The Assassination (1964) ( Ansatsu ) ( The Assassin ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ]

The Assassination (1964) ( Ansatsu ) ( The Assassin ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ] Review

United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: Japanese ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Booklet, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Remastered, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Assasination (or Ansatsu) marked Masahiro Shinoda's first attempt at a period film, and is widely considered to be his finest achievement. Previously gaining fame and status alongside Nagisa Oshima and Kiju Yoshida, challenging established Japanese cinema with tales of reckless youth, The Dry Lake (1960) and the seminal yakuza drama Pale Flower (1964) Shinoda graduated from Shochiku, where his grounding was working as an assistant to Yasujiro Ozu. The story of Assassination begins with the events of 1853 when "four black ships" anchored at Edo Bay, sparking civil unrest and the major political maneuvering that saw the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. At a time when assassination had become a disturbing political tool, Shinoda's film follows Hachiro Kiyokawa (Tetsuro Tamba), an ambitious, masterless samurai whose allegiances drift dangerously between the Shogunate and the Emperor. Filmed in richly stylish black and white 'Scope by cinematographer Masao Kosugi, Shinoda's film explores the character of Kiyokawa as he singlehandedly attempts, against a backdrop of betrayal and abrupt violence, to prevent the outbreak of civil war. With an award-winning score by Toru Takemitsu (Pitfalll, The Face of Another) and a deft, twisting narrative structure, Assassination's profound nihilism has a striking contemporary resonance which fiercely displays the director's skill and individual vision. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Assassination for the first time on home video in the West. ...The Assassination (1964) ( Ansatsu ) ( The Assassin )

Eureka: Season 4.5

Eureka: Season 4.5 Review

When has it ever been simple in Eureka? Our heroes continue to adjust to the cataclysmic changes in their personal lives following their trip through time back to 1947 when the resident geniuses are presented with a new challenge: mounting a multi-billion dollar space mission to Titan.  As scientists vie to be chosen for the 20-member crew, Carter (Colin Ferguson) has his hands full with security breaches, super acid and gravity issues, Allison (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) can't get someone-or something-out of her head, and Zane and Jo (Niall Matter and Erica Cerra) come to terms with their fractured relationship. Sci-fi fan favorites Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton guest star in this three-disc set that includes a special extended version of the episode "Of Mites and Men," the holiday episode "O Little Town," as well as the Warehouse 13 crossover episode "Don't Hate the Player." Relationship audits, force fields run amok, and floating banks... it's just another day in Eureka. Starring: Colin Ferguson, Joe Morton, Greg Germann

Eureka [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Australia ]

Eureka [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Australia ] Review

Australia released, Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C : it WILL NOT play on regular DVD player. You need Blu-Ray DVD player to view this Blu-Ray DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: A reclusive, unhappy gold magnate finds his isolated tropical paradise threatened by the intrusion of organized criminals in director Nicolas Roeg's convoluted, arty drama. Gene Hackman stars as Jack McCann, a one-time gold prospector who his parlayed the discovery of a rich deposit in the Canadian wilderness into an immense fortune. Instead of satisfaction, McCann's wealth leads to depression and paranoia, and he moves to a remote island and withdraws from the world. The bulk of the film centers on what has become of McCann some thirty years later, as he attempts to deal with a troubled daughter (Theresa Russell) and the attentions of the Mafia, who want to build a new casino on his tropical home. As the pressures increase, his efforts to protect his property and maintain his family become increasingly desperate, culminating in an extended public trial. Even stranger and more stylized than most of Roeg's work, the disjointed Eureka will seem incomprehensible and painfully pretentious to those with little patience for his indirect narratives and purposefully exaggerated approach. Devoted fans, however, will find further proof of the director's impressive visual sense, especially during the film's earlier sequences. ...Eureka

Sanctuary - The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]

Sanctuary - The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] Review

Sanctuary - The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] Feature

• SANCTUARY: COMPLETE FIRST SEASON BLU-RAY (DVD MOVIE)

Even Things That Go Bump in the Night Need Protection…
“with cutting-edge technology, Sanctuary creates a world teaming with mermaids, dinosaurs and monster mayhem” – TV Guide

Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) is a brilliant and enigmatic scientist who seeks out all manner of monstrous creatures. Aided by her protégé, forensic psychiatrist Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), and her fearless daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup), the Sanctuary team tracks down, studies and protects the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world.

As seen on Sci Fi Channel (Syfy), Sanctuary is one of the only series to shoot extensively on green screen using extraordinary visual effects and virtual sets. Helmed by some of the innovative talents behind Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, the series creative team includes executive producer, writer and creator Damian Kindler; executive producer and lead actor Amanda Tapping; and executive producer and director Martin Wood.

BONUS FEATURES:
Audio commentaries on all 13 episodes with cast and crew including Amanda Tapping, creator Damian Kindler, director Martin Wood and more
3 Making-of Featurettes: “Welcome to the Sanctuary”, “Sanctuary Residents”, “Sanctuary Visual Effects”
Sanctuary: The Original Webisodes
Bloopers, Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
Season Two Sneak Peek

Stills from Sactuary: Season 1 (Click for larger image)

Even Things That Go Bump in the Night Need Protection… “With cutting-edge technology, Sanctuary creates a world teaming with mermaids, dinosaurs and monster mayhem” –TV Guide Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) is a brilliant and enigmatic scientist who seeks out all manner of monstrous creatures. Aided by her protégé, forensic psychiatrist Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), and her fearless daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup), the Sanctuary team tracks down, studies and protects the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world.

Castle: The Complete Fourth Season

Castle: The Complete Fourth Season Review

She’s armed. He’s dangerous. Relive every exciting investigation with TV’s most unlikely partners in crime! Own each episode and bring home even more Castle and Beckett with exclusive Bonus Features on ABC’s Castle: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD.

Eureka Seven - Il Film

Eureka Seven - Il Film Review

La razza umana è in lotta da mezzo secolo contro misteriose forme di vita denominate "Image". Nell'anno 2054 il giovane Renton Thurston entra a far parte dell'equipaggio della Gekko-Go, la corazzata della 303° Unità Indipendente dell'Esercito di Liberazione dell'Umanità. La prima missione ufficiale che deve affrontare, pilotando il suo Nirvash, consiste nel recuperare un soggetto sperimentale estremamente importante per l'esercito. Con suo grande stupore, Renton scopre presto che il soggetto altri non è che Eureka, una ragazza con cui era molto legato durante la sua infanzia...

Eureka Seven, Volume 4 (Episodes 15-18)

Eureka Seven, Volume 4 (Episodes 15-18) Review

Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 10/24/2006

Eureka Seven, Volume 3 (Episodes 11-14)

Eureka Seven, Volume 3 (Episodes 11-14) Review

Since Renton's arrival, Eureka's relationship with the Nirvash has been changing. More mysteries await, however, as the Gekko has discovered a mysterious phenomenon called a Coralian. Although she's not really up to the task Eureka goes out in the Nirvash and flies inside. Once inside, she is attacked by a new LFO. Renton, meanwhile, has fallen unconscious, and has a dream about Eureka and the girl she's fighting. But is it really just a dream, or is he somehow connected to Eureka and the Nirvash in this state? Meanwhile, the Gekko has come under fire by the Federation warship Izumok, and the members of Gekkostate will have their hands full escaping from both the warship and the Coralian, especially without the Nirvash to assist them. Winner of Top Honors at the 2006 Tokyo International Anime Fair. From Studio BONES! Mecha designs by Shoji Kawamori, script by Dai Sato. Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Mecha.

Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season

Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season Review

In the Chuck Season 4 DVD, "Chuck" continues its highly entertaining blend of drama, comedy, and romance. Nice guy computer nerd and newly minted CIA agent Chuck Bartkowski (Zachary Levi) is finally teamed, both personally and professionally, with the lovely and deadly CIA agent Sara Walker (Yvonne Strahovski). At the beginning of the Chuck Season 4 DVD, Chuck and best buddy Morgan (Joshua Gomez) search for Chuck's long missing mother Mary Bartkowski (extended cameo by Linda Hamilton), thought to be a rogue agent working for the villainous international arms dealer Alexei Volkov (a superbly over-the-top Timothy Dalton). In a multi-episode sequence, Chuck, Morgan, Sara and the famously gruff NSA agent John Casey (Adam Baldwin) track and eventually confront Mary Bartkowski and Volkov. Mary's loyalties are something of a mystery, especially after she deprives Chuck of the use of the Intersect embedded in his brain, which provides him with his spy skills. Season Four was originally scheduled for 13 episodes, before being extended to a full season. Lucky fans get two season finales. In the first, Team Bartkowski tries to protect Chuck's sister Ellie from the Volkov gang, as she prepares to give birth to her first child with husband Captain Awesome, and as Chuck seeks a quiet moment to propose to the evasive Sara. In the second, Chuck and Sara must escape the revenge of the Volkov family long enough to bring off their own wedding. The steam could easily have gone out of the series after Chuck and Sara finally got together, but the creative team of Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak keeps finding ways to keep it funny and interesting. Any number of boomer TV series and movie dramas get hilariously ripped off this season, while a parallel storyline has Casey and Morgan as mismatched house mates and agent partners, with Morgan trying to keep secret his relationship with Casey's daughter Alex. "Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season" is very highly recommended to fa

This is Eureka Springs: Little Switzerland of the Ozarks

This is Eureka Springs: Little Switzerland of the Ozarks Review

A video tour of Eureka Springs, Arkansas area.

Sanctuary: The Complete Third Season

Sanctuary: The Complete Third Season Review

Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) is a beautiful and enigmatic scientist who seeks out all manner of monstrous creatures. Aided by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), tech expert Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins), professional con artist Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi), and the mysterious and unpredictable John Druitt (Christopher Heyerdahl), the Sanctuary team tracks down, studies and protects the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world.

Eureka Seven - Box 2 (3DVD)

Eureka Seven - Box 2 (3DVD) Review

Il bocciolo splendente racconta la storia... che lega gli uomini e la terra. Il ragazzo e la ragazza decidono di intraprendere il viaggio in cerca del futuro. "Ascolta Nirvash da quando sei piombato in casa mia, noi siamo sempre stati in viaggio, non è vero? Abbiamo incontrato molte persone e ce ne siamo separati. Per me i ricordi sono estremamente importanti. Però durante questo viaggio ho sempre avuto Eureka al mio fianco. Io ti scongiuro, Nirvash! Non voglio che finisca tutto in questo modo! Io ho bisogno ho bisogno di Eureka al mio fianco!"

Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler

Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler Review

Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler Feature

• DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER-RESTORED AUTH ED (DVD MOVIE)

It's hard to imagine that the razor-sharp Kino DVD of Fritz Lang's first magnum opus fails to capture any of the visual electricity and heady atmosphere experienced by Berlin filmgoers in 1922. The film's historical importance to the crime-film genre and its thematic relevance to the director's later work have never been in dispute, but with only murky, choppy editions to go by, the movie has largely been paid lip service for its legacy rather than appreciated for itself. Now, thanks to this definitive restoration by the Murnau Institute, we can properly see it and experience it.

Dr. Mabuse the Gambler is actually two films in one--or, more precisely, one film in two feature-length parts totaling four-and-a-half hours and conceived to be watched on consecutive evenings. Its title character is a criminal mastermind with the power and the will to orchestrate complex capers, counterfeit national currencies, manipulate the stock market, and hypnotically bend anyone to play a role in his diabolical designs. The hand of Mabuse seems to reach everywhere--for the excellent reason that the Doctor himself, a master of disguise, turns out to be just about anywhere at just the moment his intervention will wreak havoc and wreck lives. (He's played by Rudolf Klein-Rogge, who would repeat the part ten years later in The Testament of Dr. Mabuse and also, in spirit if not in name, in Lang's dazzling 1928 film Spies; he was also the inventor Rotwang in Metropolis--as well as, offscreen, the former husband of Lang's screenwriter wife Thea von Harbou!)

The film's title in German is Doktor Mabuse der Spieler, and our supervillain is really less a gambler (all his games of chance are rigged) than a player: playing multiple roles, but even more importantly, playing with others' lives, playing with the very fabric of modern reality. The subtitles of the two parts are "A Picture of the Time" and "People of the Time"; the film is an artifact of the Weimar era when, as one character remarks, "We are bored and tired ... we need sensations of a very special kind to remain alive." Lang and his art directors, Otto Hunte and Karl Stahl-Urach, create a hallucinatory mise-en-scène in which the decor is at once stark and decadent, a playground for all manner of perverse spectacle and gamesmanship, a maze of corridors and doorways and streets where the modern and the gothic interlayer. This world ripe for Mabusian manipulation prefigured Hitler by a decade--and in one of his last declarations, the Doctor anticipates more contemporary visionaries of chaos: "I feel as a state within a state, with which I have always been at war." Fritz Lang continues to be a chillingly prophetic filmmaker. --Richard T. Jameson DR. MABUSE THE GAMBLER - DVD Movie

Eureka Seven - Box 3 (3DVD)

Eureka Seven - Box 3 (3DVD) Review

Il bocciolo splendente racconta la storia... che lega gli uomini e la terra. Il ragazzo e la ragazza decidono di intraprendere il viaggio in cerca del futuro. "Ascolta Nirvash da quando sei piombato in casa mia, noi siamo sempre stati in viaggio, non è vero? Abbiamo incontrato molte persone e ce ne siamo separati. Per me i ricordi sono estremamente importanti. Però durante questo viaggio ho sempre avuto Eureka al mio fianco. Io ti scongiuro, Nirvash! Non voglio che finisca tutto in questo modo! Io ho bisogno ho bisogno di Eureka al mio fianco!"

Bones: The Complete Fifth Season

Bones: The Complete Fifth Season Review

Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) are back for more mystery, murder, and mayhem in the fifth season of Bones. Relying on Brennan’s unparalleled scientific abilities and Booth’s street-wise instincts, the sexy, crime-solving duo and their team face everything from modern-day witches to murdered rock-n-rollers as they scramble for evidence to stop a gruesome serial killer. This spectacular new season brings a wedding, the show’s landmark 100th episode, and decisions Bones and Booth must make that could change their lives forever.