Michael-Bay Movie Reviews

I myself an not a big fan of love stories, but I do like World War II. This movie does a great job of combining the two. The movie makes the characters so real that you forget it is just a movie. Must see for any WWII buff. Damm Good!

I love this movie...it's my favorite...I LOVE IT. This movie is so touching.

**SPOILERS**
With his smokey and softly-accented voice, Carsten Norgaard made a wonderfully romantic and bittersweet Manfred -- Ariana's protector, husband and father of her only child. Norgaard created a character that is even more haunting and tragic than the novel's. This hero is easy to fall in love with, as Ariana did. Manfred's death scene is almost too realistic and painful. His eyes truly look dead under the half-closed lids.

The destruction of Berlin in the last days of WWII is so convincing, you will be ducking and dodging with the citizenry from your comfy chair. This production is excellent all the way through. The movie is actually more accurate than the book, having the Russians capture the city and making Manfred's rank a Captain, which by his age and the progress of the war, makes more sense than Lieutenant. You will feel like you are there, and sometimes the involvement will have you squirming as well as drying the tears.

Lifetime Channel aired the miniseries in one piece as a 3:30 hr movie with commercial breaks recently (Nov 2003); and if the original was 240 minutes, as I have heard elsewhere, then that is why I am buying the tape. There may be additional scenes. I have read that Region 2 (Europe, etc.) already has "The Ring" on DVD, and so I will be hoping and looking for that to come out.

As you can tell, the first part of the story is more interesting to me, but I certainly recommend the whole video. I hope you enjoy "The Ring" as much as I have!

Absolutely brilliant. Stroszek is THE quintessential film on the American experience. A dark fable revolving around the hopes and dreams of three postwar Germans and the disintegration of a relationship. But also incredibly funny and cynical. Herzog's best film to date, in my opinion.

Werner Herzog's Stroszek (1977) is one of the ten greatest films ever made. It's almost equally as good as Herzog's The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (1974) and Aguirre the Wrath of God (1973).

Bruno S., the unknown soldier of cinema once again gives one of the finest performances I've ever seen. Eva Mattes is also wonderful as the prostitute Eva who along with Bruno and Herr Scheitz decide to emigrate from Berlin to Wisconsin to fulfill the elusive American dream. This tragicomedy is one of the bleakest films I've ever seen and also one of the funniest.

Herzog's brilliant film making style gives the entire film the look and feel of a documentary, yet like all of his films Stroszek is highly stylized. An absolute masterpiece! Rating: A 10 out of 10.

Superb direction.

Once again, Herzog takes relative unknown and fairly untested talent, mixes in a few real actors and come away with a movie that's much,much more than following the typical storyline to the end.

As funny as you want, as dramatic as possible. Herzog is a genius. He's done it again!!!

It is a very good video. See what Stuart and Falcon do when Duke is sick, and Duncan learns that passengers are important. See Skarloey tell Peter Sam and Duncan about Rheneas pulling his passengers home in a big storm, and see what Henry does when an elephant is stuck in a tunnel. See what happens when Duck and Henry pull The Flying Kipper, and when Percy pushes some freight cars in to Bulstrode the Barge and what else happens.

The story stops are; Henry and the Elephant; You Can't Win; Special Attraction; Passengers and Polish; The Gallant Old Engine; Fish; and the Music Video "Really Useful Engine".

This is a good video. I know yuo'll like it.

Our son started watching the Thomas series of videos when he was about 2 years old. He still enjoys them at 6 years. Our daughter also enjoys them. They are positive and upbeat. Here's a brief explanation of how a story is told. Each train has a unique name, personality, face, and train style, not all of which appear in every video. These trains talk to each other and go on various adventures through the English countryside. There is Thomas, Gordon, Percy, Henry, Cranky the Crane, the Troublesome Trucks, Annie, Clarable, etc. An episode may feature one train rescuing another in need of assistance, for example. Also these trains resolve conflicts so there are messages behind many of the stories. Also at many toy stores you can find "Thomas" books and wooden toy trains/tracks which our kids love too. The Thomas series started with a series of books written by a Rev Awdry in England (UK). Another good series of kids train videos is "I Love Toy Trains" series which depicts toy electric model trains, mainly the Lionel "O" guage trains. (I had no idea what a Lionel O guage train was before my son started getting into trains either). Both series have upbeat music and are fun to watch and highly recommended and we have not had one bad experience with any of them. Our son has developed a very impressive train vocabulary such as "roundhouse" and "Gondola car". Also as a side note, a real train painted just like Thomas comes once a year to various locations throughout the US...we live in Chicagoland and there Thomas stops by the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union Illinois in the summer....warning it is crowded and sometimes traffic flow is an issue when Thomas comes so arrive early....we also go a few times a year when Thomas is not there just to ride the trains in a more relaxing environment. http://www.irm.org. Also, the DuPage County FairGrounds has a monthly toy train show called the "Great Midwest Train Show". http://www.greatmidwesttrainshow.com. That features 4 pole barn buildings of toy trains for sale, mostly "HO" guage, and is geared to the die hard hobbyist, but includes a few train layouts that the kids love to watch....bring a step stool so your arm doesn't get tired holding up the kid because sometimes the displays are on tables too tall for a kid to see. Also, our kids just love taking a train ride to Chicago and back on the Metra on the weekends...weekend pass costs $5 and kids under a certain age are free. Also if you are bewildered by train guage terminology it goes from largest to smallest: G, O, HO, and Z or N (may have Z and N switched around). G is the Garden trains which can be left outside in the Garden, if you are going to get your kid a toy train, these are best to start with, because they are easier to put on the tracks and more durable if the kid drops the train. O is what Lionel runs on, that's the train your grandpa had when he was a kid. HO is the most popular for the Hobbyist. Z and N are used when the Hobbyist doesn't have a lot of room to build his layout. There are also Lego trains now too believe it or not. There you go, 4 years of train experience in 1,000 words or less!

We all know that Rhenas had gone to the works to be mended and we had seen some little performances by him but we really didn't know him. In this tape he finally comes home. And if any true Thomas fans remember when Henry got stuck in the tunnel (First Tape) then Henry and the Elephant is the right episode for you. Also by Henry another Flying Kipper episode. Both these sequel episodes are good but they don't match the real ones. Alsp a flashback from the time of Stuart and Falcon unearths a little more from the past of Duke. Overall the episodes on this tape are really good and this is a good buy.
The episodes on this video are Henry and the Elephant,You Can't Win, Special Attraction,Passengers and Polish, The Gallant Old Engine, Fish, and the crummy music video Really Useful Engine

To begin with, a warning: many of the reviews you'll find here are incorrectly filed and unrelated to this remarkable animated gem. Many of the reveiwers here seem to be talking about the Alister Simms original live action feature--a classic in its own right and deserving of all due praise--and not discussing this specific version of the Dickens classic. This can be confusing and frustrating (at least it was for me during my initial attempts to locate this lost classic at AMAZON.com). That said, let's proceed.

You, dear viewer, are truly in luck. You have stumbled upon one of the few genuine miracles of Christmas: Chuck Jones' animated version of the Christmas Carol. I saw this amazing presentation during its original broadcast (I believe it was on ABC, lo these many years ago) and I have NEVER forgotten it. If you are a Dickens fan, a Christmas Carol fan, or simply a fan of remarkable animation, you MUST own this video. That it was not immediately enshrined as a Christmas Classic to be repeatedly viewed after its initial boradcast remains one of the great, tragic mysteries of our times. I dare say this version of the Dickens tale (which I must confess I consider not simply a "beloved Holiday tradition" but a genuinely brilliant piece of modern literature worthy of all the stuffy academic consideration often heaped upon more "serious"-- but far less gifted--written endeavours). I searched in vain for more than twenty years, hoping to stumble upon the minor wonder again. And now, thankfully, I can share my happy fortune with you, Constant Reader.

Rendered to capture the flavour of the original pen and ink sketches and etchings which accompanied Dickens tale in print, this animated version brings home the world of Scrooge's England in a way both startling fresh, yet immediately familiar. The fine line work of the graphic design lends a rather fleeting, spectral quality to the entire affiar--perfectly in keeping with the tone and context of the story itself. I defy a child not to be captivated by this animated version's mesmerizing visual character. Supported as well by wonderful voice characterizations and carefully edited music and sound, this ANIMATED CHRISTMAS CAROL should make everyone's Top 10. To see it, is to be transported. Buy this video and you will own a treasure to be cherished for every Christmas to come. GOD BLESS US EVERY ONE!

Come Christmas 1971, the infamous New England Green Christmas, ABC aired a strange 1/2 hour animated version of 1951's "A Christmas Carol". Directed by famed master animator Richard Williams and Produced by veteran master animator Chuck Jones (Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, The Grinch) with narration by Sir Michael Redgrave and Alastair Sim himself reprising his role as Scrooge, this "Christmas Carol" is as faithful and stylistic as any filmed version. In fact, the atmosphere evoked by the double-vision animation itself makes it the spookiest version told; indeed, some scenes may be too intense for children under five. The artists' unique use of lighting adds to the spectral effects, this film "Being a Ghost Story of Christmas" as the subtitle reminds us. The artwork is stunning: the backgrounds recall the bleakness of mid-19th century England and the characterizations remind one of the pen and ink renderings that graced 1930s editions of the novella by illustrator Milo Winter. Important details often overlooked by films three times the length are included. The narration itself mirrors the classic 1951 film version and Sim himself lends all his charm to this remarkable picture. Why this was aired so little then disappeared altogether is as mysterious as the story it tells; perhaps a new generation will enjoy this as I did going thirty years on (Cartoon Network, are you reading this?). My only regret is that it isn't longer. Don't let the video cover art fool you, this is THE animated version that we lost too many years ago, the one that the Academy awarded for best animated short in 1972. It deserves no less recognition than that.

All the comments made by the other reviewers are true. This twenty-three of so minute classic is, in my humble opinion, in the top four or five versions of Dicken's Christmas Tale. The first being the other Alastair Sim Christmas Version (1954). This ranks up there with either two or three as the "BEST."

It is sad that like so many other fine versions of A Christmas Carol, this hasn't been shown very regularly on any network or cable channel in recent years. This makes it all the more imperative that it come out on DVD.

So Goodtimes Video (or whoever owns the rights). Please put it out on DVD. It's worthy of DVD release.

Sincerely,

JThree

carolyn@dia.net

This new DVD represents how the engines are useful in the summer.

James and the Red Balloon: Thomas is sent to pick up a hot air balloon. It attracts many tourists to the island. James becomes mistrustful of the balloon and thinks it's come to steal his passengers. Then he realizes that the balloon is falling and only he can save it!

Twin Trouble: Donald and Douglas get into an arguement and avoid each other. Donald gives Duck alot of grief about it until he derails. Only one engine can save him...

Edward the Really Useful Engine: Gordon, Henry and James think Edward is too old and should retire. When they call him 'Edward the Back Engine', Duck begins to get upset. Then Duck and Gordon get stuck and Edward comes to the rescue, much to their surprise!

The World's Strongest Engine: Devious Diesel has returned sence Henry had an accident. Diesel starts saying he's the World's strongest engine, which annoys the steam engines. When they blame the troublesome trucks, the trucks play a trick on Diesel. When he tries to pull 20 trucks to prove his strength, he winds up with egg on his face.

Rusty Saves the Day: Faced with the threat of having to work in the quarry if they don't repair the line in 2 weeks, Skarloey and Rheneas grow worried. Rusty and Elizabeth come to the rescue proving that when 4 work together, you get things done quicker.

Dunkin' Duncan: The incline on the little railway is revamped and the engines must help to push the trucks on the first bit of the slope. Duncan helps too, but gets impatient with the other engines. So he tries to shunt too many trucks up the incline and gets taken along with them! Finally, his coupler snaps and he is sent careening down into a muddy pond.

Sing-Along-Song: Down By The Docks (Devoted to Salty and Cranky)

I highly recomend this movie.

This is my eighth or ninth Thomas review on Amazon and most of those times I crizied the new tapes. This tape however was a very nice and a good addition to our collection. My little sister loves Diesel and there aren't many tapes starring him however. This tape I feel confident saying i'm glad we bought this. Anyway in James and the Red Balloon Thomas brings a hot air balloon that takes villagers around the island. James however thinks the balloon is going to take their passengers away. I won't reveal anymore this was a good one. In Twin Trouble Donald and Douglas are fighting and it causes confusion and delay. In Edward the Really Useful Engine Gordon says that Edward is useless and he should be retired so Sir Topam Hatt tells Edward to help Stepney but he has to be a back engine for two trains. In the World's Strongest Engine Henry has an accident and Diesel has to help them but he can't help boasting.
In Rusty Saves the Day Rheneas and Skarloey's line is closed because it is too hard to clean up and Rusty tries to help them fix it. In Dunkin Duncan Rusty Rheneas and Skarloey help Duncan at the inclined railway but he is rude, careless, and bossy. This tape is a must buy on video or Dvd

Four cheers for bringing this to a new generation of children! This was immensely enjoyable wholesome fun when I was a child 40 years ago and it remains so today for the children of the early 21st century. Buy this one, buy all the others as well - and be sure to revel in nostalgia as you watch them with children, grand-children, nephews and nieces!

This new DVD represents how the engines are useful in the summer.

James and the Red Balloon: Thomas is sent to pick up a hot air balloon. It attracts many tourists to the island. James becomes mistrustful of the balloon and thinks it's come to steal his passengers. Then he realizes that the balloon is falling and only he can save it!

Twin Trouble: Donald and Douglas get into an arguement and avoid each other. Donald gives Duck alot of grief about it until he derails. Only one engine can save him...

Edward the Really Useful Engine: Gordon, Henry and James think Edward is too old and should retire. When they call him 'Edward the Back Engine', Duck begins to get upset. Then Duck and Gordon get stuck and Edward comes to the rescue, much to their surprise!

The World's Strongest Engine: Devious Diesel has returned sence Henry had an accident. Diesel starts saying he's the World's strongest engine, which annoys the steam engines. When they blame the troublesome trucks, the trucks play a trick on Diesel. When he tries to pull 20 trucks to prove his strength, he winds up with egg on his face.

Rusty Saves the Day: Faced with the threat of having to work in the quarry if they don't repair the line in 2 weeks, Skarloey and Rheneas grow worried. Rusty and Elizabeth come to the rescue proving that when 4 work together, you get things done quicker.

Dunkin' Duncan: The incline on the little railway is revamped and the engines must help to push the trucks on the first bit of the slope. Duncan helps too, but gets impatient with the other engines. So he tries to shunt too many trucks up the incline and gets taken along with them! Finally, his coupler snaps and he is sent careening down into a muddy pond.

Sing-Along-Song: Down By The Docks (Devoted to Salty and Cranky)

I highly recomend this movie.

This is my eighth or ninth Thomas review on Amazon and most of those times I crizied the new tapes. This tape however was a very nice and a good addition to our collection. My little sister loves Diesel and there aren't many tapes starring him however. This tape I feel confident saying i'm glad we bought this. Anyway in James and the Red Balloon Thomas brings a hot air balloon that takes villagers around the island. James however thinks the balloon is going to take their passengers away. I won't reveal anymore this was a good one. In Twin Trouble Donald and Douglas are fighting and it causes confusion and delay. In Edward the Really Useful Engine Gordon says that Edward is useless and he should be retired so Sir Topam Hatt tells Edward to help Stepney but he has to be a back engine for two trains. In the World's Strongest Engine Henry has an accident and Diesel has to help them but he can't help boasting.
In Rusty Saves the Day Rheneas and Skarloey's line is closed because it is too hard to clean up and Rusty tries to help them fix it. In Dunkin Duncan Rusty Rheneas and Skarloey help Duncan at the inclined railway but he is rude, careless, and bossy. This tape is a must buy on video or Dvd

Four cheers for bringing this to a new generation of children! This was immensely enjoyable wholesome fun when I was a child 40 years ago and it remains so today for the children of the early 21st century. Buy this one, buy all the others as well - and be sure to revel in nostalgia as you watch them with children, grand-children, nephews and nieces!

A good video, except for the "Island Song". I mean it's good, but not good enough. Otherwise, it's good.

I loved this tape. Watch as the engines help each other. Meet new charecters such as Tom Tipper, Caroline, and a bull. My favorite episode is Speicial Funnel and my least favorite is Mind That Bike. Hope you like it! I sure do!

This is a good video. Mind That Bike, Trains Stop Play, Thomas Meets The Queen, Bulls Eyes, Special Funnel, Four Little Engines, and a song not in Thomas's Songs & Roundhouse Rythms... Island Song. Great video for little Thomas The Tank Engine addicts. Thomas videos are of course better than Barney videos. I seen all the episodes of Thomas The Tank Engine. I have all the Thomas the Tank Engine videos and I am getting Shining Time Station videos.

P.S. I am 10 yrs old.

This is one great Thomas and Friends video. One of my favorite engines is Percy and they came out with one great video all about Percy. The stories on this video are: Percy's Ghostly Trick, A Scarf For Percy, Percy Takes a Plunge, Percy's Predicament, Thomas, Percy, and the Mail Train, Percy Runs Away, Percy and the Signal, Percy Proves a Point, and Percy's Promise. My favorite story is Percy's Predicament. All the stories are told by George Carlin except Percy Takes a Plunge is told by Ringo Starr. If your child's favorite engine is Percy, then he will love this video.

I like this Best of Percy video. I have three favorite stories. One of them is Percy's Perdicament. Another one of them is Percys Takes A Plunge. My last favorite story is Percy Proves A Point. I have other favorite videos like James Learns A Lesson and Tenders and Turntables. Maybe some kids may be afraid of the first story but the rest of the stories are good and not scary. This is a must have video.

I would just like to say all the Best of tapes are great! Who dosn't love Percy. Anyway this tape has to do with learning, helping, and other moral values. I think Percy is a great engine to show these morals. If your kid is just getting in to Thomas you should buy him this tape because the Best of tapes are episodes taken from other tapes. If you plan to buy this tape you've made a good choice in my opinion.

I am so psyched! After years, decades, even, I've found the title of the movie I only remember small snipets from. I saw it when I was 10 and have never forgot how cool it was to see a bunch of kids running around at night looking for clues. I'm sure its a cheeseball of a movie, but to a 10 year old it was the coolest thing and I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT AGAIN!

OK, in terms of absolute merit, I'll be the first to admit that this is not a 5-star movie. However, in terms of sheer, nostalgic fun and late-night silliness, Midnight Madness is a classic--as the numerous, heartfelt reviews here show.

The plot is simple: a mastermind, Leon, stages a Los Angeles-wide scavenger hunt, inviting five captains and their teams to play for everlasting glory. Heralding in the class-consciousness of later '80's movies, there are the White Team (nerds on mopeds); the Green Team (jocks in Meat Machine convertible); Red Team (sorority gals); Blue Team (outcasts in super-van with computer--TRS-80?); and Yellow Team (the good guys). Any bets on the winners?

It's low-brow, slapstick, often cheesy and utterly improbable stuff. Yet in its own twisted universe, it _works_. The best thing HBO ever did in its youth was airing this movie practically every day. I don't think I ever watched it from start to finish, but I watched segments so many times that it all came together. Barf and Melio playing the piano; Pabst Blue Ribbon; the Big Boy; MISS!!!!!!!; roller skates; the arcade . . . and of course, the immortal "fagabeefy?". Almost mindless, but pretty darn clean, especially in light of today's gross-out flicks. (It was Disney's second PG movie, after The Black Hole.)

Other amazing tidbits: this was the film debut of both Michael J. Fox and Paul "Pee Wee Herman" Rubens. Stephen Furst (Harold, the leader of the blue team) out-Flounders Flounder, his role in Animal House. The hotel desk clerk, Marvin Kaplan, played Henry on TV's "Alice." Andy Tennant, the snyde Melio, has gone on to bigger (if not better) things as the director of "Anna and the King" and "Fools Rush In." He also was a dancer in Grease and a greaser in Grease 2, and he was in "1941" with Barf (Brian Frishman) and the nerd leader (Eddie Deezan, Eugene from Grease).

Amazing, isn't it?, that so many threads of trivia should intersect in such an odd place. Glad to see so many share fond memories of this film--and yes, that ultra-groovy, catchy, cheesy title track: "When midnight madness starts to get to you . . ." You've gotta see it to believe it. Enjoy, even as a guilty, nostalgic pleasure.

I really enjoyed this movie this is a fun movie this movie so fun that this movie makes you feel like you are right along with the actors and would like to be with them!!!! This movie is about different groups in colors : green, red, blue, white, and yellow . It is a group that includes a pair of twins they are so funny !!!!! It is a must have for any Michael J. Fox fan he is in this movie he is a whiz at playing video games and he helps his brother's team and he joins the team this is basically a movie about different teams going on a scavenger hunt it is so good funny and interesting I would really reccommend anyone who likes movies of the 1980's to purchase this video!!!!

My dad was an extra in this movie. He was one of the mall security guards. If you look close, you can see him looking at a map on the wall, then walking around the mall at the same time. I know its nothing, just one of those things we noticed when first watching it.

I was 13 when I first laid my eyes on the best film ever made, Boys Next Door. Max Caufield is one of the most underated actors of all time. The role he plays in this movie should have won an oscar. He truely captured the part of a real sociopath, and take it from me, being one, it is not easy to understand the mind of a true sociopath. Being one of Charlie Sheen's less no movies also helps make it great. This movie would have never been accepted in the main steam for it's true to life violence and social misbehavior. Most people will not understand this movie, but those who do, will never forget it! It is the second most watched movie in my life, only to Beastmaster. But hopefully after recently aquiring the DVD it will be first. Don't be suprised if you laugh a few times or even worse relate to Bo and Roy! Please enjoy this film for what it is, an american tail of two every day guys out for a good time who make it happen.

Bo and Roy keenly sense the bigotry and worthlessness of the common man and his passive acceptance of this material society. Their experience from school revealed to them the hypocrocy of an education to prepare them for slavery, the nausious realization that most people worship malls and Chinese manufactured trinkets. Bo and Roy bided their time in high school. They rejected all forms of worthless mainstream social activities and adorned themselves in the mantle of plain t-shirts and worn blue jeans. But their moment finally came. They graduated from high school and they took their message to the general populace. A message of judgement, violence, and retribution. A cleansing of the trash people and a celebration of their new faith and power. The raghead at the service station, beaten by his own pump handle was a collage of brutality and purity that resonated with all believers. The babbling, impotent, old lady callously and casually missiled with a beer bottle to the head merged violence and humor in a tapestry of genuine lust for life. As in all dramatic tragedies, our heroes find their last stand in between the worthless, plastic walls of a shopping mall. The cold, bleak walls of a contrived world where mindless fools pilgrim to worship at the alter of the Gap and eat the manna of Mrs. Fields. Bo became the sacrifice at our plastic alter. He never wavered and his passion resonates long after the closing credits. Your life is incomplete and impoverished without the experience of this grand film.