Blue Gender - The Complete Collection

Description

Imagine waking up inside a medical facility after spending more than two decades in suspended animation due to an incurable disease. You awakenm to a worl more terrifying than your worst nightmare. A world where human beings are hunted down by giant insect-like creatures call The Blue. Welcome to Earth...2031. A time when the planet is no longer ours. Earth's very survival now rests in your hands. Includes the entire 26 episode series and the feature-length movie The Warrior.

Customer Reviews:

Be On The Lookout For Bootlegs.......2007-09-04

Make sure the product you receive resembles the photo inset above. Just got another 3-disc (instead of 9), cheaply packaged, badly copied, no company logo dvd bootleg of the above set. Mailing this back to the sender and ordering direct thru Amazon since there seems to be no oversight of who's mailing what.

Would like to see Amazon start addressing this. I'm not giving my money to deadbeat dubbers.

Humanity at the brink of Extinction.......2007-08-20

To begin, I should express that I have watched a lot of anime. Berserk, Cowboy-Bebop, Gungrave, Samurai Champloo, Ghost in the Shell, Le Chevalier D'eon, Ninja Scroll (movie) and others.

All of these anime have a dark and mature tone. That is my taste, something that is well thought out in a adult manner rather than the typical childish or perverted anime.

So of course, it's not for your typical teenager and especially not for children.

Berserk would have been the best but it was cut off, so I say Blue Gender may very well be the greatest of these anime AS A WHOLE. This series is actually more like an epic movie. It's a saga of 26 episodes that are entirely connected from one episode to the other. For that, it is as if watching a full motion film. Berserk is done in the same way, but Blue Gender has closure with no holes while Berserk ends at a critical point with 2/3 of the story missing.

Expressing further, the music score is also very well done. Dark, eerie, action-like, suspenseful. The english voices are excellent for all the cast. There is not a single character that has a misplaced voice nor are any of them poorly created. Actually, most of the beginning cast remind me of the G.I. Joe squad.

The series itself is a melting pot of genre, that is to say, it contains everything. Action, suspense, science fiction, mecha, fantasy, drama, some adult humor in the later episodes, and more.

Well, for those people that gave positive reviews I agree with them but don't want to repeat what they wrote, so I'll explain a brief idea of this series in the form of a prequel so I don't give out any spoilers or seem repetitive:

Yuji Kaido is a normal young adult just like anyone of us trying to make it in this world. He has his whole life ahead of him, working in a gas station while finishing up high school, he has dreams to see the world with his best friend Tekashi.

He worked at a gas station in Tokoyo in the near future (2009) until a life-threatening disease required him to make a decision to either die young or be put into cryogenic stasis so that his physical state would not worsen.

He decided to be put in cryogenic stasis, truly because he believed in humanity and had faith in the future. With high hopes, he figured it might take only about 2 or 3 years and some kind of gene therapy would exist. Then he could return to his normal life.

"Hey, do what you have to do man; but when you beat this thing, you and me should get away for awhile...see the world."

"Yeah...when I beat this thing, it's you and me Tekashi, you and me...."

Well, things didn't go exactly according to plan. From 2009 it became 2031. Yuji's years of hibernation are finally ended only because a group of soldiers from an orbiting space colony called Second Earth are ordered to recover "sleepers" around the Earth.

He awakens in the later future of 2031 to find that an unknown race of creatures known as the "Blue" have destroyed everything he knew. In fact, he awakens while one of these creatures are attacking the soilders.

Clearly, all that he loved and knew is gone.

Just what would you do in that situation? Do you think you're going to wake up from being a high school gas station attendant to suddenly being Spike Spigal, Brandon Heat, Gatsu, or Terminator? Sorry, that's not realistic.

Yuji's emotions are very real. Frightened, in shock, depressed, angry...not to mention surrounded by humans that are entirely cold and indifferent...empty of their humanity in a bleak world.

Still, Yuji is determined not to be baggage for the military group that saved him in the sleeping facility. With due time, in a realistic time frame, he evolves to become a more efficient soldier and proves his worth.

A great soldier while still maintaining his compassion and values, he is a balanced human being that has the potential to make a large impact to the new world that awaits him.

However, this is a world infested with Blue to which have been destroying all of humanity (with purpose).

More so, why did the cold hearted military send recover squads around the world risking their lives for these sleepers?

Will Yuji and this military squad be able to survive? In a crude world where countless people are murdered and places destroyed, one cannot be so sure.

You have to watch it to find out. Do yourself a favor, save fifty dollars and purchase this epic 26 episode movie. Treat yourself and watch it as a whole. After and only after watching it in its entirety, judge it.

So there are three genders now?.......2007-08-17

I've had this boxset for a couple of months after being recommended by anime pulse.

I come from a background of Evangelion and Ranma 1/2, so I am a bit critical on character design. The story is pretty good for the last 2/3 of the series. The first part of the series seemed a bit stretched, and a few loose ends never got tied by the end.

There is some romance between the two main characters that is somewhat graphic (nudity), so I wouldn't suggest this for under 17. The action and effects are awesome. Full out.

All in all, the $50 is worth the cost of this series. IT is not epic like Evangelion, Ranma, Naruto, or Bleach....but it is good for the general distraction from the billion other action animes out there.

I am forced to disagree- very ordinary.......2007-07-26

Haven't we all seen this one before? Or so it seems. So-so animation (very flat), bog-standard plot, little depth, or,indeed, anything distinctive to distinguish it from the seething mass of so-so anime. Also, extremely annoying characters, I just wanted to slap the whiny little gits.

I must make a confession, this review is only for the first three DVDs. My wife and I simply gave up, and lost the urge to go any further. We ended up watching 'Samurai Champloo' instead. That was a bit like moving from me singing in the shower (off key) to a Bach Brandenburg Concerto. You get the idea...

Just average.......2007-07-10

This anime is nothing special. After watching great series like Cowboy Bebop, Full Metal Panic, and Ghost in the Shell, this series cannot hold interest as well as those series could. I did watch the whole series, and while it's not awful, there are better animes to spend your money on.

The series is essentially mechs fighting against huge insectoids on an uninhabitable earth. The main character, as someone else said, is kind of annoying, and none of the characters are really memorable.

Average customer rating:

Great movie. Worth purchasing.
Holiday Heart
Very touching.
Emotion Stirring
Not Worth the Time to Watch

Holiday Heart
Starring: Ving Rhames , Alfre Woodard , Jesika Reynolds , Mykelti Williamson , and Johnathan Wesley Wallace
Director: Robert Townsend
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B00005ALM8
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Amazon.com

In a break from his usual he-man roles, Ving Rhames takes on the persona of "Holiday Heart," a church choir-directing female impersonator who is openly gay, religious, and alone. His loneliness ebbs when he rescues Wanda (Alfre Woodard) and her daughter from her drug-abusing boyfriend. He invites the pair to live free of charge in the duplex across the hall from his own and they form a family of sorts. But Wanda hooks up with a well-heeled drug dealer (Mykelti Williamson) and soon falls back into drug addiction, leaving Holiday to give up his own dreams and take care of the girl. Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) directed this R-rated cable movie that earned Woodard a Golden Globe nomination for her stark performance as a woman whose intelligence and love for her daughter are no match for the demons of her addiction. Screenwriter Cheryl L. West, who adapted her stage play, gets credit for combining the sentiment of a family story with the harshness of street life. The film's noble desire not to pretty things up does make for some tough scenes and a less-than-happy ending--thus the restricted rating. But the film has its fun moments, too, many of them thanks to Holiday's mincing fellow impersonator Jambalaya Blue, played with relish by Jonathan Wallace. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Description

Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) directs an all-star cast featuring Ving Rhames (Mission Impossible: 2), Mykelti Williamson (Three Kings) and Alfre Woodard ("Miss Ever's Boys") in a Golden GlobeÂ(r)-nominated* performance. Based on the wildly successful stageplay by writer Cheryl L. West, Holiday Heart is a "poignant" (The Hollywood Reporter), heartfelt drama about how love can overcome addiction and prejudice. Choirmaster by day and female impersonator by night, creatively talented Holiday (Rhames) is a lonely man living with a broken heart until he befriends a bright young girl and her drug-addicted mother (Woodard). Helping them offthe street and into an empty apartment across from his, Holiday quickly forms a special bond with them. But when the mom hooks up with a dangerous drug-dealing boyfriend (Williamson), their worlds are again turned upside-down, forcing Holiday to confront his own prejudices if it means saving the two people he so desperately loves. *2001: Actress in a Leading Role - Mini-Series or Television Movie

Customer Reviews:

Great movie. Worth purchasing........2007-09-04

This was actually a very good movie. I would always walk by it at Block Buster and never pick it up because I just cannot see "big-burly" Ving as a transvestite. But while at a friends house she had it and I watched it. It was very good.

It's worth adding to your collection.

Holiday Heart.......2007-07-20

Great movie. Ving Rhames and Alfre Woodard truly acted their parts. This is a movie that will touch your heart.

Very touching........2007-06-25

This movie really moved me and those that were watching with me. Some violence and drug use but not Gorey, relevant to the plot. Well acted by Ving Rhames and Alfre Woodard. Rated "R" and they mean it. Children should not see this unless over 18. You can sometimes find it playing on the "BET" channel. That is ware I first saw it. Enjoy

Emotion Stirring.......2007-01-26

This is a movie about love, tolerance, and redemption. It is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Ving Rhames' performance was superb, and so was Alfre Woodard's. I highly recommend this outstanding movie. It will stir every emotion within your soul!!!

Not Worth the Time to Watch.......2006-12-20

What on earth does 'gayness' have to do with this story? This is nothing but a not so cleverly disguised progay movie. If Holiday had been any other kind of eccentric other than a carnal. warped one, it might have been a movie worth watching. If you care about traditional, righteous values, skip this movie. There are too many wholesome similar movies to waste time on this one.

Average customer rating:

Girlfight
Straight up. Real,
"F" Stands For: FANTASTICALLY FAR-FETCHED FEMINIST FANTASY FLICK
Solid...
It Ain't Million Dollar Baby, but OK

Girlfight
Starring: Thomas Barbour , Paul Calderon , Louis Guss , Anthony Ruiz , and Jaime Tirelli
Director: Karyn Kusama
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00003CXNY
Release Date: 2001-03-27

Amazon.com

First-time director Karyn Kusama tells a simple but compelling story of a young woman in Brooklyn whose violent impulses in school, and her tendency to physicalize her anger, lead her to train as a boxer. Her trainer at first puts her off, but the combination of her desire and her physical prowess changes his mind. As played by Michelle Rodriguez, Diane is a scowling lightning rod for sudden violence who discovers that she can find a sense of personal grace in boxing--in the training and in the honing of skills--that seems to spill over into her daily life, despite the disapproval of an abusive father. Kusama isn't telling a new story here, but she tells a familiar one with a sense of passion and pride in the uncharted territory this represents for women. Though a romantic subplot seems almost tacked on as an afterthought--Diane must box the boy she loves--Girlfight is engaging and even touching. -Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Girlfight.......2007-07-19

Kusama's raw, compelling "Girlfight" is an urban coming-of-age tale, with a rightfully angry young woman on a quest for self-realization. Without blinking, Diana--played by newcomer Michelle Rodriguez--plows through all cultural and societal barriers in her desire to become a boxer. She doesn't leap these hurdles to prove something to society, but because she knows she's good, and with training, could be better. "Girlfight" is set apart by its authentic feel, and by Rodriguez's blistering, magnetic portrayal.

Straight up. Real,.......2007-03-27

This is a brilliant piece of story telling, acting and film work. Rodriguez has the unique talent of speaking with her eyes. The beautiful thing about this film, is that it is real. It's motivational, it's intense, and it's beautiful with its description of the human dream. It is true to what is really happening in the world where people do all they can to rise above their circumstances, toward their dreams. I would recommend this to anyone who personally knows the human struggle, and it's success...that is...if you fight for it.

"F" Stands For: FANTASTICALLY FAR-FETCHED FEMINIST FANTASY FLICK.......2007-01-15

Karyn Kusama's GIRLFIGHT is nothing more than a strident misandrist pleasuring herself on film!

Ordinarily, I would never consider wasting my valuable time watching this type of movie, much less bothering to write anything about it, but because I recently wrote a series of reviews for some mostly older antifeminism books, it was suggested to me that I should also "weigh in" on GIRLFIGHT, which I had previously never even heard of.

Written and directed by then newcomer, Kusama, the title, GIRLFIGHT, is simply a rather pedestrian substitution for "Woman's Struggle", that is, "Feminism." Her title displays the same sort of "heavy-handed" touch that she exhibits throughout the movie. As a filmmaker, Kusama has all the subtlety of a Great White Shark in a feeding frenzy. The movie consists of one "ham-fisted" symbol after another, decrying all of the usual exaggerated and simplistic contentions regarding men that radical feminists have been screeching about for over forty years; illustrating the feminist anthems; and portraying resolutions dreamed up in their wishful fantasies.

It should come as no surprise to any educated person that GIRLFIGHT won a couple of awards at Robert "Red" Redford's Sundance Film Festival in 2000; the incestuous relationship between Marxism and Feminism has long been established, and GIRLFIGHT was bound to be enthusiastically embraced at Sundance, and promoted as another vehicle for further conditioning the masses (particularly young women) toward the socialistic goals of hard-core feminism. (If you can bring yourself to turn off the TV one day, and actually read a nonfiction book, THE GENDER AGENDA by Dale O'Leary, and THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING A WOMAN by Alice von Hildebrand, would be smashing places to begin.) It was, after all, no less a communist than Vladimir Lenin himself who stated in 1920, "We must create a powerful international women's movement." (Was keeping the spectators seated and talking during the singing of The Star-Spangled Banner before GIRLFIGHT's climactic bout, a Marxist "jab" at America?)

* Although I will not be discussing anything that the majority of the previous reviewers have not already revealed, be advised that this review will examine the major plot points and the ending of GIRLFIGHT. If you don't want to know how this movie ends, you should discontinue reading this review (and avoid most of the others posted on this product page as well).

Ostensibly, the story is about a high school girl, Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez), prone to violent outbursts who supposedly redirects her aggression by taking up boxing, and ultimately confronts her emotionally abusive dad, and then later, her boyfriend in the ring. The entire movie is simply a kaleidoscope of embarrassingly overt visual metaphors meant to convey the concept of patriarchy getting pummeled to a pulp by Womanhood, and the castration of perceived masculine power. (Diana or Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, is portrayed in mythology as having killed various men and male gods.)

Early on, we get a barely veiled glimpse of Diana's (writer/director Kusama's mouthpiece) disdain for the traditional role of women in society when she stares out of her 11th story bedroom window at a mother pushing a baby carriage with a crying toddler in tow. That she's "looking down on Motherhood" couldn't have been more obvious.

There are three "types" of one-dimensional men (or malignancies) in this movie. (The "father", the "son", and the "emasculated ghost"?) .....

1) The domineering, emotionally and physically abusive male determined to "keep women in their place." This type of man is represented by Diana's drunken dad, and in a typical exhibition of Kusama's over-the-top symbolism, he is knocked around and nearly strangled to death by Diana in the family's kitchen (after she has received some boxing training). Get it? A woman's place is in the kitchen, but only if that's the location she chooses for bloodying the patriarchy! "You belong to me now! ... All these years you just looked right through me", Diana says to her beaten dad on behalf of women everywhere.

2) The unfaithful romancer who refuses to accept women on equal terms in every single facet of social endeavor. He is represented by Diana's love interest, Adrian, who dreams of "winning" his way out of the projects with a successful boxing career. Giving him the name of Rocky Balboa's wife, was an obvious slap at the character, and at men in general who express their manhood through a fascination with sports and sports movies. That slap becomes a punch, however, when 18-year-old Diana, with perhaps two months worth of training, defeats 19-year-old Adrian in the ring - despite the fact that he's been training for nearly a year, and supposedly has true professional boxing potential. (In a sorry display of how far Kusama was willing to go to get the most "punch for the buck", she wants us to believe that these two characters would be fighting in the same weight class. Never mind that Adrian is obviously 6" taller than Diana and appears to outweigh her by about 40 pounds. It simply wouldn't do to have the feminist hero defeat a man merely her own size!)

3) Diana's brother, Tiny, is the way men ought to be in Kusama's warped world. He is artistic, sensitive, effeminate, satisfactorily demasculinized already. He is tolerable because he is pathetic, as he can do nothing but stand back, wring his hands, and plead for his dad's life, while the "new" man (Diana GuzMAN - get it?) strangles the "old" man in the kitchen and usurps his authority (i.e., transforms the patriarchal family unit into a matriarchy). But in an ironic twist, Kusama also reveals her revulsion at the feminine man as well, by naming him TINY. Diana's brother is neither excessively large or small for his age, so we must assume that the name hints at something else: His unmanly "endowments" literally or figuratively; his diminished social status in the imagined new matriarchy; or simply Kusama's personal view of such effete men?

GIRLFIGHT begins with one of the silliest opening shots ever conceived. (Diana Guzman looks up and glares directly at the camera; i.e., "you." Why? Uh, well, because Kusama told her to.) And it ends with one of the most improbable scenes ever filmed. (After losing to her in the ring - bringing his dream of a boxing career to an end - Adrian practically begs Diana not to break up with him. This shows just how out-of-touch with reality and male psychology these extreme feminists really are. If such a scenario as presented in this movie was even truly possible, does Kusama, et al., actually believe that a "man" in this situation would REALLY want to retain his romantic relationship with his female conqueror? That he would be willing to "take a licking and keep on kissing"?) GIRLFIGHT is indeed a feminist fantasy from opening shot to final scene!

It does, however, contain a few positive ingredients: Technically, the screenplay is competently constructed and well-paced, and some of the cinematography is imaginative. The score nicely compliments the images and adds an exotic tone. Herb Lovelle as Cal is good in a very small part, and Jaime Tirelli in the role of Diana's trainer, Hector, delivers a fine, multilayered performance. However, having read the script, no self-respecting "man" would have consented to appear in this propaganda piece. (But divesting men of their self-respect has been a goal for feminists for over forty years now, and they've been largely successful.) Otherwise, the acting was uneven across-the-board. This was Rodriguez's first role, and it sometimes showed.

I could excoriate the artificial dialogue, the nonstop profanity, and the sloppy editing in GIRLFIGHT, but that would be like criticizing a dead dog for being lazy. Instead, let me give you one small dose of reality: Men generally possess nearly 50% more muscle mass than women, and testosterone (a steroid hormone which studies have linked to enhanced aggressiveness and increased muscle formation) is approximately thirty times more prevalent in the adult male body than it is in the adult female. (That's 30 times, not 30%!) In other words, there are genuine physiological reasons why women trained in boxing are never going to be serious competition for men trained in boxing - Karyn Kusama's fantasy notwithstanding. (Don't blame me; blame God. But your arms are too short to box with Him.) Lucia Rijker is universally regarded as the best fighter in the history of female boxing; she has had 54 fights with women and won them all - most by knockout. In earnest competition, she stepped into a ring only once with a man: In 1995, she fought Muay Thai boxer Somchai Jaidee, who was far from being a world elite fighter in the men's competition. Rijker managed to survive the first round, but in the second, she was laid out on the canvas, unconscious for several minutes. (If she didn't have a clue when she climbed into that ring, I'm sure she had one when she woke up in it!)

What disturbs me is not that a misandrist would put her neurosis on film (wrong, Cyndi, these days, "Girls Just Want To Be Boys"), but that anyone would tout this fiction as some kind of inspiring movie to be shown to youngsters ... that's what bothers me! As if Diana Guzman represents some viable means to conflict resolution in the real world. My heart goes out to any child of a rigor mortis-brained parent who believes that "fighting" - even in a square "ring" - is the best way to channel aggressive behavior. When my Brother (nicknamed "Napoleon") was only about 12 years old, a professional trainer recognized that he possessed a chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Rushmore, and an almost freakish, innate aptitude for fighting. This man offered to prepare my Brother for a professional boxing career. Being an Irish-American fighting in sub-Middleweight divisions, and being as proficient in physical destruction as he is, Napoleon would have made many millions of dollars as a successful boxer. But even at that young an age, he was intelligent enough to recognize the senselessness of making a living knocking other guys senseless, and so he turned down the trainer's offer. Instead, he was able to sublimate his anger without needing to unleash it on others in any harmful form. With his fiery energy redirected into more constructive activities, he eventually grew into a very good and caring man (who could still decapitate any one of us with either fist, though he would never do so).

That anyone would show GIRLFIGHT to a young person as motivation for anything, and would hold up this fictional character as a role model for young women to emulate in any way, is deplorable and irresponsible! GIRLFIGHT is not just a feminist cartoon masquerading as a gritty, urban tale - it's a bad cartoon with bad language and a bad agenda. And what its man-hating writer/director really needs is a psychiatrist, not an audience.

Solid..........2006-05-10

This is a solid and realistic film about a deviant female who finds a legitimate to deal with inner anger through boxing. I enjoyed this film for three reasons: 1) the acting was solid, 2) the story was realistic and did not go all Hollywood on me, and 3) I liked the ending and the gender struggles portrayed. A film worth watching!

It Ain't Million Dollar Baby, but OK.......2006-01-03

girl boxing... hummm..

If you liked "Million Dollar Baby," and you like seeing a girl box, you'll like this.

A lot of sweat, muscles, grunting, and boxing too! Michelle Rodriguez, of "Lost" fame, did this movie in 2000. She seem to be getting typecast as the tough girl, pretty, but don't mess with her! Which is a shame, I'd like to see her do something totally different.

But, here we are, a boxing movie about a girl. She is tough, has great muscles, good moves. But, I wasn't convinced that she really could win matches. She has a brother that has no business in boxing, he looks like he should be on a computer somewhere. A father that I wanted to say, "what the heck..?" The Boxing instructor was interesting. All of the cast was completely forgettable, but for Michelle. Her boyfriend included. Could have been anyone.

Michelle was nice to look at, but as far as acting - so so. overall, I wasn't convinced. The match with the black girl, should of been won by the black girl, and the match with her boyfriend, same thing. Her boxing skill didn't impress me.

My dear hubby, Norman, who used to train boxers in the Army, long ago, said he didn't buy much of it at all. So, for entertainment, go for it. For the real deal - rent "Million Dollar Baby." unless, of course, you are a Michelle Rodriguez fan, then certainly watch it.

And, kids, it's not good to lie to your father. SS

Average customer rating:

Lots of good footage, but the constant scene-switching is dizzying.
Bust A Gut Or Few
Spelling error...

Blue Crush (Surfing Documentary)
Starring: Katie Wright , Brian Grazer , Layne Beachley , Sanoe Lake , and Kate Bosworth
Director: Aaron Fishman
Manufacturer: Vas
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00007ELFZ
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Amazon.com

Not to be confused with the 2002 feature film of the same title, Blue Crush is billed as the original all-girl surfer's movie, and it's guaranteed to please devotees of the sport. It's a mixed blessing, however, because it assumes familiarity with the sport and its superstars, dispensing with any educational or historical detail that would appeal to neophytes. After all, how can this film be dedicated to Rell Sunn (the pioneer of female competitive surfing, who died in of breast cancer in 1998 at age 47) and fail to explore her illustrious career? This haphazard approach extends to profiles of the young women who regard Sunn as their hero; we learn little of their backgrounds and how they rose to prominence on the waves. Blue Crush works best as a globetrotting, music-video tour of surfdom's prime locations (Samoa, Hawaii, the Gold Coast, South Africa) hosted by the sport's most prominent competitors, including several (Rochelle Ballard, Megan Abubo, Sanoe Lake, Keala Kennelly, Kate Skarratt) who appeared in Universal's popular feature. It's a lot of fun, especially if you "hang ten" on a regular basis. --Jeff Shannon

Description

The original Blue Crush surf film by Bill Ballard has become one of the biggest selling surf titles of all time. Starring the talents of the same great female surfers featured in the Universal theatrical release and featuring an awesome soundtrack with Crystal Method, Dance Hall Crashers, Morcheeba, Da Da and others! Surfers include Rochelle Ballard (surfing double for lead actress Kate Bosworth in Universal's Blue Crush), Megan Abubo (stunt surfer for Michelle Rodrigues in Universal's Blue Crush), Sanoe Lake (played role of Lena in Universal's Blue Crush), Kealla Kennelly (played herself in Universal's Blue Crush), and Kate Skarratt (played herself in Universal's Blue Crush).

Customer Reviews:

Lots of good footage, but the constant scene-switching is dizzying........2006-11-10

The documentary covered most of the top female surfers out there and some of the surfing spots around the world. There was a lot of good footage. Only thing I didn't like was the constant, blink-of-an-eye scene-switching during the action shots. It hurt my eyes...felt like I was going through some weird shock therapy at a mental institute :oP. Also, the interviews were a bit low and the background music for the action shots were high. So, I had to constantly adjust the volume.

Bust A Gut Or Few.......2005-04-15

The funny parts in this movie is
the outtakes in the end credits
where it is people can you actually
surf or is it clowing also in the
"Serena & Somoa" segment where
Keala Kennelly does the "I'm with
the dj" number also the take 2
section where they can't get not a
thing right especialy Rochelle Ballard
who tries to say push at one point push
but it turns in to eight letters instead
that can't be said on radio or tv without
problems.

Spelling error..........2003-02-13

Just wanted to say, its Keala Kennely... not Kennedy. Shame. Great movie however.

Average customer rating:

RHStore version has no English subtitles
Hong Kong film classic!
How about that fireplace scene, yeah???
A Classic
Very strong female alliance and well character development.

Peking Opera Blues
Starring: Brigitte Lin , Cherie Chung , Sally Yeh , Ma Wu , and Kenneth Tsang
Director: Hark Tsui
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305235198
Release Date: 1998-11-17

Amazon.com

An adrenaline-rush masterpiece, this period action comedy is so hyperactive and ingenious that it'll make your head spin. Along with John Woo's The Killer and Jackie Chan's Project A, Peking Opera Blues is one of the key works of a great period of Hong Kong cinema in the mid-1980s. Director Tsui Hark had been studying Spielberg under a microscope, but he uses the multilayered visuals knowingly, to capture the frantic complexity of a turning point in Chinese history. In a period of political chaos around the turn of the century, just before the first republican revolution, three women are thrown together: Cherie Chung as the daughter of a recently deposed warlord, who only wants to protect her jewel case from the loot-crazed troops; Sally Yeh as the daughter of the manager (Wu Ma) of a traveling Peking Opera company, who desperately wants to break the taboo against women on the stage; and Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia as the daughter of the newly installed warlord, and a dedicated revolutionary. All the characters converge upon an inn where the boisterous opera troupe is gearing up for a performance. Tsui transforms action slapstick into a form of acrobatic ballet, and a final shootout sequence on a crumbling tile rooftop is beyond thrilling: you'll believe a man can fly. --David Chute

Customer Reviews:

RHStore version has no English subtitles.......2007-03-09

The Movie POB is one of the best (plot, direction, casting, acting)
My dvd player has NEVER given me subtitle problems in viewing over 200 dvds. This Fortune Star produced disc from RHStore has Cantonese, Mandarin, and English subtitle selections, the first two work, the English subtitles show nothing. They did show on my computer, but this is a less than standard disc.

Hong Kong film classic!.......2004-09-09

A great film for any Hong Kong movie buff or newbie. How can you beat having three of Hong Kong's most beautiful leading ladies - Brigitte Lin, Cherie Chung, Sally Yeh in the same film? The Chinese opera scenes are beautifully costumed and shot. Tsui Hark is a genius!

How about that fireplace scene, yeah???.......2003-04-15

I saw this movie a long long time ago in Burbank, CA when the mall theater was having a week long HongKong Film Festival. Like eating out, I wanted to try something new. That's why I always tell my little kids, "try it even if it seems a little different, a little strange, you might like it and it might become your favorite." This goes for everything, food, travel, books and movies. I own the VHS version. It is a little rough in quality so I am checking if there is a DVD version out there that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The VHS alone cost $27 some odd dollars in 1994. So I am very happy that it is in DVD version. Now, the is simple to follow. The tile roof scene is incredible and the three leading ladies are simply beautiful. I know Hong Kong Films are en vouge right now, but you must see this and own it because it is a classic and I agree, a quentesential of its genre. You will not be dissappointed. Just ignore the goofy English translation, it is part of the fun.

A Classic.......2001-02-19

First of all, the movie: I was very hesitant to see this movie, as it is relatively old (released around 1986, I think). However, I've become a big fan of HK movies lately, and many critics consider this the quintessential Hong Kong movie. The story centers around the escapades of three women (played by Brigitte Lin, Sally Yeh and Cherie Chung, all popular HK starlets), with plenty of action, comedy, espionage and political intrigue set in a Chinese opera house. Although this was one of Tsui Hark's (considered by some the "Spielberg of Hong Kong") earliest works, this is still considered to be his best. Very entertaining movie which, more than any other HK movie I won, is worthy of repeated viewing. One of the few TRUE Hong Kong classics. You won't be disappointed.

The DVD: not the best video quality around, but surprisingly good considered this is a 15-year old Hong Kong movie. The sound is in 5.1 surround sound, and Cantonese and Mandarin audio are provided (with plenty of options for subtitles, including English). Of course, the subtitles can be horrid at times, but you can follow the dialogue easily and they certainly will not detract from your enjoyment of the movie. Trailers for this movie (and a couple others) are included. Nice menus.

Highly recommended. You COULD wait for a special edition, or a remastered version to come out, but I haven't heard of one in the works. Plus, this is still a good quality disk that is worth the purchase.

Very strong female alliance and well character development........2000-12-26

I used to love this one and consider it as a sentimental drama. It do has meaning something, in a hilarious, entertainment way. Now I own the DVD, play it over and over again. Finally I can read the hidden message. In it's multilayers there's a little bit of everything. It's feminism above all, IMHO.

It doesn't matter if you know nothing about Chinese history. Tsao Wan could be the most bewildered role to the audience, rebel without a cause. She should knew her action might lead to her father's collapse. Though dress like a man, she's fragile inside. Sheung Hung is a material girl care about only her own profit, provide comic relief. She has justified herself by come to the rescue for Tsao Wan, still lovable. Pat Neil seems to be quite ordinary in comparison, actually toughest of the three leads. Helping uncle Fa escape shows her tenderness. Her wish to be an actress only got the blame everytime there're bad things happen. ( For ex. Troops wrecked the theater. ) Cause only male were allowed to perform on stage at that time. Then I found similar tradition in ancient Britain too. ( Shakespeare In Love ) Women were under restraint by old culture. She grew up in the troupe. She tried to prove her talent, how good she could be, seize every chance. But the first obstacle came from her father, how ironic. ( Well. " It's the trend of time, and the father merely trying to protect her " kind of speech. ) Though she has no ambition, was drawn into the revolute unwittingly. Sally Yeh was trained hard to perform her own acrobatics, without a stunt double. To make the character convincible. She's at her best, never can be more gorgeous than this role. To see greedy warlords scramble for power and profit. How flexible the manager ( Wu-Ma ) is. There're diversity characteristic in this hilarious film.

There're some outtakes in the trailer. The catchy ballad along with the soundtrack quite enjoyable. Those " hide and seek "

Description

Take a walk on the wild side with three girls from different walks of life -- and they've all got man problems! High-society dame Candy, frigid middle-class matron Jackie, and gutter nymphomaniac Holly are inspired by the fashionable Women's Lib movement to get organized as PIG (Politically Involved Girls) and give up men. However, their attempts to go lesbian and build new careers only lead to exploitation and abandonment in this outrageous, gender-bending cult comedy from director Paul Morrissey.

Customer Reviews:

"What do you mean..........2007-03-08

Come down off my trapeze and get into the sawdust? That's just Circus talk!!"

- Candy Darling

Worser than "Trash"! A waste of time!.......2006-04-04

As a big fan of Paul Morrissey's great movies "Flesh for Frankenstein" and "Blood for Dracula", I couldn't believe how worse "Trash" is compared to them. "Women in revolt" is even more terrible than "Trash". The bad plot and the poor acting are giving me stomach cramps. this movie is a complete waste of precious time! So avoid it immediately!

twisted fun.......2006-01-04

It amazes me how a 30 year old movie can still shock you. Drag Queens making out with "straight" guys? way ahead of its time.
the movie is hilarious and dark at the same time. Candy Darling looks flawless, Holly Woodlawn looks scary and Jackie Curtis is just a mess.DP work is a bit mediocre ( thanks to the mastermind of this project: Warhol himself) and editing could be better. Seeing Holly Woodlawn molesting beautiful Jane Forth is priceless though!
Overall a movie about an era and a scene long gone but very much missed....

A Talented Mess.......2004-02-03

This is such a miserable mess. And I really wanted to like it since I regularly watch the other Paul Morrisey flicks like "Trash," "Heat" and "Flesh." About the only fascinating angle to this jumbled work is to see it as a snapshot of a vanished era when Candy Darling and Jackie Curtis and all the others are frozen on film at their peaks. If John Waters had taken control of this movie, it would have become a genuine underground classic that you could enjoy even today--like Water's "Mondo Trasho" and of course, "Pink Flamingos." But no one appears to know anything about camera angles, or editing, or script writing. I know, I know, some find this the charm of Morrisey's work with Warhol's gang--their ad libbing and their natural qualities. In some scenes, you see the elbows of others on the set but the camera never shows them. Towards the end, you see Holly Woodlawn stumbling along the Bowery as an alcoholic. In last week's, NY Post, Page Six noted that Woodlawn was in an alcoholic coma, a tragic turn-of-event for one of the Warhol gang's most likeable personalities.

We're young, we're beautiful, and we're miserable!.......2003-03-20

Paul Morrisey's Women in Revolt, while a satire of Women's Liberation in the early 1970s, is really an homage to classic movie cinema of the 1930s, 40s, and 60s. In it, Morrisey alludes to the popular "woman's picture" or, "weepies" of those eras by presenting us with the story of three career girls -- a set up that is most reminiscent of How to Marry a Millionare.
Candy, the beautiful and more aloof one of the trio, has her head in the clouds and aspires to become an actress. It is Candy who makes allusions to old time movies and stars by quoting such campy lines such as "I want to live" from Susan Hayward's movie, and the above. Her scene when she auditions for the movie agent is so reminscent of Lana Turner's audition with the agent in Imitation of Life (the set is so similar, right down to the swinging door!)
In real life, Candy Darling was obsessed with old movies and old movie stars. Her mother was a big fan of them and Candy used to entertain her by impersonating Joan Crawford or Garbo and dressing in drag. Candy is also the more convincing woman when compares to Jackie Curtis.
Curtis, a school teacher and a repressed lesbian, is also fighting for women's rights. But she, too, is a character grouneded in cinema. A "working woman" or "career girl," she is single, beautiful, and a survivor. But Jackie's character is annoying: she gets upset at her houseboy for no apparent reasons and is very cruel to him, at one time throwing matches at his naked body. Still, Curtis is a fantastic performer to watch. He is so alive and funny, having starred and written many off broadway plays. It is ineresting to note that the only reason Curtis started dressing in drag was because he wanted to become a star and knew that Andy Warhol was intrigues by transvestites. Holly Woodlawn, however, just knew how to lie.
When he was preparing to shoot Trash, Morrisey says that he cast Holly without even meeting her. Having read a story in a magazine in which Woodlwan described herself as a Warhol Superstar (without officially being one), he was curious and cast the talented Woodlawn. Unlike her perfomance in Trash, which was brilliant and funny, Woodlwan is reduced to a supporting role that leaves her with less screen time. In her memoir, Woodlawn wrote that she felt intimidated by Darling and Curtis who just dominated every scene and thus she handed the movie over to them. This is a shame because I was really impressed by Holly's acting in Trash and in this movie, she plays a kept women who simply screams and has sex with many men.
Overall, Paul Morrisey's Women in Revolt is a gem. If you like old movies and obscure cult films, you might be able to recognize the allusions to old Hollywood in the film. If not, that is okay too because this is really a good movie. It is funny, interesting, and good.
My only regret is that Image Video does not issue a commentary for this film. There are so many stories on the making of and background of this movie. I would love to have insight into the actress' private life. Someone at Image should hurry up and get Holly Woodlawn (the only surving actress of the trio) and Paul Morrisey's commentary on this important film! The same should be done with Trash because all three of the main characters are still alive.
Still, a good movie to add to your cult collection.

Average customer rating:

Those crazy Japanese anime guys...
Totally hopeless and meaningless anime.
Solid scifi fare
Blue Gender is Packed Full of Greatness
Annoyingly average

Blue Gender (Vol. 1)
Starring: Kenji Nojima , Houko Kuwashima , Chinami Nishimura , Masatake Ginga , and Jin Domon
Director: Masashi Abe , Ryôsuke Takahashi , and Koichi Ohata
Manufacturer: Funimation Prod
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

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DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00005O0TH
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Product Description

One day in the western year 2031 It's known how long the Blue have actually existed. The first confirmed sighting came in 2017. That was fourteen years ago. At first we thought they were a biological weapon that some rogue nation had developed, but we soon learned they were very different.

Extra Features:

Rough Sketch Collection

Texless Songs

Cast Bios

Original Trailer

Scene Selection

Character Profiles

Audio Commentary

Japanese & English Languages

System Requirements:

Running Time 72 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Having been diagnosed with an incurable disease, teenager Yuji Kaido enters suspended animation in 2009 to await the discovery of a therapy. He's awakened 22 years later to find that Earth has been conquered by the Blue: monstrous, insectlike aliens. Yuji is rescued by tough-as-railroad-spikes mecha pilot Marlene Angel, who serves in an elite Sleeper Recovery Team from the satellite Second Earth. Yuji is apparently a valuable asset in the struggle against the Blue, despite his illness. As he does little but stare blankly and whine, and voice actor Laura Bailey delivers Marlene's lines--including an account of the destruction of human civilization--in a robotic monotone, they're not an engaging pair. The action scenes are violent, bloody, and generally well choreographed. Unrated; suitable for ages 17 and up: Graphic violence, brief nudity, sexual situations, grotesque imagery. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

Those crazy Japanese anime guys..........2003-09-24

They have done it again. Not only do you get a gratingly annoying lead character who does nothing more than whine throughout this whole DVD, but you also have the (dis)pleasure of seeing giant alien bugs with especially sexual mouths that resemble the female nether-region. Try watching this one for more than two minutes without wanting to smack the TV and/or go watch some porn. Other than that, it can be pretty good.

Totally hopeless and meaningless anime........2003-09-23

I enjoy good anime (InuYasha, Bebop, Gundam Wing, X, FMP, and many others) but Blue Gender lacks so much. The characters are somewhat lame and pointless and the plot is just really bad. Its like starship troopers gone anime with the creators having a concussion while doing the story. The animation is good but thats it.

Solid scifi fare.......2003-08-06

If your basic Japanese anime were melded with "Starship Troopers," the result might be something like "Blue Gender." Better plotted than "Troopers," "Blue Gender" is an entertaining if uneven series, the first three episodes of which are here (along with extras such as audio commentary and character profiles).

Yuji Kaido is an ordinary kid from a few years in the future, living an ordinary life... until he's diagnosed with a strange, incurable virus. His only hope to to enter artificial hibernation until a cure is found. Theoretically, it wouldn't be long. But he wakes into a world gone wild, and is nearly devoured by monstrous insects the size of trucks. He's barely rescued by humans driving enormous robots, who were sent to bring him back.

Yuji discovers that twenty-two years have passed, and it is now 2031. While he was sleeping, the earth was overrun by these insects, called "Blues," which devour organic and inorganic alike and have reduced civilization to a pack of on-the-run soldiers. They were ordered to bring all the sleepers back to a space station where they all live, but a Blue attack kills all the sleepers except Yuji. Determined not to be babied by the present-day humans any longer, Yuji decides to fight for his life.

A pretty typical plot, and as a cartoon it sounds doomed. But despite the anime look of the characters, the action scenes, settings, and the Blues themselves are quite realistic-looking. One problem is that the action scenes themselves are a little repetitive, if well-done -- bloody, weird, full of violence and gnashing insects.

The Blues are one of the bonuses -- as they act like real insects, only thousands of times the size. Nor do they seem evil, just animalistic. Though alien invasion is nothing new, we're given a good means of finding out what is going on, by having a clueless hero. And time is taken to build up the sense of desolation, loneliness, and destruction that the Blue have brought to Earth, and how civilization has been wrecked by them.

Fuji will, without a doubt, irritate the heck out of viewers at first. When first rescued from the Blue, he whines, shrieks, freezes in danger, and generally acts irrationally - although given his circumstances you can't really blame him for going bonkers. There's certainly promise of improvement; he does grow on you with time. Marlene just comes across as cold at first, but gradually we see some softening. Most of the supporting characters are a lot harder to keep straight, especially since quite a few die.

While not particularly original, "Blue Gender" is a solid scifi story, with the king of darkness and violence usually found in major action movies. Though the characters are a bit hard to warm up to, it's overall an entertaining show.

Blue Gender is Packed Full of Greatness.......2002-10-13

I must say that I really enjoyed this DVD. The story starts with a basic aliens-take-over-the-world style plot. But even the first three episodes show that this anime isn't as cliche as it first appears. First off the mechs look like they might be buildable, which is more than can be said for Gundam in any of it's incarnations (not putting Gundam down in any way, it is just that their mechs do complex movements that don't seem possible when the cockpit is seen). Then there is the blue themselves (those aforementioned aliens invading the earth). They also seem somewhat believable because they are so similar to insects that can be seen in real life, only much bigger and meaner.

The base personalities of the different characters are laid out in these episodes. It is hard to tell just from these, but they seem like they are going to turn out to be more complex then they first appear. The voice acting is great. All of the main characters are voiced by people who have worked on DBZ, but that isn't a bad thing. They seem to have been given more natural roles in this show because they are much more convincing. The animation is also great. I haven't noticed any looping or re-using of animation yet, a thing that plagues some other shows. It is also creatively violent. There are bug bits and broken people in most of the major scenes. Think Starship Troopers style violence and you'll get a good idea of what I'm getting at.

The DVD itself is great as well. The layout doesn't go out of the way to be annoying or confusing. This means straight forward and easy to use menus that are still worth looking at. The extras are also good. There is the standard assortment of trailers. There are also character bios that show who does the voice acting and what else they have worked on (a feature that I personally loved, it humanizes the voice actors). The rough sketch gallery is cool to look at because it gives the average person a small look into the planning that has to go into any animation. There is also a first for me: an audio commentary. It consists of the voice director and the two main voice actors discussing different, and usually interesting, things while the first episode plays in the background. Over all great extras for an anime.

Bottom Line: If you like sci-fi with good mechs, aliens that like to spew when they die, good animation, good dubbing, and a promising story line then get this DVD.

Annoyingly average.......2002-06-18

This was a disappointment.

The aliens have taken over the Earth, and what's left of mankind lives in space orbit, making occasional forrays to Earth to begin its reclamation.

The aliens and mecha are nothing special (the mecha remind me of good old Votoms), and the animation is lackluster.

But the killer is the "hero", a timecapsule survivor who is so busy emoting his horror at discovering Earth was trashed that all he does is scream loudly and annoyingly (in your choice of languages) with wide eyes through the whole three episodes. After awhile you just have to hit the STOP button to be rid of it.

Description

Tom of Finland (born Touko Laaksonen) is one of the major icons of the gay world. Taking inspiration from his World War II army days, 1950s American bodybuilding magazines and biker movies, Tom's erotic drawings of uniformed and leather-clad beefcake have become a permanent fixture of 20th-century iconography. Completed shortly before his death in 1991, this definitive documentary of the man and the artist combines interviews with Tom himself, commentary from his "leather men," hundreds of original drawings and steamy fantasy scenes inspired by his work.

Customer Reviews:

Informative and Erotic!.......2004-06-23

"Daddy And The Muscle Academy" is a wonderful DVD about Tom of Finland, a gay artist who has inspired an entire cultural wave for both gay and straight men all over the world.

Features an entire gallery of Mr. Finland's work, and lots of information about the artist himself; including personal history and sketching techniques, as well as small interviews with men who admire Mr.Finland and his work.

Highly Erotic!

It's about time this came out on DVD!.......2004-02-19

When I saw this in theaters, me and almost every guy in the audience wanted to lick the screen. This documentary is just as sexy as Tom's work. The artist is interviewed in Finnish, so (monocultural) Americans that don't like to read subtitles won't like it. It's full of talk about the leather community and those who find SM scary may dislike this documentary too. For those who like Tom's work, this is a great way to find out about the man himself. By interviewing Isaac Julien and talking about Tom's appreciation of black men, this film tries to be racially diverse. However, it may rub some as being fetishy. Gay artists have historically been just oppressed as gay authors or gay activists, especially artists who produce obviously homoerotic work. So Tom and this documentary are milestones in many ways. I applaud the director's efforts.

Average customer rating:

"What do you mean...
Worser than "Trash"! A waste of time!
twisted fun
A Talented Mess
We're young, we're beautiful, and we're miserable!

Women In Revolt
Starring: Candy Darling , Jackie Curtis , Holly Woodlawn , Jonathan Kramer , and Michael Sklar
Director: Paul Morrissey
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 6305186669
Release Date: 1998-11-24

Customer Reviews:

"What do you mean..........2007-03-08

Come down off my trapeze and get into the sawdust? That's just Circus talk!!"

- Candy Darling

Worser than "Trash"! A waste of time!.......2006-04-04

twisted fun.......2006-01-04

A Talented Mess.......2004-02-03

We're young, we're beautiful, and we're miserable!.......2003-03-20

DVD:

DVD

DVD