Amazon.com

There's a plug for environmental causes (song lyric: "If there's a place worth saving, this must be the place"), a Darwinian crack aimed at parents, and faux news broadcasts to keep things moving. But most of all there are animals, animals, animals in this 37-minute National Geographic video. If a trip to the South American rain forest isn't part of the vacation plans, this video tour aimed at kids from preschool through grade school will more than suffice. Comparing the forest layers to an apartment building, animated planet guide Spin (Dudley Moore) steps onto an elevator to explore the forest floor on up to the canopy level--meeting tapirs, jaguars, bats, and spider monkeys along the way. Meanwhile kids become familiar with concepts such as echolocation, camouflage, and the equator. Now that's infotainment! --Kimberly Heinrichs ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very entertaining and educational.
I have a three-year-old who loves this video we borrowed from the local library. He already knows the layers of a rain forest and can name a few animals in each layer. I have a degree in elementary education and truly realize how important positive exposure to new things are to children. He also gets angry at the part where they show the cutting down of trees and tells the man to pick them back up! Hello! Do you need more of a hint? Videos like this are truly benificial to children.

Awesome! Humor Included!
This video is really cool, and fuuny too. Kids can learn a lot from it, all the while being entertained. It's the best quality, the kind you expect from National Geographic. The answer to every question you ever had about tropical rainforests is right here, I can garauntee it. Dudley Moore, the histarical comedian, plays the loveable and always-good-for-a-laugh globe character Spin. A great way for kids 5-13 to learn and have fun!

Humorous Education
The Tropical rainforest has over 1/2 of the earth's animals and plants!Hey I am NOT kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Take a swing around the forest with Dudley Morre as Spin,your favorite globe-on-the-go!40 Min.Hoatzins included. What!!!!!?????Find out in the Totally Tropical Rain Forest! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Ben and Danny Forever
This movie starts directly after Willard Stiles dies. The Police decide to kill all the rat that Willard trained. The rats move to leave Willard's house and live in the sewer. One day Ben gets hungry so he goes to The house of a boy named Danny's house.Danny makes friends with him and Danny gives him food. Danny writes a song called ''Ben's song'' for Ben. Ben shows Danny his home in the sewer. The police find out where all the rats live and Kill them all. Danny goes home Heartbroken.
Then Danny sees Ben in his room with a broken Leg. Danny Tends to it while Micheal Jackson is singing "Ben's Song" in the background and as the credits roll.
THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE. SEE IT NOW!

Embarassingly dated,yet endearing
Like many who've seen this movie decades after it's release,the theme song sung by Michael Jackson is what made me check it out.Whereas Willard was a straight horror film,Ben is a mixture of cute and chills.
Picking up where Willard left off,Ben and his rat army retreat to the sewers while the police try to hunt them down after Willard's murder.In the process,Ben befriends an ill boy,Danny Garrison(Lee Montgomery),which is more endearing than the relationship between Willard & Socrates.
Aside from a view of circa 1972 for pop culture junkies,the best thing about Ben is the friendship between the boy and his rat.The acting,the score and the effects(recycling the same scenes of rats over) are pretty bad.The ending scene with the Jackson sung theme could make you misty eyed.Almost like a precurser to 2001's A.I.
Now that Willard has been remade(with a larger,nastier Ben)and became a box office disappointment,chances for a Ben remake are pretty non existant.It would be interesting to see one,even with a three legged Ben.

The sequel to the original killer rat army film, "Willard"
.... this is just a recycled killer-rat movie where the attack sequences are more polished than in the original, but the originality is gone. The plot picks up right where "Willard" ended, with the army of rats attacking Willard (Bruce Davidson), who made the mistake of falling in love with a girl and forgetting his real friends. The rats hide out in the city sewers while their leader, Ben, goes out looking for food. This is how he encounters Lee Montgomery (David Garrison), another lonely young boy just looking for a little friendship in a cold world. The two indeed become friends, while Ben's rat army (now numbering about 4,000) go out on fun little raids.

This 1972 film from director Phil Carlson, who would go on to do "Walking Tall" the next year, does have the virtue of coming up with a different boy-rat relationship. Poor Lee has a heart condition so there is actually some pathos to his relationship with Ben, whereas Willard lost our sympathy once he had his rats starting eating people. The rat attacks a little more creative, but the end result is somehow less effective that the pure gross-out of the original. If you can find both of them, then this is an obvious double-feature, and with the remake of "Willard" coming out soon I would have to think there will be cheap copies of both films readily available again. I am sure the new film will use awesom CGI effects for all those rats, but there is something to be said for the good old days of rat wranglers.

Sequel to Willard - more a friendship story than horror
Michael Jackson song the theme song into our hearts and history, while Lee Montgomery reminded us of what it was like to not have friends.
A sequel to the highly successful horror movie, WILLARD. The story begins with Willard and Ben arguing at home & moves to the touching friendship between a lonely, ill boy and an intelligent rat.
The rats may scare the young children, but if they can handle them and the very G rated killings, I do recommend this movie for children over 8. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Without the usual wildlife footage (since cameras obviously weren't around millions of years ago), the folks at National Geographic get very creative in the dinosaur segment of this 44-minute video. Using a combination of traditional and stop-motion animation, a paleontologist interview, silent-film stock, and clips from corny dinosaur movies, narrator Spin (planet Earth as voiced by Dudley Moore) tells the prehistoric slice-of-life story of a Hadrosaurus-egg-stealing Struthiomimus member who, in turn, meets an untimely end at the claws of raptors. As the second segment's title suggests, "Creature Features" is framed as a faux horror movie with Moore adopting a creepy tone as he tells of blood-sucking (and regurgitating) mother bats and squirming maggots who metamorphose into flies. By using this format, the episode has it both ways. It uses a spooky façade to entertain the kids, while debunking the very horror movie myths it capitalizes upon. --Kimberly Heinrichs ... Read more

Reviews (3)

My 3 yr. old son loves this one!
We rented this video and my son watched it about 10 times. After we returned it to the store, he kept asking for it so I am here at Amazon.com to buy it for him. He loves "Spin" the narrating globe.

Highly Entertaining
I watched this video with my two sons, ages 6 and 13, and we all loved it! The music, the photography, the animation, the narration and the fun (and sometimes gross) facts make this video well worth it. What an entertaining way to get kids interested and involved in learning more about the world around them!

Really wild animals
My two sons (ages 5 and 3) LOVE this video. Not only does it cover some of their favorite topics- Dinosaurs, bugs, spiders and snakes - but it also includes very interesting, factual and detailed information. And, it makes it fun! Parents will find this interesting as well. It would be a good idea to watch it WITH younger children as some kids may be disturbed by the more graphic/scary dinosaur scenes. Dudley Moore is great as the narrator, and we are planning to get more of National Geographic's Really Wild Animals videos! ... Read more

Description

Travel to the land "down under" with Spin, National Geographic's animated globe-on-the-go, and learn why the animals of Australia are so darn weird!From leaping kangaroos to paddling platypuses to cuddly koalas, you won't believe the amazing variety of animals that make this island world their home.Here's a wonderful look at these creatures, brought to you by the world's finest filmmakers.Exciting music videos will get the whole family hopping!So, c'mon mate, and explore WONDERS DOWN UNDER -just one of the many Really Wild Animals adventures in this award-winning series. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Very entertaining! Great for all ages.
National Geographic has done a fabulous job of presenting information in a very fun, lively way. This video is full of amusing commentary by the narrator (the kids may not understand all the jokes, but as an adult I appreciate the cleverness). The songs are upbeat and enjoyable. The up-close film footage of the animals is excellent, as you would expect from National Geographic. No matter what your age, you will enjoy this video -- my two-year-old laughs while watching it and I find myself joining the kids on the couch to watch the fascinating animals of Australia.

great fun and full of information
This video includes excellent footage of Australia's amazing animal life: creatures you don't find anywhere else on earth. The songs are fabulous! I taught the Marsupial Rap to my first grade class and they loved it. Kangaroos, Frilled Lizards, Tazmanian Devils, and others will fascinate both adults and children. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Memories of Midnight
This movie was terribly dissapointing. The Other Side of Midnight is one of my all time favorites and I could not wait to see this movie. The characters and story line are weak and unsophisticated compared to OSOM. I loved Jane's business attire, she dressed to the T in this movie and the scenery in Greece and Venice were lovely and that's about it. I would not watch this mini series again. Jane Seymore was wonderful in "Somewhere in Time".

Interesting Sheldon Thriller, But Too Long
Jane Seymour and Omar Sharif make this sequel to "The Other Side of Midnight" come alive, but they can only hold it together for a limited time. Seymour plays the amnesiac victim and Sharif is the badguy. When the are together this crackels, but unfortunately that isn't often. This film would have been much better with some judicious editing.

P.S. There is a very sexy scene at the end that unfortunately is covered by the end credits. Didn't the producers feel that they could have spared an extra five minutes for something interesting?

Terrific! Reunion of Sharif and Seymour like H is to O H2O
Jane Seymour is at it again as an innocent victim. She plays a great role alond with Omar Sharif who puts the icing on the cake. I suggest this mini-series to anyone and is definitely worth the price! It kept me in suspense 99.9% of the time. Sheldon is a true master! Also suggested with Seymour: Somewhere in Time, Matters of the Heart, Dr. Quinn, Onassis, and Live and Let Die. With Sharif: Dr. Zhivago, Oh, Heavenly Dog! (he plays the same type of villain only not as powerful but still high in the ranks). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Infused with a healthy awe of nature's handiwork, this film is a crash course in physiology. In just 60 minutes the video travels through every inch of the human body, highlighting the various engineering feats accomplished in the course of everyday activity. Tiny cameras expose the forest of taste buds on the tip of a tongue, the cavernous pores in a fingertip, and the eerie clenching action of vocal chords. While the live-action scenes are a bit dated, the visual effects created by x-rays, microscopes, and time-lapse photography are fascinating. --Claire Campbell ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good video but very outdated
I remember liking this video as a child so I was anxious to see it again. It's funny how times change. The old Geographic with their big booming narrator voice and documentary scenes that look like they were staged for the camera just don't do it for me anymore. Some of the scenes are still touching but I would reccomend keeping your memories intact and avoid watching this. It's just not worth your time and any expense.

Not just a documentary, but a work of art
I'll start off by saying that the classic National Geographic documentaries played a vital part in my childhood. I rented them from the local video store so many times that the employees there called me "the National Geographic kid." CREATURES OF THE NAMIB DESERT, THE SHARKS, AFRICAN WILDLIFE--these were to me what SNOW WHITE and THE LITTLE MERMAID were to other kids. What can I say? I was (and still am) a total egghead. (I'll be 21 next month.)

However, I always had a unique relationship with THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN MACHINE. On the one hand, I knew that it was a masterpiece, and was continually compelled to watch it. And yet, something about it frightened me. Its images, like the inside of the esophagus and blood pumping through vessels, were somehow more than I could deal with. As a result, I only watched it a very few times.

Fortunately, I'm much less sensitive now (I've even become an avid fan of horror movies--a complete turnaround from my childhood), and I recently went back and saw THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN MACHINE. And, while it no longer scares me, there is something unnerving about it. In some ways, it's similar to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (maybe its flip side, since this is an odyssey through INNER space). There's an awe, a scientific/poetic ecstasy to everything. Maybe it's the uneasy feeling that our boundaries as animals have been broken, that we're seeing things that had previously been reserved for the gods.

But why is that? I've seen many other, more technologically advanced (remember, this film is 25 years old) documentaries on the human body, but none moves me like this one. There are several reasons. It's written, directed, and edited with seamless perfection (kudos to Irwin Rosten and Hyman Kaufman) and makes the most of its short running time. At fifty-odd minutes, there's only time to give a thumbnail sketch of each of the bodily systems, and the film does so in a marvelously succinct and resourceful way. But that's only part of it. Far more than just filling us up with facts like most documentaries do, it ventures into the realms of art and philosophy without ever overplaying its hand. It takes the time to present small, incredible images like individual heart cells beating in a petri dish, or an embryo's spine forming, or a zygote expanding and contracting. (Narrator E.G. Marshall compares this last one to an "exploding star," effortlessly linking inner and outer space.) It quotes Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, and Joseph Conrad, while celebrating our bodies through images of world-class athletes and ordinary people. A gymnast performs on uneven parallel bars, a deaf woman hears for the first time, a man in a biofeedback experiment powers a toy train with his mind. Ultimately, the film makes you think about who we are, and marvel that we exist and are capable of so much.

(I was unable to fit this into the last paragraph, but I simply have to give special credit to Billy Goldenberg, whose eerie, pulsating music plays almost continuously through the film and greatly intensifies its emotional impact.)

I could go on about this film for much longer, but I've made my point. So I'll finish on a personal note of triumph. THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN MACHINE has been here all these years; it just took me a while to be able to fully enjoy it. And now I can, and I will for the rest of my life. I hope you buy it and get out of it all that I have.

PS: I wish that National Geographic would issue some of their pre-1975 documentaries on video. Also, with videotape rapidly becoming an outdated medium, they need to reissue their entire catalog (including the pre-1975 stuff just mentioned) on DVD, so the next generation can enjoy these classics. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Who were the Mayans? The answer depends on who you ask. Legend has it that the gods made them from corn. Armchair cultural critics with little more than a page-long encyclopedia entry's worth of knowledge see them as a ritualistic, dynastic people with a strong penchant for boulder hackysack. Take an hour-long tour of Lost Kingdoms of the Maya with host Susan Sarandon, however, and you'll see a culture that defies any handy categorization. Composed of a web of several hundred Central American kingdoms at the height of its powers, the Mayan empire was a cosmopolitan center of art and science that also had a taste for battle.

So what exactly happened to make the Paris of its time suddenly vanish? Puzzle along with archeologists and epigraphers as they try to piece history back together, one building and astrological codice at a time. Don't expect any pat answers, however. While a few educated guesses endure (overpopulation? deforestation? an out-of-control thirst for war?), the true reason for the Mayan fate might be best summarized in the true if not elegant words of one Mayan expert: "Civilization is a complex phenomenon, and we can screw up." --Bob Michaels ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Fairly Good Documentary
This video was reasonably interesting, especially in its discussion of the Classic Maya Cities of Copan and Dos Pilas. I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of diversity regarding sites covered. Copan is certainly one of the more important Maya cities and it deserved coverage, but what about Tikal, Palenque, Yaxchilan, and Bonampak, just to mention a few others. They also might have considered some coverage of some of the Epi-classic & Post-Classic cities, such as Uxmal, Chichen-Itza, and Tulum; as these sites are also favorite tourist destinations.
The video is also somewhat dated, as so many recent discoveries have since added volumes of knowledge about these amazing people. All in all, it is still a good video that does wet the appetite for more learning about the Maya.

Great overview of Maya
I have seen some educational videos on the Maya, but I believe this is the best one I have come across so far. I was looking for a good educational video on the Maya to prepare a group trip to Honduras. We did an excursion to Copan, and the knowledge from this tape enhanced our experience. Compared to other videos about the Maya, this video was the best in the story telling of the history of the Maya and today's exploration with archeologists. I have been to other Mayan ruins as well, and I am still in awe of their lives and culture. If you plan on going to Copan or any of the other ruins, definately this would be a good video to check out.

Explore the Mayan Civilization...
Take a tour with many brave explorers to the wonderful world of Mayas. Step back in history and explore the forest regions. See where and how the great Mayas lived. Locate lost territories and see facts told from dead human skulls. Picture the large Mayan pyramids and clear forests to uncover lost mysteries. To do all this, buy this fantastic National Geographic special!

---------------------AHMED MASHHOOD------------------------------

Excellent view of the Maya civilization
This is a great video for anyone interested in the mysterious Mayan civilization. The photography and story telling are superb and only make the viewer hungry for more. I would recommend this video for anyone of any age, whether a history buff or just casual viewing. If you are a true history lover you must get this one. It is a real gem! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Release in DVD version Please.!!!?.....
Work Welldone between Hamlin vs Anthony, Hot love scene and the chemistry between them keep the screen heat. I was wondering why the studio not release in dvd format ???. Its really a good entertain movie to collect specially in DVD version (Hopefully soon).

Pretty Good Flick
Actually, I thought the plot was pretty good. It's the kind of movie to rent when you've seen all the hyped films and are looking for something light and different. I enjoyed it more than many highly praised films.

let's hope this movie comes up on DVD soon!
Lets hope for the dvd of this movie in the future sometime!

WWWWWOOOOOWWWWW!
Any movie showing gorgeous Lysette Anthony wearing only her earrings is a must-see-no-matter-what! If, on the other hand, you were expecting an actual movie, forget it! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Obvious Inaccuracies Bother Me
I found the movie enjoyable even though Jason Robards hardly resembles Al Capone. The movie has Al Capone slitting the throat of rival Joe Aiello on a train as he attempted to leave Chicago before the Massacre was even planned. However, Joe Aiello died from a hail of bullets on October 23, 1930, as he left an apartment building, more than a year after the Massacre took place. This would have been an easy fact to substantiate, yet the film contains this unnecessary error. The movie also has Albert Anselmi and John Scalise murdered by Capone with a baseball bat in "Capone's mansion" following a banquet honoring them. The killings actually took place in a Hammond, Indiana, road house. In addition, Joe Guinta was a third one clubbed to death at that time. Finally the movie includes Boris Chapman and Adolph Moeller as two who took part in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. That may or may not be, but no mention is made of Fred "Killer" Burke who it is widely believed to be one who definitely took part in the killings. The movie was very entertaining and worthwhile, but the inaccuracies that I have mentioned could certainly have been easily checked out.

Nice!
This is a classic. If you haven't yet seen it, I strongly advise that you should. It's a well known formula - bad guys fighting it out for control of a city. A few mistakes were made with the casting (whose idea was it to have Jason Robards playing Al Capone?) but nonetheless, it is a great film. That is, for a Roger Corman film.

one of the best gangster flicks ever
this movie with a few select scenes inaccurrate was not meant
to satisfy a few egg heads with true incidents as they happen.
we get the basic storey of 2 rival gangs trying to take over the rackets in chicago and the storey and back ground info to keep the viewer interested. one of the down points is that the real life gangsters, were in fact younger men between 25 and 35,
jason robards, may been pushing 50 when he was playing al capone in his 20's. john agar a noted ww2 vet who married
shirley temple plays dion obanion, who is portrayed as a mid 50's
business man instead of a manin his early 30's, the same with
earl hymie weiss, another guy in his mid 50's playing a man in his mid 30's, the gusenburg brother's and jack mcgurn were portrayed in the right age group, but they were older than al capone, as portrayed by jason robards.
well anyway i like the movie, plenty of background info
and a great storey.

A "Massacre" of the facts, but a fun one
"The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" is the kind of film that needs to be accepted on its own terms. To expect by-the-book authenticity, or post-1970 graphic violence, or extensive location shooting, is asking far too much. There's an early scene in which George Segal, as one of the murderous Guesenberg brothers, intimidates a speakeasy owner into buying beer supplied by Bugs Moran. His tactics are similar to those employed by James Cagney in "Public Enemy," and it is this little homage that should tell viewers that the film is going to make a mere pretense of accuracy - and that this is just fine. "Massacre" is a thoroughly entertaining film that never tries to be anything more or less than that.

Fred Steiner's jangling, dissonant score deserves a mention. It has a Charleston-like rhythm, dominated by a piano. It's an oddly effective thing, heard to best effect over the end title.

Among the cast, no one turns in what could be called a brilliant performance, but Ralph Meeker probably comes off best as Bugs Moran, particularly as he utters the crime boss' most famous quote, near the end. Jean Hale definitely got my attention as Segal's girlfriend, and Clint Richie is appropriately sly as Machine Gun Jack McGurn, who masterminded the title killings.

St Valentine's Day Massacre
This is one of the best gangster films ever, It is a gritty, in your face story of a true life event. True, there are some inaccuracies, what true life film doesn't have them, As far as I am concerned, they are insignificant and they don't take away from the film, the main context of the story is there, even with the inaccuracies it is still a top film. Shot documentary style, it is a film about the events leading up to the massacre. Jason Robards, though a fine actor, wouldn't have been my choice for portraying Al Capone, and is acting is a little hammie, George Segal did a fair job as Pete Gusenberg, after all, these were people who thought they could get away with anything, and most of the time, did. But this is not a film about any one person, it is a film about an event that still fasinates people today. I believe that the memory of the St. Valentines Day Massacre will live on forever. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent introduction to Japan!
Recently, I showed this video to my 6th grade world cultures students and they were really captivated by it. I wasn't sure how they would like it, but they loved seeing the crafts and various artists of Japan. The video is great, because it gives you short pictures of different important people and a real overview of all of Japan's amazing talent. My students particularly liked the fighting puppets.

It was a BIG hit. I would definitely recommend it. We are watching it again next year without a doubt.

This viedo is a beatifully filmed informative documentary.
I saw this beatifully filmed piece on PBS. It selects several artists, ranging from weavers to dancers to sword makers, who have been designated by the Japanese government as "Living Treasures." This documentary describes the artistic tradition each Treasure practices, showing the traditions of some of Japan's near-lost arts. The information presented includes how the art is practiced, the traditions behind it, and some minutes of comment or interview from the Treasurers themselves. I would recommend this video to anyone who is interested in arts, history and tradition, or Japanese culture. There is actually a lot of information and insipration in this program. This video has an overall quiet, peaceful and relaxed feel, gently walking us through the lives and traditions of the Treasurers. I think it would be a wonderful generation-bridge for parents and children to watch together. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This beautiful documentary explores one of the most unusual geographic regions on earth, where water and land life intermingle six months of the year. When rains raise the Amazon river basin into the treetops, fish feed off fruit trees and families hurry to hoist their floorboards above water level. Guided by an expert Amazon biologist, National Geographic's cameras capture in lush color some of the forest's most intimate events: a delicate watson bird protects its chick from an approaching boa, a male "water monkey" releases a cloud of babies from the nest in his mouth, tiny sea turtles dip into the water for the first time. The film also explores the heartbreaking depletion of the area's natural resources, by both natives struggling to survive and outsiders eager to clear land for mass crop production. The endangered Amazon offers a poignant reminder of the fragile interdependency of all creatures. --Claire Campbell ... Read more

Reviews (3)

GOOD INTRO TO THE AMAZON
This video is a good intro into the life of the Amazon. I enjoyed how it balances the strangeness appeal of different creatures in the jungle with the scientific rigour to explain the terrain and the different environments animals and plants face throughout the year (rainy flooded season, dry season, etc.)

I strongly recommend this video for someone planning to visit the Amazon for the first time, just to have an idea of what to expect and to better be able to understand the explanations guides may give during a trip.

Breathtaking
Wonderful images. I could watch this with the volume on mute and just enjoy the scenes. The commentary is great too, though. Very informative without being the least bit boring. A great addition to my collection.

The Flooded Forest
This video is one of the best of National Geographic's video series. It provides a lot of information about the Amazon basin wildlife and though I have seen it many times I still enjoy watching it. It contains information on a wide assortment of creatures as well as the continuous cycle of flooding and draining the Amazon forest goes through. It talks about all sorts of strange creatures that are very exotic and beautiful. I like the way the information is presented as well as the fact that it is very scientifically accurate (I am a scientist). I also like the fact that it closes by talking about how the forest is being changed through cutting the trees and building dams on the river. It provides lots of information in a short period of time and gives a good rounded view at a land that is strange and different. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

So slow...
"Cafe Romeo" starts out slow and ends at a dead crawl. The plot is hard to decipher, but yes it does star Gilbert from Wonderwork's "Anne of Green Gables." The actors are capable, the dialogue well-written, but the story progresses at the rate of molasses. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

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

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

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

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

Reviews (1)

Tweed and Katt Sizzle in a hot thriller
Last Call Colour 1990 Erotic - Thriller Shannon Tweed, William Katt Rated : Unrated Version Reviwed This steamy thriller has plenty of love scenes to keep you satisfied and entertained. When a deal goes sour the real fun begins as the lovers play a twisted game of revenge. Review : *** Out Of 5 ... Read more

Description

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

Reviews (12)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com

National Geographic has long established itself as an authority on geography. Its strengths and weaknesses stem from the same emphasis: an educational approach. But its films today reflect a more sensational perspective. Take, for example, Volcano: Nature's Inferno. Released in 1997, it gives viewers a firsthand look at volcanoes around the world, from Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines to Japan's Mount Unzen. Music and lava surge with great effect, but the video lacks the thoughtful narrative that one familiar with National Geographic has become accustomed to and expects. Though the cinematography is dramatic, the story is disjointed. The most obvious themes covered include well-known active volcanoes, the scientists who study them, the history of volcanoes, as well as the history of volcano science. Though Nature's Inferno serves as a precursory volcano survey, it contains, possibly, too much information to adequately explain in 60 minutes. If you're craving classic National Geographic without the hype, In the Shadow of Vesuvius is an in-depth look at perhaps the most famous active volcano in the world and the effect of its eruptions. --Cristina Del Sesto ... Read more

Reviews (69)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews (6)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com

What does a 12,000-pound whale shark eat? Anything it wants--fortunately, plankton will do nicely. National Geographic's The Sharks takes us from Australia to the Red Sea to check out these fish with attitude and the scientists who study them. Sharks' reputation as man-eaters is certainly overstated--fewer than 10 people are killed by them each year--but the daring of the researchers sometimes seems to approach lunacy. Terrific footage of divers petting "sleeping" tiger sharks, teasing great whites from within dive cages, and testing metal-mesh suits by submitting to multiple attacks are riveting and simply scream out, "Don't try this at home!" But ultimately the scientists emerge mostly unscathed, more knowledgeable, and less fearful. In fact, we see the tables turned in Japan, where commercial shark fishermen are highly efficient and turn out meat, leather, and medicine for an eager market. Hey, sharks have been around millions of years longer than we have; pick up this video and learn the seven habits of highly effective carnivores. --Rob Lightner ... Read more