Three Came Home

An Underrated WWII Film Well Worth Your Time
I had never even heard of Three Came Home until I ran across it in a catalog. The description sounded interesting enough to get me to buy it, and I'm glad I did. Three Came Home is a riveting and moving film that grabs the viewer and never lets go. Focusing on what happened to many civilians in the Pacific the film covers a 4 year period from 1941 to 1945, and it shows what kind of hardships and trials many people had to endure in prison camps during the war, primarily focusing on womens camps. Claudette Colbert gives a fantastic performance, and Sessue Hayakawa is outstanding as the Colonel in charge of the prison camps. The script is intelligent and filled with great dialogue, and the acting is first rate throughout. The Alpha DVD is quite good - the print is VERY clean for a "bargain" (public domain) copy, and you should have no concerns as to the quality of this DVD. Highly recommended.

A Classic Comes Home.
One of the best World War Two era dramas ever. The fact that I had never heard of this movie is a testament to it's being under-rated. It's usually not shown in retrospectives of war movies, not enough testosterone displayed, I presume, which is a shame, as it is a powerful take on the "human" side of war, and the effects on the individual. Claudette Colbert, whose only starring role I was familiar with was in "It Happened One Night", is wonderfully touching and noble in this true- story based drama of an author forcefully seperated from her husband and placed, with her little boy, in a Japanese prison camp. As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I like strong womens roles, the good ones of which are few and far between. This is one of the best. Her portrayal is one of pathos, bravery, and perseverence in the face of overwhelming, spirit- breaking odds. This film also offers a rare for that time somewhat sympathetic view of the Japanese, in the role of Sessue...

Real Life Survival Story
Claudette Colbert gives a very strong performance as real life writer Agnes Keith, an American woman living on Borneo with her British husband and son during WWII. When the Japanese invade, she and her son are separated from her husband, Patric Knowles, and all are imprisoned in camps. A Japanese colonel, very well played by Sessue Hayakawa, takes an interest in Colbert since he has read her book, and they have a platonic relationship that is one of the most interesting features of the movie. He has been educated in America, and he reveals more about himself than a typical Japanese soldier would. Three Came Home illustrates the poor conditions of prison camps during WWII and the effect of the war on those who weren't soldiers but had to fight to survive. It's a dramatic story, well acted, and worth viewing.

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The Grove

A Provocative Conversation Starter: Debating The Future Of The National AIDS Memorial
While the documentary "The Grove" runs a mere 57 minutes, it presents a surprisingly even-handed and thought provoking look at both sides of a heated argument. That's not always an easy thing to do, especially in such a short running time, so credit must go to filmmaker Andy Abrahams Wilson and his team for being so fair minded. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I knew very little about the Grove, a small section of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco that has been awarded United States memorial status. Unlike the Vietnam Memorial, however, which has become such a Mecca for travelers worldwide, this shrine to the victims of AIDS flies largely under the radar. Originated as a grassroots volunteer movement two decades ago, there is a real difference of opinions about the future status of this unassuming tribute. Those with a large personal investment want the garden-like area to retain its natural vibe and intimacy while others would like this AIDS memorial to achieve real recognition...

Do not go gently
THE GROVE (Prod./Dir./Filmed Andy Abrahams Wilson, 2011, 57 minutes) is one of the most important documentaries of the era. I'm shocked that few people have seen this at all - I'm only the 3rd reviewer. Though it was screened in 2011, the DVD issue carries the date 2012. How sad.

AIDS. How does it feel to read that, to think about it? How about reliving it? What about memorializing all those victims of it? "The Grove" is short for the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, established by Jack Porter.

Few people go there and the ones who do visit and meander around are actually hunting for the famous Japanese Tea Garden. Few are interested in this 7-acre garden, affectionately called "the Grove" by those whose lives include it, and the volunteers who maintain it.

Funny how I had just finished seeing a documentary called "DEATH: IT'S A LIVING" that addressed the modern funeral business and questioned its necessity. THE GROVE is...

Take the extra turn thru Golden Gate, and here to see The Grove!
I really loved this amazing film!

My first impression after watching this, was that I found myself wondering, why I had not heard of nor seen this film before?

For those who can read into it, the film is very much a parable of the Grove itself, a hidden treasure, that does not need to exist in any other way,
or be any longer, or feature anything more or less than it did. It makes it's point on so many levels.

The Grove is well worth the extra turn, that I'm glad I took in Golden Gate, and here as well.

Yours in the Struggle, Adam

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NFL America's Game: 1992 COWBOYS (Super Bowl XXVII)

Terrific
I ordered all three of the DVD's for the Cowboy's three Super Bowls.....XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX. This is by far the best one of the three...the editing, the content, etc. all were just super and very entertaining. Wish I could have been there.

Good viewing for Cowboys Fans!
Entertaining and informative. Not the entire game but having some highlights and insight into the team were well worth the asking price.

Dallas fan
Christmas gift for husband...really enjoyed it. Will look into getting the other series for fathers day or for his birthday.

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Lost Realities Of Hog Caller, The

Sick, twisted, and hilarious!
'The Lost Realities of Hog Caller' was totally not what I expected. Before I watched the movie, I assumed it would follow a somewhat formulaic "found footage" storyline, but the plot is full of often hilarious twists and turns and this film definitely doesn't fall into the same category as other movies in the now-familiar found footage genre. It reminded me, at times, of Harmony Korine's cult classic 'Gummo', with its gritty imagery and, cast of bizarre, yet oddly likable characters. Shot in and around Middletown, PA, site of the famous 3 Mile Island nuclear meltdown, the setting has a looming air of menace and griminess which is present throughout the film.

Another thing that surprised me a little was how beautifully 'The Lost Realities' is shot; the cinematography is very impressive. You could take a still from any part of this movie, frame it, and put it on your wall as a piece of unsettling, disturbing artwork. It is full of creepy imagery and has an awesome...





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Grave of the Fireflies [Blu-ray]

Transcends Anime to be one of the saddest forms of any media
I generally don't cry at movies. I love any movie that can move me enough to shed a tear or two. Grave Of the Fireflies is not one of those movies. In those movies even though I'm sad the final scenes leave me with a residual hope that while some tragic event has just occured the charecters involved will grow and live better. Grave of the Fireflies doesn't do this. There is no hope or possiabilty of things getting better. This is Life at it's cruelest. Life that will never get better. This movie doesn't move you, it shatters you.

Seita And Setsuko (the boy and His little sister) aren't Heros and their abusive aunt isn't the villian. Neither for that matter is either side of the war protrayed as good or bad in these movie. This is just a story of people being people. some kind, some indiffrent and some compleatly harsh. Seita makes mistakes that many children in his position would.

Although fifteen years old this film is still very beatiful. The images it portrays are quiet and...

Emotionally powerful, hauntingly poetic, anti-war anime
"Grave of the Fireflies" ("Hotaru no haka") is one of the most powerful anti-war films I have ever seen, which means that it has no competition when it comes to emotional impact in terms of animated films. The death of Bambi's mother was a traumatic shock, but nothing like the sense of despair and grief that overwhelms you by the end of this film. The film begins with the spirit of a young boy showing us his death in a train station, after which we follow the fireflies into the past to see his story. At the beginning of the original movie of "Brian's Song" we were told: "All true stories end in death. This is a true story." So is "Grave of the Fireflies" because I have no problem granting the legitimacy of "truth" to fiction.

In the last months of World War II an American fire bomb raid destroys the port city of Kobe, where almost all of the buildings are made of wood. Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi/J. Robert Spencer) is a 14-year old boy who survives along with his 4-year...

A Powerful And Relevant Anime Classic: A Journey Of True Love And Heartbreak Remastered For A New Generation
Note: It seems a crime that this classic has been off the DVD market. Now this digitally remastered and restored version will be able to reintroduce the film to a new generation.

"Grave of the Fireflies" is a film that I'd heard about for years before I finally got around to viewing it. As one of the most well-respected early anime classics--of course, I expected great things. I knew vaguely what the picture was about and knew that its tone strove for realism as opposed to fantasy. But what I didn't really comprehend is that it would be such a mature story geared toward adult audiences. The sophistication, complicated subject matter, and sorrow contained within "Grave of the Fireflies" made it one of the more surprisingly moving films that I'd seen in quite some time.

The story is simplistic. Set in war-torn Japan near the end of the World War II, two kids must deal with the unexpected death of their mother in a bombing attack. With no one to care for them and...

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Riders Of The Purple Sage

A great Western
The best adaptation of the Zane Grey novel I have ever seen. A gritty, realistic drama with terrific acting and dialogue.

Lacks a scene selection on the menu
Been waiting several years for the DVD. Quality is excellent. There is no scene selection on the menu. Fast forward is sketch at best and rewind is nonexistent.

Great Zane Grey Duster
I have all Zane Grey's hardcover novels. This was always a favorite. Deals with the Mormon religion in the early days but doesn't come right out and say it. Ed Harris does a great job of playing the gunfighter out to avenge his sister who was taken by the church.

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Naked Trip: On The Run From The Mafia

shane
Naked Trip is a great indie movie. Almost reminded me of something David Lynch would do. Reminded me somewhat of Natural Born Killers too.

Great thriller!
This was a great thriller. Sexy, and suspenseful...very adult. It was a smart movie that left me feeling like I've discovered something here. I feel a little cooler than people who haven't seen this movie.

I'll watch again
Film Noir is one of the coolest film genres ever in my opinion so I really enjoyed this gritty movie. This is perfect for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Good flick.

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