 |
 | Band - Band |
 | "a celebration of music, sound and songs!" | 2009-07-01 |
i've been a huge "band" fan since i first saw "the last waltz" on pbs way back in the 1980's! i own it now on dvd of course. and yeah i own 5 or 6 of their cd's, and i've finally replaced "music from big pink" and this self titled "the band" albums/cd with the newer remastered editions. nobody ever wrote songs like robbie robertson and sang like levon helm, richard manuel and rick danko! no band ever sounded and recorded like "the band" period! this album is a singular masterpiece that stands alone! the songs are american root music and often deal with our history and our culture and yet 4 out of the 5 of them are canadian including their lead songwriter robertson. as for the the remastered sound and there is so much to listen to. 5 out of 5 stars! beautiful! you hear everything! the 3 singers trade lead and harmony parts back and forth and the acoustic instrumentation is just stunning! this album was released in 1969 and it must have turned the music industry on it's collective ear? nobody was recording music like this? no one! a creative musical celebration of americana! if you're a serious lover of music you should really listen to this.......the songs "the night the drove old dixie down", "rockin chair" and "up on cripple creek" are my favorites.............ahh f--k i love them all!
|
 | Taxi Driver (Collector's Edition) |
| "i was there in times square in 1979!" | 2009-07-01 |
its like 1979 on a early friday afternoon i got a phone call from 'grant hill' one of my best friends who said come on we're all going to 'new york city' to times square and the stipper district, freaks, bums, prostitutes, peep shows, live sex shows and god knows what else, at 21 and dumb i was like yeah let's go! we took two vehicles about 9 of us maybe and from little williamsport pa we were off on our adventure of debauchery, drinking of course all the way there! our vehicles got seperated, [surprise] our car took a wrong turn and we ended up at a crowded black bar asking for directions in a run down, seedy, poverty strickened, urban blighted black section like something out of the french connection or some other new york cop movie. [we were all white guys from a small city] i asked for 4 bottles of genesee beer and was given 4 heinekens and 4 shots of johnny walker red? needless to say i took what he gave us and paid for it timidly! we really got looked over but good by the whole place. to this day i'm not sure where we were? somewhere in jeresy across the river i guess? anyhow we got out of there unharmed, got directions and our bearings and ended up in the big city fairly early on a late spring friday night. we parked the car about 8 big city blocks or so from the times square area and walked over. i remember most it being well lit and throngs of people everywhere, some in groups hanging out in front of the peep shows storefronts. most were walking. people everywhere arguing, yelling, fighting, laughing, loud, ect. people standing around passing out flyers for the various sex shows. others standing or walking around yelling cocaine, black beauties? [for you young folk reading this black beauties were speed] others were trying to push their whores on us. another guy was not only trying to sell us some dope but offering up his sister for almost nothing? some of the black guys would put their hands on us to try to stop and talk to us? there were prostitutes everywhere, all colors and types. the people around were of of all races, i.e. white , black, Hispanic you name it? some looked normal, others were like hustlers, some were weird or perverted like, some were bums, i mean you name it! constant vehicle traffic. the whole thing was surreal, like being in a weird dream or something or a fellini movie? anyhow we did the peep show thing, paid to see a bunch of live sex shows, hung out and people watched and at sometime hooked up with the other half of our group. we all slept in the cars that night without incident and in the morning got some coffee or whatever at some cheap 24 hour greasy spoon full of all kinds of characters. then we drove and walked around to sightsee some, everything looked so different from the night befor. having seen some bums sleeping in the streets we deemed the trip a success and then left for home about noon back to central pa. driving out of the city i just remember thinking how neat everything looked, the good and the bad? i haven't been back since? so to my way of thinking the film didn't show enough? i mean what i saw was a whole lot worse!
|
 | Taxi Driver |
| "i was there in times square in 1979!" | 2009-07-01 |
its like 1979 on a early friday afternoon i got a phone call from 'grant hill' one of my best friends who said come on we're all going to 'new york city' to times square and the stipper district, freaks, bums, prostitutes, peep shows, live sex shows and god knows what else, at 21 and dumb i was like yeah let's go! we took two vehicles about 9 of us maybe and from little williamsport pa we were off on our adventure of debauchery, drinking of course all the way there! our vehicles got seperated, [surprise] our car took a wrong turn and we ended up at a crowded black bar asking for directions in a run down, seedy, poverty strickened, urban blighted black section like something out of the french connection or some other new york cop movie. [we were all white guys from a small city] i asked for 4 bottles of genesee beer and was given 4 heinekens and 4 shots of johnny walker red? needless to say i took what he gave us and paid for it timidly! we really got looked over but good by the whole place. to this day i'm not sure where we were? somewhere in jeresy across the river i guess? anyhow we got out of there unharmed, got directions and our bearings and ended up in the big city fairly early on a late spring friday night. we parked the car about 8 big city blocks or so from the times square area and walked over. i remember most it being well lit and throngs of people everywhere, some in groups hanging out in front of the peep shows storefronts. most were walking. people everywhere arguing, yelling, fighting, laughing, loud, ect. people standing around passing out flyers for the various sex shows. others standing or walking around yelling cocaine, black beauties? [for you young folk reading this black beauties were speed] others were trying to push their whores on us. another guy was not only trying to sell us some dope but offering up his sister for almost nothing? some of the black guys would put their hands on us to try to stop and talk to us? there were prostitutes everywhere, all colors and types. the people around were of of all races, i.e. white , black, Hispanic you name it? some looked normal, others were like hustlers, some were weird or perverted like, some were bums, i mean you name it! constant vehicle traffic. the whole thing was surreal, like being in a weird dream or something or a fellini movie? anyhow we did the peep show thing, paid to see a bunch of live sex shows, hung out and people watched and at sometime hooked up with the other half of our group. we all slept in the cars that night without incident and in the morning got some coffee or whatever at some cheap 24 hour greasy spoon full of all kinds of characters. then we drove and walked around to sightsee some, everything looked so different from the night befor. having seen some bums sleeping in the streets we deemed the trip a success and then left for home about noon back to central pa. driving out of the city i just remember thinking how neat everything looked, the good and the bad? i haven't been back since? so to my way of thinking the film didn't show enough? i mean what i saw was a whole lot worse!
|
 | Taxi Driver |
| "i was there in times square in 1979!" | 2009-07-01 |
its like 1979 on a early friday afternoon i got a phone call from 'grant hill' one of my best friends who said come on we're all going to 'new york city' to times square and the stipper district, freaks, bums, prostitutes, peep shows, live sex shows and god knows what else, at 21 and dumb i was like yeah let's go! we took two vehicles about 9 of us maybe and from little williamsport pa we were off on our adventure of debauchery, drinking of course all the way there! our vehicles got seperated, [surprise] our car took a wrong turn and we ended up at a crowded black bar asking for directions in a run down, seedy, poverty strickened, urban blighted black section like something out of the french connection or some other new york cop movie. [we were all white guys from a small city] i asked for 4 bottles of genesee beer and was given 4 heinekens and 4 shots of johnny walker red? needless to say i took what he gave us and paid for it timidly! we really got looked over but good by the whole place. to this day i'm not sure where we were? somewhere in jeresy across the river i guess? anyhow we got out of there unharmed, got directions and our bearings and ended up in the big city fairly early on a late spring friday night. we parked the car about 8 big city blocks or so from the times square area and walked over. i remember most it being well lit and throngs of people everywhere, some in groups hanging out in front of the peep shows storefronts. most were walking. people everywhere arguing, yelling, fighting, laughing, loud, ect. people standing around passing out flyers for the various sex shows. others standing or walking around yelling cocaine, black beauties? [for you young folk reading this black beauties were speed] others were trying to push their whores on us. another guy was not only trying to sell us some dope but offering up his sister for almost nothing? some of the black guys would put their hands on us to try to stop and talk to us? there were prostitutes everywhere, all colors and types. the people around were of of all races, i.e. white , black, Hispanic you name it? some looked normal, others were like hustlers, some were weird or perverted like, some were bums, i mean you name it! constant vehicle traffic. the whole thing was surreal, like being in a weird dream or something or a fellini movie? anyhow we did the peep show thing, paid to see a bunch of live sex shows, hung out and people watched and at sometime hooked up with the other half of our group. we all slept in the cars that night without incident and in the morning got some coffee or whatever at some cheap 24 hour greasy spoon full of all kinds of characters. then we drove and walked around to sightsee some, everything looked so different from the night befor. having seen some bums sleeping in the streets we deemed the trip a success and then left for home about noon back to central pa. driving out of the city i just remember thinking how neat everything looked, the good and the bad? i haven't been back since? so to my way of thinking the film didn't show enough? i mean what i saw was a whole lot worse!
|
 | Van Morrison - Moondance |
| "i bought the newer remastered moondance cd from amazon japan, between the price of the cd and airfreight it cost about $38.00!" | 2009-05-20 |
first thing is whoever the clown is who runs warner bros. corp. he is a money grubbing shortsighted music and movie fan screwing jerk!!! the fact that this cd by one of the most important artist of the past 40 years along with several other van morrison cds have been remastered and are only available in japan...........yeah thats right f--king japan! you know a couple of years ago i bought the 2 disc edition of 'that's the way it is' elvis presley las vegas concert dvd. the only thing was the 2nd disc was all grainy looking and the sound was in mono?..... yep, pretty funny uh? ha! ha! he! he! that was a pretty good trick. i'm still pissed about that. about 10 years ago i bought a warner bros. rod stewart best of or greatest hits of or ? cd and the sound was so bad i threw it away. then over the past couple of years i've also bought a few older movies and yeah the video and sound quality was terrible! who released them?.......would you believe warner bros.? it seems that under the current warner bros. regime their only consideration is how they can rip off the american music and movie buying public for a fast cheap buck!!!....... i want to warn everyone when you think about buying a warner bros. product beware! i only bought this remastered van morrison cd because i needed it for my collection, but thats it. no more warner bros. products for me, i'm tired of being taken advantage of. when i get screwed i like to take off my pants and i like to enjoy it?.....back to this van morrison remastered cd moondance, i have to say it sounds incredible! deep crystal clear sound! that doesn't negate the fact that i had to order it from japan and spend $38.00 bucks to get it to my home.
|
 | Birdman of Alcatraz |
 | "a great burt lancaster performance!" | 2009-05-06 |
let me preface this review for those who may not know about Robert Stroud who spent a lifetime in the federal prison system with less than a grade school education and who became one of the world's leading authorities on bird diseases in the first half of the 20th century. all this while serving his sentence in solitary confinement for the brutal and senseless killing of a guard..... this is another example of the type of fine American movies that use to come out of Hollywood. first thing is the audio and video are both good. not great but good. they appear to have taken some artistic liberties with the truth in regards to Robert Stroud? from everything I've ever read about him he was a very unpleasant human being to say the least, however brilliant he might have been. the thing that makes this film work is the acting. period! this is certainly one of the best performances of Mr. Lancaster's long and distinguished career. all of the performances are exceptionally good as a matter of fact. from Telly Savalas in a early role for him to Thelma Ritter as Stroud's mother to Karl Malden to Neville Brand. Mr. Lancaster plays his part mostly in a gentle understated way especially as his character [ Robert Stroud ] ages, it is quite effective. so to wrap this up i have to say historically the film plays loose with the facts but the performances across the board more than redeem this film. if you're a movie buff or a Lancaster fan[ you pretty much have to be 50 or so to even know who Burt Lancaster was I'm afraid to say ] i highly recommend this near great older American film.
|
 | Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 1964-1971 |
| "i said llllove sisters...............its just a shout away....just a shout away......." | 2009-04-15 |
this came in the mail just last week. i've had the origional version for years that that was released on cd way back in 198-? this newer remastered disc is just what i expected, clear, crisp, rich sound! everything is that more expressive. the background vocals and backing instruments are all here to be heard and enjoyed now, it's like the code has been broken and now we all know what they [the stones] were trying to tell us. if you're a stones fan or whatever do yourself a favor and spend the $23.00 or so and get this providing you have a good enough stereo system to enjoy this.
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| Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 1964-1971 |
| "ohhhhh children.......it's just a shout away.............it's just a shout away" | 2009-04-15 |
this came in the mail just last week. i've had the origional version for years that that was released on cd way back in 198-? this newer remastered disc is just what i expected, clear, crisp, rich sound! everything is that more expressive. the background vocals and backing instruments are all here to be heard and enjoyed now, it's like the code has been broken and now we all know what they [the stones] were trying to tell us. if you're a stones fan or whatever do yourself a favor and spend the $23.00 or so and get this providing you have a good enough stereo system to enjoy this.
|
| Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 1964-1971 |
| "war,....... children,.......it's just a shot away,.............it's just a shot away.........." | 2009-04-15 |
this came in the mail just last week. i've had the origional version for years that was released on cd way back in 198-? this newer remastered disc is just what i expected, clear, crisp, rich sound! everything is that more expressive. the background vocals and backing instruments are all here to be heard and enjoyed now, it's like the code has been broken and now we all know what they [the stones] were trying to tell us. to hear 'gimme shelter' in it's best form ever is worth the price of this remastered cd all by itself! if you're a stones fan or whatever do yourself a favor and spend the $23.00 or so and get this providing you have a good enough stereo system to enjoy this..............update: 6/22/09 "gimme shelter", with all the upheaval and violence going on in iran right now and the trouble with north korea, then throw in the ongoing mass starvation, the aids epidemic, the drought, the ethnic cleansing along with the rape of women and children and the refugee disaster in much of africa and other places? let alone the political, religious and ethnic persecution that goes on in the rest of the world on a daily basis along with all the rest of it and it is clear that this singular rock anthem is more relevant today than it ever was when it was released way back when in 1969!....... "if i don't get me some shelter.......oh yeah, i'm gonna fade away" ....................
|
 | SR225 |
| "another great purchase." | 2009-03-27 |
this is the first set of headphones i've bought so i was'nt sure what to expect? i live in an apartment building and sometimes late at night if i'm home i'm sometimes in the mood to listen to something from my cd collection. the first thing is they look really neat, kind of a retro 1930's - 40's look. they are very light. a few of the other reviewers said they were'nt real comfortable? they must have mis-shapened mutant creature heads or something? they fit really good over my head and ears and the ear cups were just fine also. another plus is they are made right here in america, the bronx or brooklyn or somewhere in n.y.c.? i did'nt think we made anything here anymore?........ alas the sound? i'm not a audiophile or a hi-tech person by any stretch but i do have a great set of ears and i love music of all kinds and i love sound in general! these simply sound great! clear and crisp sound. from highs to lows, vocals and background, strings and horns, all the acoustics, everything sounds just great! one of amazon's sellers had them on sale for $170.00 and i grabbed them. so just to sum things up another great purchase thru amazon.........p.s. i wanted to add that i've found when listening/buying cd's from the 60's up to the real late 90's make sure they've been remastered because the flaws and/or weakness's of the source material i.e. the cd will stand out. that's how good these phones are! just because an older artist/album is available on cd does'nt mean it's been remastered and is of great audio quality?..... remastering is when recording/sound engineers painstakingly run the master tapes of an older album through a computer process that is very expensive. i know i did'nt explain that very good and i know and i welcome anyone who can more accurately explain it? cds came out in 1981ish? but the technology did'nt really come into it's own until the real late 90's. [anyone want to correct me?] one last thing you're probably going to need the optional grado 15 foot extension cord because i did, don't argue just get it because what's a few more bucks when it comes to art?....... that's exactly what music is is'nt it?......... art!
|
 | Panasonic TC-32LX85 32" 720p LCD HDTV |
| "i can't say enough!" | 2009-03-19 |
i bought this from a seller i found on amazon and i dealt with them directly. i got this for $536.00 over two months ago after much research with no tax and free shipping. it showed up at my door 2 days later. i bought this for my bedroom and it's been played a lot! i could'nt be happier with it! the picture is stunning! a clear, crisp and sharp picture! the contrast ratio is only 10,000-1 so it looks better as the day wears on but i'm telling you the picture and clarity is first rate! you only need 720p for a hdtv 32" or smaller so my requirments when deciding on a bedroom tv were: 32", the $500.00 price range,a name brand, the best overall tv possible at the best price and a high energy star rating because i sleep with it on all night. after looking at sony,samsung,toshiba and others i decided on this one. panasonic has been building quality tv's for 50 years and this set proves it and it has the highest energy star rating in it's class. even the sound is good, not as deep and rich sounding as the 46" $3,000.00 hd/lcd samsung in my front room but for a $536.00 32" lcd/tv pretty damn good!.........p.s. for your living room hdtv you would want a 25,000-1 contast ratio or even more for viewing in all kinds of light. my samsung is 25,000 - 1 and it looks great morning, noon and night in any kind of light!
|
 | Paper Moon |
| "a real treat!" | 2008-05-21 |
as terrible as the great depression was... it has been an artistic back drop for a number of great American movies.....i.e. [the grapes of wrath], [bound for glory], [they made me a criminal], [the sting], [hard times], this film [paper moon] and many more....the director peter bogdanovich had a brief hot streak in the 70's and this film proves why....the black and white cinematography looks realistic and gives the film that 1930's look and feel, a well written screenplay adapted from a popular book, great midwestern locations and this movie is well paced and directed....there is a real on screen chemistry between the father and daughter team of mr. o'neal and tatum.... I've never been a Ryan o'neal fan but i liked him very much in this and Tatum is so good she steals the movie....the film is funny without being slapstickish and the acting is never over the top or to cute....the extras are good too, i just love all the backstage stories how everything came together and the insight into how and why creative things were done.
|
 | John Mellencamp: Trouble No More |
| "a peek inside mellencamp's recording studio.....................i liked what i saw!" | 2008-05-01 |
this is a great piece to watch wheather you're a mellencamp fan or just a music fan in general....it's a neat look behind the scenes inside mellencamp's recording studio just outside of bloomington Indiana.....you get an insider's view at the creative process of making an album and it doesnt matter much that this time around he and his band are reworking well worn and some mostly forgotten old blues and folk songs from the 1930's and onward instead of his own compositions....mellencamp talks a little on screen on most of his band members and visa versa......you get a little glimpse of mellencamp's infamous surly side in a couple of revealing moments....if you're like me and find it fascinating what goes on in a recording studio and how songs are taken apart and reconstructed in the arranging and recording process and how musicians relate to each other and all the other stuff involved and the drama that seems to follow mellencamp around like a dark angry cloud you'll really enjoy this......p.s. you also get a real appreciation of what great musicians the members of his band and the other players invited to perform on this project really are....p.p.s. this was filmed during the build-up to the invasion of Iraq [2002] and it is debated at one point in this documentary and everything mellencamp says then has come to pass!
|
 | Tom Petty - Soundstage |
 | "i can't recommend this as much as i respect this artist." | 2008-04-09 |
i like tom petty......a lot..... I'm not crazy about this concert DVD....tom petty is a venable, certifiable rock n roll hall of famer and deservedly so!.... i like a lot of his stuff and his band, i like him as a person, his views on things and i like his politics...i just don't like the song choices on this DVD,... although the picture and sound are really good...tom petty is in my big 5 [mellencamp, Browne, Springsteen, seger and petty.] some of the songs on here such as born in Chicago, red rooster, carol, i got a woman, Rollin in my sweet baby's arms i don't understand because their not his style?... but maybe I'm missing a point here or something?.... the crowd at the show seemed to receive his show euthusicasially so maybe I'm the one off base?
|
 | On the Ropes |
| "the poverty in this country is disgusting.............." | 2008-04-09 |
this well made documentary has a little of everything in it,...poverty, addiction, aids, urban decay, despair, the break down of the American family and the triumph of the human spirit....centers around a rundown boxing gym in/or around bed-stuy Brooklyn and the 4 principle characters, i.e. a trainer and his 3 fighters,... one being a troubled young woman....even has a quick look at our really stupid and indifferent court system...this deserves a sequel something like [scared straight 20 years later?]....it's no wonder why this country is so f---ed up when you see children exposed to the nonsense they are forced to endure as seen in this film!
|
 | Once Upon a Time in the West |
| "leave it to a European guy to make the classic western?" | 2008-03-23 |
leave it to an Italian director to reinvent the American art form [the western]....the exterior scenes were filmed in Spain,...the interiors shot in a film studio in Italy and a few more exterior scenes were filmed in monument valley in Utah/Arizona...the 3 male leads are American, the female lead is Italian and most of the supporting cast are Italians and a few Spaniards with one or two americans thrown in just for effect....I've read before that Sergio Leone had 5 million to film this in 1968 money....looks like he had 50 million and used it all!...this great film made huge amounts of money all through out Europe, Asia and south America,... set box office records everywhere but the u.s. where it BOMBED!.... it was 35-40 years ahead of it's time for American audiences.... the film is beautiful as is the musical score!....Henry Fonda as the villain was a great idea and Charles Bronson in the lead role equally so,.. this is arguably Bronson's best performance. ... it's a epic story of greed and revenge and I'm not gonna go into detail as to the story...but it's a great one...they did an excellent job remastering this DVD,...often they do these things on the cheap and screw it up,...but not here this DVD [film] looks and sounds fantastic!... what a pleasure it is to see a great film like this in this kind of great condition!...major props to the studio!...i bought this for like 10.00?...probably the best value for a DVD film of all time.
|
 | Once Upon a Time in the West |
| "leave it to a European guy to make the classic western?" | 2008-03-23 |
leave it to an Italian director to reinvent the American art form [the western]....the exterior scenes were filmed in Spain,...the interiors shot in a film studio in Italy and a few more exterior scenes were filmed in monument valley in Utah/Arizona...the 3 male leads are American, the female lead is Italian and most of the supporting cast are Italians and a few Spaniards with one or two Americans thrown in just for effect....I've read before that Sergio Leone had 5 million to film this in 1968 money....looks like he had 50 million and used it all!...this great film made huge amounts of money all through out Europe, Asia and south America,... set box office records everywhere but the u.s. where it BOMBED!.... it was 35-40 years ahead of it's time for American audiences.... the film is as beautiful as is the musical score!....Henry Fonda as the villain was a great idea and Charles Bronson in the lead role equally so,.. this is arguably Bronson's best performance. ... it's a epic story of greed and revenge and I'm not gonna go into detail as to the story...but it's a great one...they did an excellent job remastering this DVD,...often they do these things on the cheap and screw it up,...but not here this DVD [film] looks and sounds fantastic!... what a pleasure it is to see a great film like this in this kind of great condition!...major props to the studio!...i bought this for like $10.00?...probably the best value for a DVD film of all time.
|
 | Onkyo TX-SR605 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver |
| "very happy with it." | 2008-03-22 |
over the past year i've updated my entertainment system and this was the last piece i needed ... i was replacing a 25 year old yamaha rx-730 receiver... i'm not a hi-tech audiophile kind of a guy so i can't talk in those terms, but i do have a good ear and i am very pleased with this....i narrowed my choices down to this and yamaha's 661 and 663 and was looking to buy one of the 3 for less than 400.00 shipping included and found this onkyo thru amazon and pulled the trigger...one of the neat things is how much you hear in the back ground, be it a music cd or a film dvd, you hear everything with a quality receiver like this... has all the features,..plenty of power for me,..will be up to date for a long time....not to hard to set up with help from onkyo's tech people...but be aware it is damn ugly!....this was a very good purchase....be sure to have this on the best settings for the type of setup you might have for the best possible sound!... especially if you're like me and not real experienced with these types of things and don't be afraid to call onkyo's tech department for assistance and advice.
|
 | Onkyo TX-SR605S 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver - Silver |
| "very happy with it." | 2008-03-22 |
over the past year i've updated my entertainment system and this was the last piece i needed ... i was replacing a 25 year old yamaha rx-730 receiver... i'm not a hi-tech audiophile kind of a guy so i can't talk in those terms, but i do have a good ear and i am very pleased with this....i narrowed my choices down to this and yamaha's 661 and 663 and was looking to buy one of the 3 for less than 400.00 shipping included and found this onkyo thru amazon and pulled the trigger...one of the neat things is how much you hear in the back ground, be it a music cd or a film dvd, you hear everything with a quality receiver like this... has all the features,..plenty of power for me,..will be up to date for a long time....not to hard to set up with help from onkyo's tech people...but be aware it is damn ugly!....this was a very good purchase....be sure to have this on the best settings for the type of setup you might have for the best possible sound!... especially if you're like me and not real experienced with these types of things and don't be afraid to call onkyo's tech department for assistance and advice.
|
 | True Grit |
| "they don't make em like this anymore." | 2008-03-19 |
i have a theory or a belief or whatever.... that people i.e. actors, directors, writers, and producers in the movie business aren't as talented or as deep thinking or as visionary as they once were in this country?...for the most people don't read and dream and express themselves and ideas like they use to...whether it's because we are in this me/now MTV/real world/computer/ instant gratification age or whatever?...which brings me to true grit. [ kind of a weird segway uh?] what i guess I'm getting at is we just don't turn out great movies here anymore for a whole host of reasons!... i think I've said before in my prior reviews that I'm a child of the 60's and the 70's and one of the iconic figures of that time was john Wayne...the western was still a fixture at the local theater and the movies and it's stars were still for the most part bigger than life....I've seen this 1969 film maybe 20 times thru the years but never like this,...the clarity and the color and the sound are just great!...they spent a few bucks [remastering] and they did this film justice and good for them!...the way language is used and the performance of Wayne and most of the supporting cast is a real treat, and the cinematography and the whole production is first rate...as i watched this film for perhaps the 21st time i was almost like a 11 year old kid again... it's just a shame they can't write like this and have have a little artistic vision and that we don't have stars like john Wayne anymore?....I've seen glen Campbell in interviews a few times state that his acting was so bad...he made john Wayne look so good that Wayne won the Oscar in 1970 for this film!.....i think he was about half right.
|
 | True Grit |
| "they don't make em like this anymore." | 2008-03-19 |
i have a theory or a belief or whatever.... that people i.e. actors, directors, writers, and producers in the movie business aren't as talented or as deep thinking or as visionary as they once were in this country?...for the most part people don't read and dream and express themselves and their ideas like they use to...whether it's because we are in this me/now MTV/real world/computer/ instant gratification age or whatever?...which brings me to true grit. [ kind of a weird segway uh?] what i guess I'm getting at is we just don't turn out great movies here anymore for a whole host of reasons!... i think I've said before in my prior reviews that I'm a child of the 60's and the 70's and one of the iconic figures of that time was john Wayne...the western was still a fixture at the local theater and the movies and it's stars were still for the most part bigger than life....I've seen this 1969 film maybe 20 times thru the years but never like this,...the clarity and the color and the sound are just great!...they spent a few bucks [remastering] and they did this film justice and good for them!...the way language is used and the performance of Wayne and most of the supporting cast is a real treat, and the cinematography and the whole production is first rate...as i watched this film for perhaps the 21st time i was almost like a 11 year old kid again... it's just a shame they can't write like this and have have a little artistic vision and that we don't have stars like john Wayne anymore?....I've seen glen Campbell in interviews a few times state that his acting was so bad...he made john Wayne look so good that Wayne won the Oscar in 1970 for this film!.....i think he was about half right.
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 | True Grit |
| "they don't make em like this anymore." | 2008-03-19 |
i have a theory or a belief or whatever.... that people i.e. actors, directors, writers, and producers in the movie business aren't as talented or as deep thinking or as visionary as they once were in this country?...for the most part people don't read and dream and express themselves and their ideas like they use to...whether it's because we are in this me/now MTV/real world/computer/ instant gratification age or whatever?...which brings me to true grit. [ kind of a weird segway uh?] what i guess I'm getting at is we just don't turn out great movies here anymore for a whole host of reasons!... i think I've said before in my prior reviews that I'm a child of the 60's and the 70's and one of the iconic figures of that time was john Wayne...the western was still a fixture at the local theater and the movies and it's stars were still for the most part bigger than life....I've seen this 1969 film maybe 20 times thru the years but never like this,...the clarity and the color and the sound are just great!...they spent a few bucks [remastering] and they did this film justice and good for them!...the way language is used and the performance of Wayne and most of the supporting cast is a real treat, and the cinematography and the whole production is first rate...as i watched this film for perhaps the 21st time i was almost like a 11 year old kid again... it's just a shame they can't write like this and have have a little artistic vision and that we don't have stars like john Wayne anymore?....I've seen glen Campbell in interviews a few times state that his acting was so bad...he made john Wayne look so good that Wayne won the Oscar in 1970 for this film!.....i think he was about half right.
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| True Grit |
| "fill... your... hand... you... sonofabitch!" | 2008-03-19 |
i have a theory or a belief or whatever.... that people i.e. actors, directors, writers, and producers in the movie business aren't as talented or as deep thinking or as visionary as they once were in this country?...for the most part people don't read and dream and express themselves and their ideas like they use to,..whether it's because we are in this me/now/MTV/real world/computer/ instant gratification age or whatever?...which brings me to true grit. [ kind of a weird segway uh?] what i guess I'm getting at is we just don't turn out great movies here anymore for a whole host of reasons!... i think I've said before in my prior reviews that I'm a child of the 60's and the 70's and one of the iconic figures of that time was john Wayne...the western was still a fixture at the local theater and the movies and it's stars were still for the most part bigger than life....I've seen this 1969 film maybe 20 times thru the years but never like this...the clarity and the color and the sound are just great!...they spent a few bucks [remastering] and they did this film justice and good for them!...the way language is used and the performance of Wayne and most of the supporting cast is a real treat, and the cinematography and the whole production is first rate...as i watched this film for perhaps the 21st time i was almost like a 11 year old kid again... it's just a shame they can't write like this and have have a little artistic vision and that we don't have stars like john Wayne anymore?....I've seen glen Campbell in interviews a few times state that his acting was so bad...he made john Wayne look so good that Wayne won the Oscar in 1970 for this film!.....i think he was about half right.
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 | The Shootist |
| "everything looks authentic....." | 2008-03-17 |
first thing is the movie looks real good,...picture and sound are good....the basic storyline is solid,...i think the script could have been fined tuned just a little....and maybe the way they filmed a couple of scenes.....that being said the acting is fine from everybody involved and especially from john Wayne...even showing some vulnerability....i guess you can't spend 50 years in the movie business without picking up some acting chops?....Wayne has done some good work in a few films such as [the searcher's],.. [the man who shot liberty valence],.. [in harm's way].. and in [true grit]....other than that most of his stuff isn't worth mentioning....also jimmy Stewart gives a nice little performance as the town doctor....i watched this with a oppo up-converting DVD player and on HDTV and this movie really looks authentic... i mean everything looks at place in the time period,...really good job with that....so all and all a pretty good effort with a rare good performance from Wayne and a realistic looking movie.
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 | The Shootist |
| "everything looks authentic....." | 2008-03-17 |
first thing is the movie looks real good,...picture and sound are both really good....the basic storyline is solid,...i think the script could have been fined tuned just a little....and maybe the way they filmed a couple of scenes.....that being said the acting is fine from everybody involved and especially from john Wayne...even showing some vulnerability....i guess you can't spend 50 years in the movie business without picking up some acting chops?....Wayne has done some good work in a few films such as [the searcher's],.. [the man who shot liberty valence],.. [in harm's way].. and in [true grit]....other than that most of his stuff isn't worth mentioning....also jimmy Stewart gives a nice little performance as the town doctor....i watched this with a oppo up-converting DVD player and on HDTV and this movie really looks authentic... i mean everything looks at place in the time period,...about 1901....really good job with that....so all and all a pretty good effort with a rare good performance from Wayne and a realistic looking movie.
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 | The Shootist |
| "everything looks authentic....." | 2008-03-17 |
first thing is the movie looks real good,...picture and sound are both really good....the basic storyline is solid,...i think the script could have been fined tuned just a little....and maybe the way they filmed a couple of scenes.....that being said the acting is fine from everybody involved and especially from john Wayne...even showing some vulnerability....i guess you can't spend 50 years in the movie business without picking up some acting chops?....Wayne has done some good work in a few films such as [the searcher's],.. [the man who shot liberty valence],.. [in harm's way].. and in [true grit]....other than that most of his stuff isn't worth mentioning....also jimmy Stewart gives a nice little performance as the town doctor....i watched this with a oppo up-converting DVD player and on HDTV and this movie really looks authentic... i mean everything looks at place in the time period,...about 1901....really good job with that....so all and all a pretty good effort with a rare good performance from Wayne and a realistic looking movie.
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 | Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers: High Grass Dogs - Live From The Fillmore |
 | "maybe I'm just not a big enough fan?" | 2008-03-11 |
1've been aware of tom petty since 1979 when damn the torpedoes came out...and i always kind of liked some of his stuff....and I've seen him interviewed on tv and in print and always thought he was a intelligent and decent person,.... so what I'm saying is i always liked him as an artist and a human being.....so when i bought this i wanted to like it....but i don't and maybe it's a short coming of mine that i can't see the brilliance of his music and his lyrics?....the only songs i liked were [swingin], [room at the top]and [free fallin]....the other songs did nothing for me,.....even when they were suppose be deeper singer songwriter type songs such as [angel dream] ect....again maybe I'm lacking that third eye and ear that i don't get the artistry of this guy and his band?....also i didnt like the way the thing was video taped at all!... it's in like letterbox format?... it appears like a bunch of high school kids filmed/taped it,...much of the time with heads cut off and out of focus?... stupid roadie shots between songs and weird camera angles?....and low buget looking ect... i was even disapointed in the way it sounded?...i'm not a regular fan so i don't know the way petty and his band sound in concert but they must sound better than this!.... and it didn't even include [refugee] which i always liked?.... to sum things up i might of liked and got more into this if it was a better quality product but i was so annoyed by the whole thing,.. and maybe I'm getting a little jaded in my old age?...........post-script: after watching the concert a couple of more times i want to couch my previous reveiw,..... the sound is not bad,... it's good and like i said befor the 3 performances of [swinging],[room at the top]and [free fallin] are all really good songs and really good performances,...especially[room at the top]....but the direction and camera work and the editing on this concert dvd suck!.....
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 | The Misfits |
| "i wanted this to be and expected more?" | 2008-03-11 |
with the cast involved and directed by john huston and it being written by arthur miller i expected a lot more.
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 | The Misfits |
| "i wanted this to be and expected more?" | 2008-03-11 |
i wanted to like this with the cast involved and it being directed by john huston and being written by the great playwright arthur miller... i expected a lot more.
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 | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - High Grass Dogs (Live from the Fillmore) |
| "maybe I'm just not a big enough fan?" | 2008-03-11 |
1've been aware of tom petty since 1979 when [damn the torpedoes] came out...and i always kind of liked some of his stuff....and I've seen him interviewed on tv and in print and always thought he was a intelligent and decent person,.... so what I'm saying is i always liked him as an artist and a human being.....so when i bought this i wanted to like it....but i don't and maybe it's a short coming of mine that i can't see the brilliance of his music and his lyrics?....the only songs i liked were [swingin], [room at the top]and [free fallin]....the other songs did nothing for me,.....even when they were suppose be deeper singer songwriter type songs such as [angel dream] ect....again maybe I'm lacking that third eye and ear that i don't get the artistry of this guy and his band?....also i didnt like the way the thing was video taped at all!... it's in like letterbox format?... it appears like a bunch of high school kids filmed/taped it,...much of the time with heads cut off and out of focus?... stupid roadie shots between songs and weird camera angles?....and low buget looking ect... i was even disapointed in the way it sounded?...i'm not a regular fan so i don't know the way petty and his band sound in concert but they must sound better than this!.... and it didn't even include [refugee] which i always liked?.... to sum things up i might of liked and got more into this if it was a better quality product but i was so annoyed by the whole thing,.. and maybe I'm getting a little jaded in my old age?...........post-script: after watching the concert a couple of more times i want to couch my previous reveiw,..... the sound is not bad,... it's good and like i said befor the 3 performances of [swinging],[room at the top]and [free fallin] are all really good songs and really good performances,...especially[room at the top]....but the direction and camera work and the editing on this concert dvd suck!.....
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