan and Chill Wills)!!! Throw in Gypsy Rose Lee as the owner of the local saloon and you got yourself a pretty good (for TV) rip-snorting western. You know how it's going to play out, but watching