Thursday, July 21, 2011

Nosferatu (The Ultimate Two-Disc Edition)

Nosferatu (The Ultimate Two-Disc Edition) Review



Nosferatu (The Ultimate Two-Disc Edition) Feature

  • NOSFERATU-ULTIMATE EDITION (DVD MOVIE)
As noted critic Pauline Kael observed, "... this first important film of the vampire genre has more spectral atmosphere, more ingenuity, and more imaginative ghoulish ghastliness than any of its successors." Some really good vampire movies have been made since Kael wrote those words, but German director F.W. Murnau's 1922 version remains a definitive adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Created when German silent films were at the forefront of visual technique and experimentation, Murnau's classic is remarkable for its creation of mood and setting, and for the unforgettably creepy performance of Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a.k.a. the blood-sucking predator Nosferatu. With his rodent-like features and long, bony-fingered hands, Schreck's vampire is an icon of screen horror, bringing pestilence and death to the town of Bremen in 1838. (These changes of story detail were made necessary when Murnau could not secure a copyright agreement with Stoker's estate.) Using negative film, double-exposures, and a variety of other in-camera special effects, Murnau created a vampire classic that still holds a powerful influence on the horror genre. (Werner Herzog's 1978 film Nosferatu the Vampyre is both a remake and a tribute, and Francis Coppola adopted many of Murnau's visual techniques for Bram Stoker's Dracula.) Seen today, Murnau's film is more of a fascinating curiosity, but its frightening images remain effectively eerie. --Jeff Shannon A cornerstone of the horror film, F.W. Murnau s NOSFERATU is triumphantly reborn in this breathtaking new restoration by the F.W. Murnau Foundation. Backed by an orchestral performance of Hans Erdmann s 1922 score (recorded in 5.1 stereo surround), Kino International edition presents Murnau s masterpiece in this all-new restored HD transfer with unprecedented clarity and faithfulness to the original release version. This double-disc collection presents the film with the original German intertitles as well as with newly-translated English intertitles. Accompanying the film is a 52-minute documentary by Luciano Berriatúa which provides a detailed account of the production and explores the filmmakers involvement in the occult. Also includes 'Nosferatu: Historic Film Meets Digital Restoration' - a 3-minute documentary - Lengthy excerpts from other films by F.W. Murnau: Journey Into the Night (1920), The Haunted Castle (1921), Phantom (1922), The Finances of the Grand Duke (1924), The Last Laugh (1924), Tartuffe (1925), Faust (1926), and Tabu (1931) - Photo Gallery - Scene Comparison


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A Time to Love and a Time To Die [Masters of Cinema edition, UK import, Region 2 PAL format]

A Time to Love and a Time To Die [Masters of Cinema edition, UK import, Region 2 PAL format] Review



"Their pounding hearts drowned out the sound of chaos thundering around them." Douglas Sirk turns back to his native Germany at the time of WWII. A CinemaScope production staged on a grand scale, Sirk's picture pulsates with an intimacy that has known longing for too long, and seethes with the repression of emotions poised to explode like bombs. John Gavin plays Ernst Gräber, a soldier on the Russian-German Front in 1944 venturing home to his shattered home to search for fragments of his family's shattered lives. Amid the shards, he falls in love with Elisabeth (Liselotte Pulver), the charming daughter of his parents' doctor, activating a magnetism that compels them to love, even as it hurtles them into epochal death. Adapted from the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, Sirk's film takes its literary source and sculpts it anew out of colour, decor, and performance, arguably besting the novel on all aesthetic levels. ****SPECIAL TWO-DISC Edition including: --Gorgeous new anamorphic transfer of the film in its original 2:35:1 aspect ratio --English SDH subtitles for the hearing impaired --OF TEARS AND SPEED, a 12-minute, visually annotated recitation of Jean-Luc Godard's seminal essay on Sirk's film; interview with Wesley Strick, author of OUT THERE IN THE DARK, a roman-à-clef based upon Sirk's life in Hollywood and his relationship with the estranged son who took a starring role in Hitler Youth propaganda. --IMITATION OF LIFE [MIRAGE OF LIFE]: A PORTRAIT OF DOUGLAS SIRK a 49-minute film portrait from 1984 of Sirk and his wife Hilda in conversation, and reflecting, from their apartment in Germany, back upon their lives in Hollywood; 36-page booklet containing the complete text of Jean-Luc Godard's essay on the film, writings from critic Tag Gallagher on the film and Sirk's career in general, and an assemblage of notes that includes excerpts from Sirk's reflections upon the film, remarks upon visual motifs inside the movie, the CinemaScope process and more.


Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Eureka Seven, Volume 7 (Special Edition)

Eureka Seven, Volume 7 (Special Edition) Review



Eureka SeveN Volume 7 with Artbox, Original Soundtrack II, Manga Vol 5 and T-Shirt


Monday, July 18, 2011

Toni [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ]

Toni [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ] Review



Toni [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ] Feature

  • THIS DVD WILL NOT WORK ON STANDARD US DVD PLAYER
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: French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Booklet, Commentary, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: After completing his successful Madame Bovary (34), director Jean Renoir could have had the pick of France's top "name" actors for his 1935 film Toni, but chose instead to use nonprofessionals. The plot was based on a true story, brought to Renoir's attention by the sheriff of the village where it occurred. The story is the basic "good man destroyed by bad woman" conceit: An Italian laborer sets the gears in motion for Zola-esque tragedy by falling in love with a young woman, who then marries his foreman. This terse triangle is given verisimilitude by the unknown players and the location filming at the actual village where the real-life incident took place; what could have been relentlessly grim material is imbued with warmth and sentiment by Renoir. Taken for granted upon its initial release, Toni was obviously a major influence in the Italian Neorealist movement of the 1940s; the Renoir film finally and permanently secured classic status in the auteur-conscious 1960s.


Saturday, July 16, 2011

Sanctuary: The Complete First Season

Sanctuary: The Complete First Season Review



Sanctuary: The Complete First Season Feature

  • The enigmatic Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and her Sanctuary team are on a quest to study and protect the strange and terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world. Along with their newest recruit, forensic psychiatrist Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), the group must face their darkest fears and their worst nightmares in order to provide a safe haven for the monsters that lurk in the sha
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)








The enigmatic Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and her Sanctuary team are on a quest to study and protect the strange and terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world. Along with their newest recruit, forensic psychiatrist Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), the group must face their darkest fears and their worst nightmares in order to provide a safe haven for the monsters that lurk in the shadows. As seen on SciFi Channel. From the writers and producers of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis.


Friday, July 15, 2011

Head Against the Wall ( La tête contre les murs ) ( The Keepers ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ]

Head Against the Wall ( La tête contre les murs ) ( The Keepers ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ] Review



Head Against the Wall ( La tête contre les murs ) ( The Keepers ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ] Feature

  • THIS DVD WILL NOT WORK ON STANDARD US DVD PLAYER
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: French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Black & White, Booklet, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Interactive Menu, Remastered, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: An intense study of the clash between medical ideals, the first full-length work from Georges Franju (Les yeux sans visage, Judex) is a gripping examination of postwar psychiatric care, boasting a memorable cast including Pierre Brasseur, Anouk Aimée, Charles Aznavour, Paul Meurisse, and Jean-Pierre Mocky. Mocky plays François Gérane, an aimless young man whose delinquent tendencies cause his father to have him committed to a psychiatric ward. There, under the cold command of Dr. Varmont (Brasseur), he finds himself fighting for his dignity, sanity, and freedom, barely holding on through the new-found love of his girlfriend Stephanie (Aimée) and the promise of rival Dr. Emery's (Meurisse) more humane techniques. Compassionate yet unflinching, La Tête contre les murs is a bold precursor to the likes of Samuel Fuller's Shock Corridor and Milos Forman's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, revealing Franju's poetic gift for creating images both concrete and evocative, and an ominous hint of the clinical horrors yet to come in Les yeux sans visage. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the debut feature of a late-flowering, great filmmaker.


Thursday, July 14, 2011

Warehouse 13: Season One

Warehouse 13: Season One Review



After saving the life of the President, two top Secret Service agents find themselves abruptly transferred to Warehouse 13 — a massive, top-secret storage facility in the badlands of South Dakota that houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. Now the pair — off-the-cuff Agent Pete Lattimer and by-the-book Agent Myka Bering — must chase down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects for their eccentric new boss, Artie Nielsen, to safeguard at the Warehouse. It’s a wildly entertaining adventure full of inventive gadgetry and thrilling action, and with all twelve Warehouse 13: Season One episodes cataloged and archived in this collectible three-disc set, now’s your chance to snag it, bag it and tag it!