Chinatown

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Roman Polanski's brooding film noir exposes the darkest side of the land of sunshine, the Los Angeles of the 1930s, where power is the only currency--and the only real thing worth buying. Jack Nicholson is J.J. Gittes, a private eye in the Chandler mold, who during a routine straying-spouse investigation finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a jigsaw puzzle of clues and corruption. The glamorous Evelyn Mulwray (a dazzling Faye Dunaway) and her titanic father, Noah Cross (John Huston), are at the black-hole center of this tale of treachery, incest, and political bribery. The crackling, hard-bitten script by Robert Towne won a well-deserved Oscar, and the muted color cinematography makes the goings-on seem both bleak and impossibly vibrant. Polanski himself has a brief, memorable cameo as the thug who tangles with Nicholson's nose. One of the greatest, most completely satisfying crime films of all time. --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie, I still say second-best :).......2007-08-22

I love film noir movies. Chinatown is set in Los Angeles in the 30s, and features a great cast including Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. It earned spot 20 on the AFI top list.

There's a great plot here, with twists and weaves. It all comes down to water - that resource that all of life depends on. People are willing to kill and sacrifice others in order to get their hands on it. The dialogue is snappy and offers many layers.

I realize completely why the movie is #20 on the list - but I have to admit that I always compare it in my mind to Casablanca, which is #2 on the list. So where some people say this has the best dialogue, acting, etc. of all time, I have to say Casablanca would come in first for me. Still, this movie isn't that far off.

MODERN FILM NOIR AT ITS BEST.......2007-07-31

Without a doubt director Roman Polanski's take on greed, crime and corruption in high and low places in 1930's Los Angeles is a modern landmark in the noir detective genre. Evoking all the attributes of the classic film noir detectives Jack Nicholson as J.J. Gettes is that old favorite- a tough guy who doesn't mind taking a beating for the good of the cause, is resourceful, loyal and resolute and also has a little spare time for the ladies (of course without strings, if possible). Fay Dunaway as the conniving, justly father-conflicted femme fatale carrying a big family secret is a good match up for Nicholson's tough guy detective. Unlike some plot lines this one, written by Robert Townes, keeps a tight leash on the line and does not get tricky with subplots and twists. That makes it all the stronger for this one may be all about the water problems in up and coming Los Angeles but is also about overweening greed and ambition tied to that development. Sound familar?

"Hello Kitty-Kat . . .".......2007-07-16

If you're a fan of this movie, you'll know exactly what scene that is from . .And if you've never watched it before, do so . .A classic flick.

Jack!.......2007-07-15

This movie really does get better as the years go by. Jack is an all-time great. I think any movie buff needs to make sure it is in the library.

CHINATOWN: For those who love great screenplays!.......2007-07-14

If you are a person who loves great screenplays, then CHINATOWN will have you wrapped up in it's perfect little web of intrigue. The who, what,where,when and why are all there.Though I am a tremendous fan of Roman Polanski films, I must say that neither Faye Dunaway or Jack Nicholson are favorites of mine in the least; but I could not ever see this picture done another way with other people.I am not a fan of "film noir" either.But if you are a movie fan who values characters and plot done well, then CHINATOWN IS the perfect screenplay brought to the screen with the perfect actors and perfect direction AND IT IS A WHOPPING SUCCESS!!! After knowing what happened in California a few years back concerning the electrical blackouts, this film was all the more compelling for a 2007 viewing.The ending is pure genius and pure reality!

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Chinatown Review

Chinatown (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Nicholson , Dunaway , and Hillerman
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000UAE7RW
Release Date: 2007-11-06

Customer Reviews:

Chinatown Review.......2007-08-15

Chinatown is an excellent movie set in Los Angeles in the 1930's. The plot revolves around a scheme to build a dam to steal water from Los Angeles in the middle of a drought. This is an great movie and I could not recommend it more highly. If you want a professional review, go here.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19740601/REVIEWS/40817002/1023

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Great Movie, I still say second-best :)
MODERN FILM NOIR AT ITS BEST
"Hello Kitty-Kat . . ."
Jack!
CHINATOWN: For those who love great screenplays!

Chinatown
Starring: Richard Bakalyan , Faye Dunaway , Jerry Fujikawa , Bruce Glover , and John Hillerman
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000022TSF
Release Date: 1999-11-23

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Customer Reviews:

Great Movie, I still say second-best :).......2007-08-22

MODERN FILM NOIR AT ITS BEST.......2007-07-31

"Hello Kitty-Kat . . .".......2007-07-16

If you're a fan of this movie, you'll know exactly what scene that is from . .And if you've never watched it before, do so . .A classic flick.

Jack!.......2007-07-15

This movie really does get better as the years go by. Jack is an all-time great. I think any movie buff needs to make sure it is in the library.

CHINATOWN: For those who love great screenplays!.......2007-07-14

Average customer rating:

another enjoyable Wong mystery
Keye Luke is wonderful as young Wong

Phantom of Chinatown
Starring: Keye Luke , Grant Withers , Lotus Long , Charles F. Miller , and Huntley Gordon
Director: Phil Rosen
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008G8WI
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Customer Reviews:

another enjoyable Wong mystery.......2004-08-25

Keye Luke stepped in and played Mr Wong in this entry of the series. Boris Karloff had done a great job playing Wong in the other five Wong movies and this one is more of a "prequel" with Luke in fine form as the young Mr Wong. Good stuff!

Keye Luke is wonderful as young Wong.......2004-06-29

The Mr Wong series has always been a source of great fun for me. Karloff played Wong in five films: Mr Wong Detective, Mystery of Mr Wong, Mr Wong In Chinatown, The Fatal Hour, and Doomed To Die. Keye Luke replaced Karloff as Wong in a prequel which told how Wong first became a solver of crimes. It's also the first meeting of Mr Wong and Police Captain Street. The actor who played Street in all six Wong films doesn't look younger in this one, but I'm glad they didn't replace him with a younger actor. His chemistry with Luke is fantastic. The whole prequel idea brings new energy to this entry. It's great to see Wong and Street meet and become friends as they work on the case together. This is an enjoyable little gem.

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Surprisingly Not Rotten

Shadow of Chinatown, Vol. 1
Starring: Shadow of Chinatown
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
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ASIN: B0000AGWJP
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly Not Rotten.......2004-11-15

Most people find the independently produced serials of the 1930s to be the ultimate in snoozefests, and this is one case in which I go along with the masses. I'm at that stage of my life, however, when self-inflicted pain helps get me through the torturous long hours of an otherwise tedious existence, and for sheer self-inflicted pain, you can't do much better than watching a Bela Lugosi serial. Hence, I approached SHADOW OF CHINATOWN not expecting much. It was to my shock, then, that I found a serial that was cheesy, yes, plot-challenged, naturally, ludicrous, you betcha, but which held my interest and entertained in all 15 chapters, particularly the brilliant chapter 11 (more on that later).

The plot (and get this): A European importing business is feeling the competitive heat from a Chinese importing business. So they decide to keep tourists from visiting Chinatown to... to... well, it's not real clear how they figure this will help them, but they seem pretty sure of it, so it must be okay. Anyway, they hire a beautiful dragon lady named Sonya (Luana Walters) to handle this little project for them, but she outsources it to Victor Poten, a crazed Eurasian scientist who must be and is Bela Lugosi. Poten embarks on a mad plan to murder, pillage, torture, and generally embarrass a lot of people.

A feisty female reporter (Luana Walters) is investigating all the mayhem in Chinatown, and she enlists the services of a hunky young writer and Chinatown expert (Herman Brix) to help her solve the mystery.

The feisty female reporter soon ends up a prisoner of Poten, and in one of the highlights of the serial, writes "HELP!" on a mirror and reflects the sunlight so that the message shines like the Batsignal on the building next door. Pedestrians spend the better part of two chapters looking up at it and pointing, but not investigating. Must happen a lot in that neighborhood.

Anyway, Poten soon gets a jones to kill Herman Brix, and he disguises himself as a telephone repairman so's he can implant a poisoned needle into Brix's telephone, and if you haven't seen Bela Lugosi dressed as a telephone repairman, well, then, friend, you haven't lived. He fails in that plan, but knocks Brix unconscious and leaves him on the floor with the sun shining through a goldfish bowl and onto Brix's forehead in a chapter called "The Sinister Ray" and no, I'm not kidding, that's a real deathtrap. I don't particularly see how this could be fatal (the goldfish, f'rinstance, is swimming along happily), but it sure is unique.

Eventually, Brix rescues the feisty female reporter, Sonja changes sides to help the good guys, Lugosi hypnotizes everybody and orders them all to do something bad, Brix's Kato-like servant, Willy Fu (great name!) comes to the rescue, somebody accidentally tries to strangle Brix with a coathanger, Lugosi disguises himself as a Chinese waiter (he looks sillier in his various disguises than Inspector Clouseau ever did), and a big heavy chandelier is rigged to fall on Herman Brix's big heavy head. Whew! You can see why I liked this serial.

Okay, as promised, on to chapter 11, "Thundering Doom". Y'know those parodies of old movies that feature people staring at each other while the organ music swells in a misbegotten attempt to build suspense? Well, a scene like that happens here in chapter 11, and it's pretty funny watching the entire cast glance at each other for a couple of minutes while that damn organ plays. And then, a short time later, it happens again. The second time, it's REAL funny. And know what? The THIRD time it happens in the chapter, I was laughing so hard I projectile-vomited Diet Pepsi Twist through my nose. I'm fairly certain it happened again at least once more in that chapter, but I can't be sure because I was laughing so hard, rolling around on the carpeting like a junebug in cotton candy.

My understanding is that there's only one copy of this serial still known to exist, a complete 15-chapter job on 16mm, so I was surprised that it's complete and looks pretty good. Alpha's DVD release has crummy sound, though, so you're going to have to crank it up. The bottom line is, if you're going in expecting FLASH GORDON or CAPTAIN MARVEL, forget it. But if you are looking for some ponderous but entertaining fun in a vintage serial, you could do a lot worse than SHADOW OF CHINATOWN.

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Shadow of Chinatown, Vol. 2
Starring: Shadow of Chinatown
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
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ASIN: B0000AGWJY
Release Date: 2003-10-07

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Boris Karloff at his humble best!
A Haunting Mr. Wong!
loved it
Mr. Wong searches for the murderer of Princess Lin Hwa

Mr Wong in Chinatown
Starring: Boris Karloff , Marjorie Reynolds , Grant Withers , Huntley Gordon , and George Lynn
Director: William Nigh
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006II5K
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Customer Reviews:

Boris Karloff at his humble best!.......2007-01-04

Boris Karloff must have been one of the nicest gentlemen in Hollywood during these early crazy days. It's so wonderful to see him in less makeup and not having to speak in a fractured Chinese accent. His character is very kind and very intelligent. I would like to find some of the old "Collier's" magazine stories that the movies were based on to see how they adapted the character to film. The movies were also made with well-spoken Chinese actors, only a few of the men servants spoke with a fratured English, but I work with many heavy accented folks who have lived in the US for over 40 years. The characters weren't too drippy and the plot line was plausible. The times didn't call for lots of gore, so you won't see blood oozing all over as in todays films. I intend to complete the "Mr. Wong" series as soon as I can.

A Haunting Mr. Wong!.......2004-07-02

This is a terrific DVD for the atmosphere, the clever Mr. Wong and the great transfer. This is a B picture, to be sure, shot on a budget, but its great fun as Mr. Wong solves his case. The transfer is very good considering there is no restoration. The sound is very good as well. I love this series and Boris is the man to play the character.

loved it.......2004-06-29

I have found these Mr Wong movies very addictive! I'm glad Alpha has made these available! Mr Wong In Chinatown isn't the best mystery in the series, but it is still one of my favorites of the series. This one is a little stranger that other entries. Very unusual!

Mr. Wong searches for the murderer of Princess Lin Hwa.......2001-08-02

This film is third of Boris Karloff's turns as the Chinese detective James Lee Wong. Princess Lin Hwa (Lotus Long) visits Mr. Wong for help and is killed by a poisoned arrow. This time Mr. Wong is joined not only by Captain Street (Grant Withers) but the policeman's fiance, reporter Bobby Logan (Marjorie Reynolds). When the trio check out the apartment of the princess they find her maid murdered and the only witness a mute dwarf (Angelo Rosita) who suddenly disappears. This is a below average mystery which gives Karloff very little to do besides maintain his unruffled demeanor. The last reel picks up a bit as Mr. Wong falls into the hands of the murderer and has to be rescued by his companions. Like the other films in this series, this 1939 film was directed by William Nigh and based on the stories of Hugh Wiley.

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Classic Kung Fu - Chinatown Kid

Manufacturer: Red Sun
ProductGroup: DVD
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Trailers

ASIN: B000FEILBG

Phantoms of Death Triple Feature (The Phantom of 42nd Street / Phantom Killer / Phantom of Chinatown)

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Phantoms of Death Triple Feature (The Phantom of 42nd Street / Phantom Killer / Phantom of Chinatown)
Starring: Dave O'Brien , Kay Aldridge , Alan Mowbray , Frank Jenks , and Edythe Elliott
Director: Albert Herman , William Beaudine , and Phil Rosen
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: B00022PZ42
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Description

Three spine-tingling classics of fear and mystery! In Phantom of 42nd Street, an unknown killer haunts the world of the theater, leaving a quotation from a classic drama pinned to each victim's body. Can a theater critic turned detective protect a distinguished actor and his daughter from becoming the next targets? Then a noted philanthropist is fingered as the terrifying Phantom Killer, thanks to a deaf-mute janitor witness. Finally, a Phantom of Chinatown strikes during a lecture on the discovery of a lost tomb and swipes a valuable scroll. Only detective Jimmy Wong (Keye Luke) can find the killer and solve the secret of the missing artifact!

Olga's House of Shame / Olga's Dance Hall Girls / White Slaves of Chinatown (Something Weird)

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Fast forward review
''Olga'', back and better than ever!

Olga's House of Shame / Olga's Dance Hall Girls / White Slaves of Chinatown (Something Weird)
Starring: Audrey Campbell , Judy Young , W.B. Parker , Ella Daphni , and Ava Denning
Director: Joseph P. Mawra
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: B00008H2HK
Release Date: 2003-04-15

Description

Meet Olga, a woman who "possessed a mind so warped she made sadism a full-time business!" In the first of the series, Olga uses pot parties and comic-book violence to turn Gigi Darlene and other female captives into her White Slaves of Chinatown. But Olga has her tender side too and, in the mood for romance, selects an occasional slave for a little loving: "The disease called Olga cannot be fought!" And after relocating to New Jersey, Olga's House of Shame is open for business! With the help of her malignant brother and a sweet-faced victim-turned-protege, Olga runs a crime syndicate while gleefully engaging in unhealthy extracurricular activities in this, the most outrageous of the series. Finally things take a bizarre turn with the most obscure Olga of them all, Olga's Dance Hall Girls, in which a new brat-faced Olga recruits suburban housewives as "hostesses" for a dance hall which is really just a front for -- are you ready? -- a satanic cult! Ouch! For maximum effect, view while shackled.

Customer Reviews:

Fast forward review.......2004-06-14

Ah yes, Olga. One of the most cheesy set of flicks ever made. We're talking no sound track at all, just some added-on narration and other effects, and no color. There were a lot of these "roughies" made, but these are some of the most famous.

I'd stick to "House of Shame", if you're interested in sex sleaze. We got topless babes tied to trees and fake whipped, but not too bad (hey, considering that stuff coming out of eastern europe these days, the "fake" is a necessary comment). We got some paddling through mesh hose, and especially a soldering iron scene that actually approaches the kind of realism that Franco achieves. OK, that means it's ridiculous, but you gotta have some cred for even having a soldering iron scene, eh?

There's also some pretty silly scenes involving Olga threatening models with strange tools and implements that don't really look very effective and a lot of plot, if you call silent movie footage with a narrator "plot". Topless is all the nudity you can expect, but it does show the goods. You could probably extract a clip or two here for old times sake. Two stars for being famous and actually having some reason for being notorious.

''Olga'', back and better than ever!.......2003-06-19

This fabulous new release from the good folk at Something Weird Video presents three of the infamous "Olga" films, complete and uncut, with a few choice extras.

For maximum effect, you should watch the movies in chronological order, as follows...

WHITE SLAVES OF CHINATOWN - Meet Olga Petroff (Audrey Campbell). She is a hard-hearted woman with a penchant for torture and sin. Olga runs a prostitution ring, and also has shares in an opium sydicate. Watch as Olga 'disciplines' her girls in outlandish torture methods! Keep an eye out Gigi Darlene (BAD GIRLS GO TO HELL) who plays one of Olga's lovelies.

OLGA'S HOUSE OF SHAME - Olga relocates her business to an abandoned mill in upstate New York. Joining Olga is her corrupt brother Nick (W.B. Parker) and the lovely Elaine (Alice Davis, aka Alice Linville). When the beautiful Nadja (Ella Daphne) tries to destroy Olga's empire, there's hell to pay as Olga fights back with all her fury.

OLGA'S DANCE HALL GIRLS - Olga (now played by Lucy Eldredge) sets up 'housekeeping' in the suburbs, and recruits all the able-bodied housewives in the area for her new business, which is just a front for a weird satatnic cult, complete with Olga as the 'High Priestess'!. Featuring appearances by Larry Hunter, Hattie Felder and Moia Gifford.

The extra features include the short-subject "Audrey Campbell: Art Lover" which also features her husband, director Byron Mabe (THE HEAD MISTRESS). There's also the "Olga" exerpt from MONDO OSCENITA, trailers for the films featured on the disc and a tantalising exerpt from the 'lost' "Olga" film, MADAME OLGA'S MASSAGE PARLOR (which starred W.B. Parker and Alice Linville reprising their roles of Nick and Elaine!).

With Synapse set to release the missing "Olga" film (OLGA'S GIRLS) complete with a commentary by no less than Audrey Campbell herself later this year, fans will have to wait a while longer to complete their collection.

I also recommend the following Something Weird double-features: "Sinderella and the Golden Bra/Goldilocks and the Three Bares", "The Notorious Daughter of Fanny Hill/The Head Mistress", "Bad Girls Go to Hell/Another Day Another Man" and "The Violent Years/Girl Gang".

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