DVDpedia : Groove Quantize DVD Library : Title : P

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Heuristic Video

Genre: Music DVD

Summary: Tracks: Petrol Live, Goodbye Tonsils, We Have Come To Bless The House, Petrol, Hot With Fleas, Jetlag, Canine, All Saints Day, Retread, Dollarex, Twister, Greater Reward, Dead Eyes Opened.

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 119

Summary: Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, Jorge Luis Borges, and Guillermo del Toro's own unlimited imagination, "Pan's Labyrinth" is a fairytale for adults. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) may only be 12, but the worlds she inhabits, both above and below ground, are dark as anything del Toro has conjured. Set in rural Spain, circa 1944, Ofelia and her widowed mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil, "Belle Epoque"), have just moved into an abandoned mill with Carmen's new husband, Captain Vidal (Sergi López, "With a Friend like Harry"). Carmen is pregnant with his son. Other than her sickly mother and kindly housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú, "Y Tu Mamá También"), the dreamy Ofelia is on her own. Vidal, an exceedingly cruel man, couldn't be bothered. He has informers to torture. Ofelia soon finds that an entire universe exists below the mill. Her guide is the persuasive Faun (Doug Jones, "Mimic"). As her mother grows weaker, Ofelia spends more and more time in the satyr's labyrinth. He offers to help her out of her predicament if she'll complete three treacherous tasks. Ofelia is willing to try, but does this alternate reality really exist or is it all in her head? Del Toro leaves that up to the viewer to decide in a beautiful, yet brutal twin to "The Devil's Backbone", which was also haunted by the ghost of Franco. Though it lacks the humor of "Hellboy", "Pan's Labyrinth" represents Guillermo Del Toro at the top of his considerable game. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Image Entertainment

Genre: Music DVD

Summary: The DVD has not been released at the time of this review. I do have the VCD version from Malaysia.Instead of touring, the Pet Shop Boys held concerts for 3 weeks at the Savoy Theatre in London's west end.This program begins with a behind-the-scenes documentary. You can watch PSB practice and get prepared for the show. There are great interviews and interaction between the boys.Then, the concert begins. It is FABULOUS. If you like the Pet Shop Boys, or any electronic music, you'll really enjoy this concert. They play great songs from many of their albums, while avoiding the worn out hits.This concert is more simple than their "Performance" concert, which had too much going on for my taste. There is a very clever stage setup, and use of big screens that are marvelous. (I won't let the cat out of the bag on what they do with the screens.) Neil's vocals are great - the concert is perfect!There is the documentary, then the following songs: Yesterday When I Was Mad, Truck Driver and his Mate, Se a Vida é, Hallo Spaceboy, To Step Aside, Go West, The Theatre, It's a Sin/I Will Survive, Discoteca, Can You Forgive Her?, Somewhere, Rent, Being Boring, Left to my Own Devices.I highly suggest you order this DVD. It is so cheap! If you're a fan, I know you'll buy it. If you're not very familiar with PSB, this will introduce you to the boys, and give you a chance to see them at their best.

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Geffen Records

Genre: Music Video & Concerts

Summary: "Peter Gabriel: Growing Up Live" presents the complete 2003 Milan concert from Peter Gabriel's tour based around the album "Up", featuring 17 tracks across 134 minutes. Literally central to a memorable show is a revolving stage that sees Gabriel going for a cycle ride in an exuberant "Solsbury Hill," performing "Growing Up" inside a Zorb ball, and delivering a gravity-defying sky walk in "Downside Up" with daughter Melanie. Accompanied by regular sidemen David Rhodes (guitar) and Tony Levin (bass), Gabriel is joined by the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama for the spine-tingling "Sky Blue," throughout mixing recent tracks like the abrasive "Darkness" and "The Barry Williams Show" with established crowd pleasers such as "Red Rain," "In Your Eyes," and "Sledgehammer."

Gabriel may be less wired than before, but he commands the arena with effortless charm and charismatic presence, his voice retaining all its paradoxically fragile power. Presented in an understated blue light and shot in an unobtrusive, gimmick-free style, the concert begins and ends in virtual darkness with Gabriel alone at a keyboard; from the opening "Here Comes the Flood" to the final "Father, Son," "Growing Up" is rock theater of rare intimacy, emotion, and intelligence.

The DVD is presented with a flawless 16:9 anamorphically enhanced picture and three soundtracks: rich and clear stereo, excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 and even more precise and detailed DTS. "The Story of Growing Up" is polished nine-minute documentary in which Gabriel talks about his ideas for the tour and the presentation of some of the songs. "Tony Levin's View" (five minutes) sets the song "More Than This" to photos taken by the bass player. "--Gary S. Dalkin"

Theatrical:

Studio: Warner Music Vision

Genre:

Summary: Peter Gabriel has long been revered for his great songwriting, cinematic soundscapes, riveting concerts, and groundbreaking videos. Is it any surprise, then, that "Play: The Videos" is a music DVD for the ages? Nope. But that doesn't make it any less thrilling to watch or to listen to. Gabriel has assembled and polished an evening-filling 26 clips, all of them collaborations with innovative visual artists and directors like Stephen Johnson, Matt Mahurin, Francois Vogel, and Sean Penn. From the 1977 promo for "Modern Love" to 2003's "Growing Up" and much between, it's all here, and most viewers will be pleasantly surprised to find more than a couple videos they missed along the way. The focus is explicitly on conceptual pieces, the lone visual exception being a 2004 live rendition of "Games Without Frontiers" among the extras.
Gabriel says in an accompanying essay that "music can stand more repetition than video and music together." "Play" gives us something extra in light of that: fresh 5.1 surround mixes in both Dolby Digital and DTS 96/24 for every track, with Gabriel/U2 production vet Daniel Lanois at the helm for most songs. (You'll get standard DTS sound from DTS-capable DVD players and, even better, lossless high-resolution audio from a DTS 96/24-compatible player.) The surround mixes are nothing short of revelatory, using all available channels to amplify Gabriel's ambient side while breaking out the percussion in fascinating ways and driving home the music's subterranean bass. "--Michael Mikesell"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Interscope Records

Genre: Music Video & Concerts

Summary: Peter Gabriel's extraordinary mix of sound, visuals, and theatrics gets the widescreen digital treatment in this remixed and remastered edition of a 105-minute concert recorded in 1994 in Italy. But not without some controversy, it seems, as several viewers have protested that the new version contains some not-so-deft lip-syncing with poor visual quality. The complaints may be valid, but chances are most viewers won't notice; in any event, the performance by Gabriel and his international band (with violinist Shankar, drummer Manu Katche, and bassist Tony Levin, among others) is strong, featuring versions of well-known material like "Solsbury Hill," "Sledgehammer," "In Your Eyes," and the always-moving "Don't Give Up" (with then-backup singer Paula Cole capably handling the Kate Bush role). Bonus features include a delightful "time lapse" view of the concert setup and breakdown, a "making of" documentary, and a brief preview of Gabriel's 2002-03 "Growing Up" tour. "--Sam Graham"

Theatrical:

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Box Sets

Duration: 798 mins

Summary:

Theatrical: 1974

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Summary: Those immersed in the "Planet of the Apes" universe will go bananas for this DVD-only boxed set containing all 14 episodes of this obscure 1974 TV series based on the 1968 sci-fi classic. Ron Harper and James Naughton star as two astronauts who crash-land on the simian-ruled planet. Roddy McDowall (Cornelius in the "Apes" films) is Emmy-worthy as "renegade ape" Galen, who befriends them and helps them elude capture by the relentless General Urko. At its best, this series presented thoughtful stories in which the fugitives bridged the human-ape gap ("The Deception"). Of special interest is the episode "The Liberators," which was never broadcast during the series' fleeting run. Notable guest stars include Marc "Beastmaster" Singer ("The Gladiators"), Roscoe Lee Browne ("Tomorrow's Tide"), Sondra Locke ("The Cure"), and a pre-"Bad News Bears" Jackie Earle Haley ("The Legacy"). "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1967

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Video

Genre: Science Fiction

Duration: 540 mins

Summary: The five films in the Planet of the Apes series are enjoyable as pure entertainment and yet substantial enough to inspire academic studies like Planet of the Apes as American Myth: Race, Politics, and Popular Culture. Loosely adapted from the novel by French author Pierre Boulle, Planet of the Apes was released at the height of racial and political unrest in America, adding resonance to its story of a NASA astronaut (Charlton Heston) stranded on a planet where superior apes dominate inferior human slaves. The film's final image--in which a horrified Heston realizes the fate of humankind--remains one of the most indelible in all of science fiction cinema. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) continues the original's distant future scenario, pitting militant apes against mutant humans dwelling in the subterranean ruins of New York City. Its phenomenal success spawned Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), in which simian scientists Cornelius and Zira (Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter, reprising their roles from Planet) travel backward in time, setting the stage for the ape supremacy of the first two films. McDowall returned in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) as Caesar, the son of Cornelius, leading an ape revolution that bridges the historical gap of the previous films. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) ended the five-film cycle with McDowall again playing the chimpanzee leader Caesar, defeating gorillas and human mutants to establish the hierarchy introduced in the original film. The Apes films present a classic what-if scenario that hasn't lost a bit of its potency. As if to prove its cultural endurance, the cycle returned to its origins with director Tim Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes--one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2001. --Jeff Shannon

Theatrical: 1982

Studio:

Genre: Horror

Duration: 114

Summary: What a combo! Tobe Hooper, the director of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", teamed up with family-oriented producer Steven Spielberg to make "Poltergeist". The film is about a haunted suburban tract home in a development very much like the Arizona one in which Spielberg was raised. (Because it came out the same summer as Spielberg's "E.T.", it was tempting to see both movies as representing Spielberg's ambivalent feelings about childhood in suburbia. One was a fantasy, the other a nightmare.) Spielberg also cowrote the screenplay, which taps into primal, childlike fears of monsters under the bed, monsters in the closet, sinister clown faces, and all manner of things that go bump in the night. At first, some of the odd happenings in the house are kind of funny and amusing, but they grow gradually creepier until the film climaxes in a terrifying special-effects extravaganza when 5-year-old Carole Anne (Heather O'Rourke) is kidnapped by the spooks and held hostage in another dimension. Though not nearly as frightening as Hooper's magnum opus, or the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street", which came along two years later, "Poltergeist" is one of the smartest and most entertaining horror pictures of its time. "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Universal Music & VI

Genre: Pop/Rock

Summary: It's refreshing to finally watch a taped concert that actually delivers. This is a terrific DVD. Portishead and the Philharomic sound as if they have always played together, and Beth's vocals have never sounded better. The selection of songs are excellent and the sweeping cameras capture the essence of the show. I encourage anyone who enjoys Portishead to purchase this DVD. As a nice bonus, the DVD includes several of their music videos. "All Mine" in particular, is a video that is not to be missed. I only hope that Portishead release another CD soon and tour again. But in the meantime, this DVD should satisfy the fans until they do. Pick it up!

Theatrical: 1972

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Aventuras/Catástrofes/Rebajas

Duration: 117 min

Summary: Simply because of the sheer grandeur with which this movie was made, you have to overlook the cliches and stereotypes that fill the cast. Shelley Winters shines as Mrs Rosen, and even received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance. The basic plot involves a group of ten people surviving a terrible disaster aboard the S.S Poseidon. On New Year's Eve, the ship is struck by a gigantic wave, causing it to completely turn upside down. The upside down set-pieces are exquisite, and remain very convincing (as do the overall performances and interactions of the cast) all way through. If you enjoy disaster movies, Shelley Winters, Gene Hackman or Ernest Borgnine, you will love this. I urge you to see it as soon as possible. The DVD extras are rather poor, but it's worth it just for the movie.

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Summary:

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: Fox Home Entertainme

Genre: Science Fiction

Summary: Predator wreaked havoc in the jungle and struck box-office gold, so Hollywood logic dictated that Predator 2 should raise hell in the big, bad city. Los Angeles, to be specific, and this near-future L.A. (circa 1997) is an ultra-violent playground for the invisibility-cloaked alien that hunted Arnold Schwarzenegger in the previous film. Scant explanation is given for the creature's return, and because Ah-nuld was busy making Total Recall, Danny Glover was awkwardly installed as the maverick cop (is there any other kind?) who defies a government goon (Gary Busey) to curtail the alien's inner-city killing spree. But why bother, when the victims are scummy Colombian drug lords? Don't look for intelligent answers; director Stephen Hopkins favors wall-to-wall action over sensible plotting, allowing Stan Winston's more prominently featured Predator to join the ranks of iconic movie monsters. And anticipating Alien vs. Predator in comic books and in theaters, there's a familiar-looking skull in the Predator's trophy case! --Jeff Shannon

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: Fox Home Entertainme

Genre: Action & Adventure

Summary: "Predator" wreaked havoc in the jungle and struck box-office gold, so Hollywood logic dictated that "Predator 2" should raise hell in the big, bad city. Los Angeles, to be specific, and this near-future L.A. (circa 1997) is an ultra-violent playground for the invisibility-cloaked alien that hunted Arnold Schwarzenegger in the previous film. Scant explanation is given for the creature's return, and because Ah-nuld was busy making "Total Recall", Danny Glover was awkwardly installed as the maverick cop (is there any other kind?) who defies a government goon (Gary Busey) to curtail the alien's inner-city killing spree. But why bother, when the victims are scummy Colombian drug lords? Don't look for intelligent answers; director Stephen Hopkins favors wall-to-wall action over sensible plotting, allowing Stan Winston's more prominently featured Predator to join the ranks of iconic movie monsters. And anticipating "Alien vs. Predator" in comic books and in theaters, there's a familiar-looking skull in the Predator's trophy case! "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical:

Studio: Beggars Banquet Records

Genre:

Summary:

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Miramax

Genre: Action & Adventure

Summary: With the knockout one-two punch of 1992's Reservoir Dogs and 1994's Pulp Fiction writer-director Quentin Tarantino stunned the filmmaking world, exploding into prominence as a cinematic heavyweight contender. But Pulp Fiction was more than just the follow-up to an impressive first feature, or the winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, or a script stuffed with the sort of juicy bubblegum dialogue actors just love to chew, or the vehicle that reestablished John Travolta on the A-list, or the relatively low-budget ($8 million) independent showcase for an ultrahip mixture of established marquee names and rising stars from the indie scene (among them Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Julia Sweeney, Kathy Griffin, and Phil Lamar). It was more, even, than an unprecedented $100-million-plus hit for indie distributor Miramax. Pulp Fiction was a sensation. No, it was not the Second Coming (I actually think Reservoir Dogs is a more substantial film; and P.T. Anderson outdid Tarantino in 1997 by making his directorial debut with two even more mature and accomplished pictures, Hard Eight and Boogie Nights). But Pulp Fiction packs so much energy and invention into telling its nonchronologically interwoven short stories (all about temptation, corruption, and redemption amongst modern criminals, large and small) it leaves viewers both exhilarated and exhausted--hearts racing and knuckles white from the ride. (Oh, and the infectious, surf-guitar-based soundtrack is tastier than a Royale with Cheese.) --Jim Emerson

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Classics - Musicals

Summary: While "rock musical" remains a phrase used by sadistic parents to give their offspring nightmares the genre does occasionally throw up the odd gem, Purple Rain being perhaps the shiniest example. Given the theatricality of Prince's stage shows, it was only a matter of time before the diminutive pop potentate found himself a big-screen vehicle but few could have predicted that Purple Rain would become nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. The story, co-written by one-time Starsky & Hutch scripter William Blinn, may be a somewhat hackneyed tale with His Purpleness overcoming a troubled background and musical rival Morris Day to achieve his dreams of rock stardom. However, the cast, which also includes Prince protegée Appollonia, rises above the clichés to hand in a set of performances which, while never likely to trouble the Oscars, prove that all concerned can at least play a rough approximation of themselves with minimal difficulty. What really helped push the film's box-office receipts through the roof, however, was its soundtrack featuring a clutch of hit singles--notably "When Doves Cry"--and which cemented our pint-sized hero's position as one of the globe's premiere performing artists. Sadly, subsequent attempts to re-bottle this particular brand of lightning with Under a Cherry Moon and Graffiti Moon would prove substantially less successful but Purple Rain still looks--and, more importantly sounds--rarely less than funktastic. --Clark Collis