Streaming Sukeban Deka Online

March 18th, 2010 by savanna1672127
Streaming Sukeban Deka Online. Streaming Sukeban Deka Online.

Movie Title: Sukeban Deka
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Sukeban Deka is available for streaming or downloading.

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If you know anything at all about Japanese cult movies, you probably know about the SUKEBAN DEKA movies and TV series, which were derived from a manga back from 1972. The anime goes back to the source and brings it kicking and screaming into the Nineties. It’s violent, funny, bizarre, and extremely enjoyable in many different ways. A good introduction to anime, actually!

Intersting story, it has a lot of action and good characters especially Saki the main character. drawn well. She becomes a cop and there’s more to it than that. See it for yourself.

Stream Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express Online

March 14th, 2010 by savanna1672127
Stream Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express Online. Stream Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express Online.

Movie Title: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express
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Agatha Christie’s mysteries changed the genre. With twists, turns and credible watertight plotting her novels divorced themselves from the hackneyed conventions of the genre. Sidney Lumet’s estimable film of Christie’s unique looks beneficial on this deluxe DVD from Paramount. The rich, vivid cinematographer of Geoffrey Unsworth (”2001: A Situation Odyssey”) looks terrific. Lumet’s assured hand guides the film without hesitation to a truly comely conclusion. Paramount has remastered the soundtrack for Dolby Digital 5.1 giving the sound a richer feel than previous video editions of the movie. While it doesn’t quite screech the detail one might hear in a imprint modern movie, it does a sizable job of improving an already mammoth mystery movie.

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After working on a case, Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) travels home on the Orient Insist hoping for a relaxing dash. Instead, when the roar is caught in the exhibit he’s drawn into a mystery on the very protest he’s traveling on. A millionaire named Ratchett (Richard Widmark) has been brutally murdered. Who could the murderer be and what was his or her motive? Poirot must work this out and see which of the train’s passengers committed the crime. He discovers an fresh link between the millionaire and many of the passengers on the assure. Is this the considerable link that will serve him solve the crime?

Featuring a stellar all cast of Hollywood and London stage and veil veterans, “Assassinate on the Orient Affirm” chugs along on the charm of the performers, a solid script by Paul Dehn (”The Scrutinize Who Came in the Wintry”, “Goldfinger”, “Beneath the Planet of the Apes”) and outstanding direction by Sidney Lumet (”The Verdict”, “Deathtrap”, “Network”, “Prince of the City”) . The casting is a bit unique. While Albert Finney probably wouldn’t be most fan’s first choice for Poirot, he gives a obedient performance as Agatha Christie’s detective. I’ve read reviews criticizng Finney’s performance and, while he may not be the “ideal” Poirot his interpretation is recent and works perfectly for this film.

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I’m pleasantly surprised that Paramount has sprung for all the extras here. We bag a documentary that can be viewed all at once or by segments. The documentary features interviews with Sidney Lumet, producers John Brabourne, Sean Connery, Jacqueline Bisset, Michael York, Richard Goodwin, writer-director Nicholas Meyer (”Star Promenade II: The Wrath of Kahn”, The Seven Percent Solution) and the grandson of Agatha Christie discussing the hard road to producing the film. Evidently, Christie reluctantly agreed to give the rights to the film to the producers at first but was won over when she found out that producer Brabourne had worked on “Tales of Beatrix Potter”. Lumet comments on the worry in having Finney play Poirot as he was too young for the role (Alec Guinness and Paul Scofield were Lumet’s first and second choices) . The marvels of earn up helped sell Finney in the role and the fact that he played against audience expectations worked for him in the role. Lumet recounts a comic chronicle where the cast got together to read the script together the first time couldn’t hear the cast. Why? Because the stage actors were in horror of the theater actors and vice versa. Lumet’s challenge was honing an acting style that was consistent between all the very different performers. “Cancel” is one of those few mysteries that live up to its potential despite much odds against it doing so. It’s determined that the cast respect and cherish Lumet-how else to justify Connery, Bisset and York agreeing to appear in a documentary on the making of the film for the DVD? There’s also a discussion of the genuine life inspiration for portion of the story-the Lindbergh kidnapping. Another splendid documentary by the talented Laurent Bouzereau, his work has become the standard against which all other writer/producer/directors of extras on DVDs should be measured. His work here as on “Duel”, “E.T.” and other DVDs continues the tradition of digging up the past to boom those of us who couldn’t possibly have been there.

“Agatha Christie: A Portrait” gives us insight into the mysterious life of the elusive novelist. We’re also told almost as mighty about her most celebrated creation Poirot who appears almost as elusive as the novelist herself. This eight itsy-bitsy featurette puts a human face on a much mystery novelist who helped reinvent the genre. We also rep the unique theatrical trailer which demonstrates how considerable work went into restoring and transferring this beautifully shot film. Smudged with loads of analog blemishes, the comparison between the trailer and the film indicates the expansive work that went into improving this film for DVD. There’s no commentary track but Lumet’s insightful observations in the documentary more than create up for the lack of such a track.

Beautifully restored with enhanced sound, “Cancel on the Orient Negate” probably didn’t examine this genuine when it showed in theaters in 1974. The outstanding international cast of cloak and stage veterans along with Dehn’s enchanting adaptation and Lumet’s assured direction makes “Execute” one of the best films made from one of Christie’s convoluted mystery novels. It’s a joy to notice.

…but turn on the closed captioning, because as one reviewer pointed out Albert Finney’s heavy accent and often garbled speech could try anyone’s comprehension, not to mention patience. But Finney is detached helpful, though he falls short of David Suchet, who is the quintessential Hercule Poirot.

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But enough about that. They rarely beget films this lavishly intelligent anymore. “Abolish on the Orient Assert” is visually striking to say the least; the Orient Drawl and its various area pieces are magnificently rendered, and at no exiguous expense either. The all-star cast is impressive; from Lauren Bacall’s scene-stealing American chatterbox to Anthony Perkins’ disturbing, PSYCHO-reminiscent secretary, the cast list adds emphasis to the belief of the house-party whodunit. The film is, essentially, a Hollywood party on a broad scale.

Although the film is inactive at times and the unraveling of Agatha Christie’s labyrinthine site doesn’t work as well on the cover as it does on paper, this is tranquil ample fun, the perfect Saturday night movie for viewers who like a dose of wit and intelligence with their entertainment.
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Streaming Inuyasha Season 5 Online

March 13th, 2010 by savanna1672127
Streaming Inuyasha Season 5 Online. Streaming Inuyasha Season 5 Online.

Movie Title: Inuyasha Season 5
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Inuyasha Season 5 is available for streaming or downloading.

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I have been waiting so long for the fifth season to near out! I can’t wait! This is the episode list for season 5 …

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100. Truth Slack the Nightmare: The Battle in the Forest of Sorrow

101. The Snow From Seven Years Past

102. Assault on the Wolf-Demon Tribe

103. The Band of Seven, Ressurected

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104. The Stealthy Poison Master: Mukotsu

105. The Unfriendly Steel Machine

106. Kagome, Miroku, and Sango: Desperate Status!

107. Inuyasha Shows His Tears for the First Time

108. The Secret of the Pure Light

109. Hidden in the Mist: Onward to Mt. Hakurei

110. Enter Bankotsu, the Leader of the Band of Seven

111. The Tall Clash: Banryu versus Wind Scar

112. Afloat on the Lake Surface: The Barrier of Hijiri Island

113. The Sacred Vajra and the Mystery of the Living Buddha

114. Koga’s Solitary Battle

115. Lured by the Sad Light

116. The Exposed Face of Truth

117. Vanished in a River of Flames

118. Into the Depths of Mt. Hakurei

119. Divine Malice of the Saint

120. Fare Thee Well: Jokotsu’s Requiem

121. Final Battle: The Last and Strongest of the Band of Seven

122. The Power of Banryu: Duel to the Death on Mt. Hakurei

123. Beyond the Darkness – Naraku Reborn

124. Farewell Kikyo, My Beloved

125. The Darkness in Kagome’s Heart

126. Transform Heartache into Courage

Looks like that’s it. I can’t wait for it to arrive out on July 29!

All I have to say is I loved it, I’m a gargantuan fun and if you owned season 1-4, you must salvage season 5. I’m already waiting for season 6 which comes out on December 2nd 2008. I like all the episodes that contained the Band of 7. It was bewitching to scrutinize how every one is looking for Naraku, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and friends, Koga and friends and Kikyo. Be Pleased!!!!!!
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Watch The Jungle Book Movie Online

March 13th, 2010 by savanna1672127
Watch The Jungle Book Movie Online. Watch The Jungle Book Movie Online.

Movie Title: The Jungle Book
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The Jungle Book is available for streaming or downloading.

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I picked this DVD up today and got it home to catch that Disney had altered the unique theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 to earn the movie “fit” on widescreen TVs. They did this by chopping off the top and bottom of the image. This results in the loss of a expedient deal of character animation (at least the tops of their heads and their feet) . Trust me, I absorb the new Dinky Suppose DVD of this film and I did a side-by-side comparison as soon as I got the unique Platinum Edition home. If you are a purist about fresh aspect ratios, please avoid this release and petition Disney to originate a free disc replacement program. We should at least have the option of watching the new unaltered film the map that it was meant to be seen.

***NOTE: There are now user images that can be viewed for this product that illustrate the cropping discussed in my review.

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This movie is more than fair another Disney masterpiece. The Jungle Book is a huge myth of friendship and adventure. Although almost every involving feature that was created during Walt Disney’s life is a classic, this one in particular holds a special station in the heart of many men (and now thanks to video and DVD, boys) who saw it while growing up. There isn’t a boy alive who can examine this movie and not want to be Mowgli. What a life it would be to live in the jungle, with friends like Baloo and Bagheera. It is every young boys dream to be so free.

That is not to say that only boys will treasure this movie. As with all Disney films, this one will be enjoyed by all members of the family, young and primitive. I saw it growing up, and never forgot my memories of the movie, and the days afterward, singing the songs and dreaming of adventure.

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The music in The Jungle Book is some of the best in any Disney movie. “The Bare Necessities” is simply one of the best songs ever. Add in the unbelievable animation and the characters that near to life (who wouldn’t acquire a fill could divulge after seeing this? ), and you have one of the many classic Disney stories.

Starring the voices of Disney regulars Phil Harris and Top-notch Holloway, as well as Sebastian Cabot (Mr. French, to those of my generation) and many others, this movie is too pleasant to not hold.

Get a copy of this DVD before Disney removes it for another generation. It is the best that Disney has to offer.
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Watch The Gospel of John Movie Online

March 10th, 2010 by savanna1672127
Watch The Gospel of John Movie Online. Watch The Gospel of John Movie Online.

Movie Title: The Gospel of John
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I just saw the DVD and was surprised at the power of this film.

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The Book of John is treated like the finely wrought piece of literature it is. The material is adapted with fidelity as a self-contained work. Seeing it as a complete story is much different than taking elements of the life of Jesus out of context.

A lot can be said about the adaptation, directing, acting, production design and music — but what stands out is that the sum of these parts is much greater than the separate elements, as fine as they are. Dare I say this is a work of inspiration?

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The role of Jesus in world history deserves consideration in the light of the extreme religious fanatacism rampant today from the so-called People of the Book. Who was this person who claimed to be Son of God and Son of man? Factually, the apostle John details only a few points in the life of the Man who conquered death. But John says “Believe in the resurrection and you have eternal life now.” How radical is that?

“The Gospel of John” does not shy away from a blunt account of the role of the Roman and Jewish powers in the murder of Jesus; however, the movie makes it abundantly clear why the Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat. In today’s world He’s still a threat to those who seek power alone,

For me, what jumped out of the film and still echoes in my mind is the several times Jesus asks, “Why do you hate me?” That question reverberates in today’s headlines.

In a politically correct world, we no longer have public conversations about the subjective truth of the life of Jesus. Or the meaning of that solitary life. With advances in quantum physics, we consider the fundamental nature of of matter, time and consciousness. The Gospel of John touches on all these things with sublime power and insight.

Like in any other movie, this one richly rewards the suspension of disbelief. Surrender to a remarkable film that will haunt you long after final fade out. Finally I understand why those early followers of Jesus said: “We are not as those who have no hope.”

The original DVD release (quickly out of print) has three discs with detailed extras that cover all the major production elements.

A later release has a two hour version of the film, very nicely edited, as well as the original three hour theatrical version.

Both versions of the film are beautifully transferred in a widescreen format that fills newer 16:9 screens.

I review DVDs for a local paper. I watch a lot of movies and “The Gospel of John” is among the best films I’ve seen in the last year. It’s actually about something profound and acutely relevant. And it is rendered with style and grace.

If you’ve seen Jesus’ crucifixion in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” see the rest of the story in “The Gospel of John.”

The Gospel of John is, in my humble opinion, the best Biblical-based movie since The Gospel According to St Matthew. The Gospel of John was filmed in Toronto using unknown actors and a British director. The intent of the Producers was to present the text of the book with no embelishments or viewpoints, letting the words speak for themselves and leaving the viewer to draw their own conslusions. The film accomplished this beautifully. The result is a powerful presentation that, while three hours long, seemed to fly by. I never got bored or tired, and felt like I had been there 2 hours or less.
Sadly, it gets mediocre reviews from the “sophisticated” reviewers who cannot appreciate the simple beauty and power of the words as written by John without the aid of post-modern interpretation.
I understand it is only showing in limited theaters in the South, then going straight to video. If it is in a theatre in your city, go see it. If not, get the video when it comes out. It is well worth the price.

Watch The Wooden Camera Online

March 8th, 2010 by savanna1672127
Watch The Wooden Camera Online. Watch The Wooden Camera Online.

Movie Title: The Wooden Camera
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The Wooden Camera is available for streaming or downloading.

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In the first few minutes of this South African film two young teenage friends discover a dead body with a huge pistol and a video camera. The shy introvert Madiba chooses the camera, while cocky Sipho takes the gun. The film explores the consequences of those choices. Madiba hides the VCR in a home-made wooden camera, enabling him to shoot everyone and anything on the sly. He experiments with the aesthetic, technical and voyeuristic aspects of film-making. Refracting light with different lenses, candles, floating plastic bags, and even the bubbles of a drink awaken his artistic bent. His cinematic creations form a significant portion of the film. “Some day,” he hopes, “my pictures will hang in houses.” Sipho’s gun awakens in him foolish bravado, and we watch him descend to petty crime, drugs, gangs and finally horrible tragedy. Between them both is an improbable, budding romance between Madiba and a rebellious white girl, Estelle, from a wealthy family with racist secrets of their own. This film is good, not great, but well worth watching for its themes of adolescence, choices, fate, friendship, and racism in a post-apartheid township of Cape Town.

Wooden Box is a tale of friendship between children of different South African social classes. It’s reminicent of a Brazilian slum movie, but with aspects of the ills of society (racism) A good unknown cast of young actors helps the movie.

Streaming Judge Online

March 4th, 2010 by savanna1672127
Streaming Judge Online. Streaming Judge Online.

Movie Title: Judge
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just fell asleep. this is what “the mediate” did to me. this movie has okay animation, but *R E A L L Y* dreadful chronicle.

By day he is your average geeky working class joe.. by nights, he and his trusted sidekick parrot turns into a Well-kept Reflect and goes out to cast judgement and punishment to those who sinned.. LOL.. It’s your Man of spirit to the rescue!!

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Really, there isn’t mighty area or storyline, other than the main character is this assume goes out and punishing the awful and imperfect people.. art work is subpar along with matching musical derive. Never became such hit in japan.. well, dupes here care for it LOL!!
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Stream We Were One Man Movie Online

February 25th, 2010 by savanna1672127
Stream We Were One Man Movie Online. Stream We Were One Man Movie Online.

Movie Title: We Were One Man
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We Were One Man can be downloaded right now.

Download this movie now

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Why did the last reviewer tell the films’s ending.What an complete brain dead idiot.Now there is no need for me to buy this dvd.

“We Were One Man”

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A Masterpiece Restored

Amos Lassen

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Originally made in 1980, “We Were One Man” is a masterpiece of gay cinema that has been missing on DVD for a long time. Now WaterBearer Films brings it to us. Directed by Philippe Valois, one of France’s earliest and finest gay directors, the film is simple and totally beautiful.

During the final days of World War II, a simple French peasant, Guy (Serge Avedekian) rescues a wounded German soldier, Rolf (Piotr Stanislas) and tends to his wounds and allows him to become his pet. The two men who should be enemies begin to bond in ways that they both thought were impossible. As the end of the war approaches, the German realizes that he must flee and Guy shoots him, opens a grave, throws the body in and then jumps in himself. The meaning of this may be lost to some but I have discovered that Frenchmen did the same to pets–they planted them as though they were seeds in the hopes that they would grown again. This is a sad ending but it shows how strong the love was here and it is beautifully executed on the screen. Here is also a strong anti-war message that shows that love overcomes all else.

Streaming Elling Online

February 21st, 2010 by savanna1672127
Streaming Elling Online. Streaming Elling Online.

Movie Title: Elling
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Elling is a funny and at times touching film set in Oslo, Norway. It follows the lives of two friends Elling and Kjell Bjarne as they try to adjust to a normal life after having spent two years together in a mental institution as roomies. Elling and Kjell Bjarne are so unalike Elling is the knowledgably, sophisticated and weedy looking one and while Kjell Bjarne is more of a brute prone to angry outbursts. Elling is interested in poetry while Kjell Bjarne is more interested in sex. They are given an opportunity to show that they can cope on their own when the state decides to give them an apartment and a social worker (Frank). In the beginning even the simplest things like shopping or answering the phone are obstacles they must learn to overcome.

There are some serious moments but on the whole the film is very upbeat. You find yourself rooting for Elling and Kjell Bjarne hoping that the friendship they have built doesn’t come tumbling down as they each make new friends and are drawn in differing directions. It’s a touching movie with laughs and a few tugged heartstrings. There is a moment at the end of the movie that has you more than hoping for an upbeat ending.

Don’t let the fact that Elling a foreign film put you off. The film still gives you the full gambit of emotions without you having to understand a word of Norwegian. The film comes with easy to read subtitles and a story line that’s easy to follow.

“Elling” is the first film I’ve ever seen that transcends the popular film industry stereotypes and portrays people with mental illness as fully functioning three dimensional people, with both emotional and intellectual motivations as characters in a film. The prevailing “Hollywood” characterizations of mental illness seems to use three templates to portray mentally ill characters: 1) the over-the-top violent sociopath who is a dangerous predatory beast i.e…Hannibal the Cannibal; 2) the unstable visionary savant who can hardly function but is either intellectually brilliant or has or possesses some sort of supernatural power to compensate i.e…Russell Crowe in “Beautiful Mind” or Dustin Hoffman in “Rainman”. or, 3) the loveable, laughable, whacky lunatic who can’t fit into society and is a walking time-bomb i.e…Jack Nicholson in “Cuckoo’s Nest.”

This adaptation of Norwegian writer Ingvar Ambjorsen’s best selling novel is a nuanced view of the lives of two mentally ill wards of the state as they struggle to adapt to living as roommates; and they try to make sense of often puzzling and arbitrary codes of “normal” social behavior. At times it is hilarious, but just as Director Peter Naess lures you into a warm and fuzzy feeling, he gives you a glimpse at the simmering rage of his main characters Elling and Kjell. Having worked as a case worker for transitional mental health patients, I can say that “Elling” is the only film I’ve ever seen that “gets it right” and doesn’t approach the subject of mental illness in a condescending or derivative manner. Elling and Kjell aren’t lovable loonies or dangerous whackos from central casting. There is a great deal of humor in “Elling” but none of it is used to demean or stereotype the principal characters. When a young punk poet, in bondage gear and Kiss whiteface screams his menacing poetry at a coffee house, it causes an anxiety attack for Elling…but it also begs the question, “Who’s the crazy one, here?.”

The brilliance of “Elling”,however is the two actors who play Elling and Kjell. Per Christian Ellefsen (as Elling) is a fascinating and gentle soul in a constant struggle to keep his obsessions, agoraphobia and anti-social tendencies from consuming him. His sense of equilibrium is threatened by a trip to the grocery store or even picking up the phone and talking. On the other hand, Sven Nordin (as Kjell) is a hulking and affable man (think Gerard Depardieu) who is prone to wild mood swings that lead to socially inappropriate behavior. Kjell’s innocence leads him to unwittingly make remarks to women which are regarded as inappropriate in polite society. Kjell is more than capable of a loving , caring sexual relationship but doesn’t have the social skills to establish rapport with a female.

As the film progress the two roommates are slowly transformed into fully functional people, albeit, people who still have a lot of problems, but now have the tools to adapt to the perplexing world of social norms. Elling’s friendship with elderly bohemian intellectual who shares his passion for poetry provides him with self confidence in his own tentative attempt to write poetry. Kjell’s friendship as an informal caretaker for an upstairs neighbor develops into a romantic relationship, as the her pregnancy from a prior lover progresses. Kjell realizes he loves the woman and will help her care for the child as if the child was his own flesh and blood. Both Elling and Kjell anchor each other’s erratic behaviors in ways that the viewer never anticipates, and they are often stunned by thier own abilty to say the right thing at the right time, to keep their roommate from spinning out of control. It’s a inspiring form of peer therapy.

It is the intriguing and often quirky relationship between our two roommates, Elling and Kjell, that brings the magic to this film. Per Christian and Sven played the principal roles in the stage play of “Elling”; so if you sense that they bring a sense familiar comfort to their acting chemistry, it’s because they’ve shared the stage for hundreds of performances as Elling and Kjell. This movie production of Elling was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001, and is shot entirely in Oslo Norway which is a captivating and under used European film location.

Stream Empire of the Ants Online

February 19th, 2010 by savanna1672127
Stream Empire of the Ants Online. Stream Empire of the Ants Online.

Movie Title: Empire of the Ants
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Empire of the Ants is available for streaming or downloading.

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Run for the hills (or the Raid)! Bert I. Gordon, aka Mr. Big (due to his penchant for making films involving giant creatures, and also, it’s his initials), brings on some serious cinematic pain with his rendition of author H.G. Wells story Empire of the Ants (1977). Other cinematic examples of Gordon’s super-sizing include Beginning of the End (1957), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Earth vs the Spider (1958), Attack of the Puppet People (1958), and The Food of the Gods (1976). Gordon, certainly a man of many hats, not only wrote (adapted from an H.G. Wells story), directed and produced the film, but he also was in charge of the special effects. The film stars Joan Collins of TV’s Dynasty, Robert Lansing, whose television credits are too numerous to mention but is most familiar to me from the 1959 film 4D Man, and perennial 70’s television stars John David Carlson and Jacqueline Scott.

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In the beginning we get some painfully obvious foreshadowing involving stock footage, along with voice over, showing ants busy at work. We then cut to workers in HAZMAT suits on a boat, dumping clearly marked barrels of radioactive waste in the water. We see one of the barrels wash up on shore, as the ominous music plays on…Cut to preparations being made for an excursion by yacht to view swampy properties for sale, sponsored by some realty company called Dreamland Properties, or some such thing. It’s here we meet Marilyn Fryer (Collins), the woman in charge. How do we know this? Because she’s being a real pain in the rear, basically telling everyone she’s the boss, especially Dan Stokely (Lansing), the captain of the boat, who, by the way, wears a lovely earring (yargh, I’m a pirate!) throughout the film (man, the 70’s were weird). Soon the prospective suckers…er, I mean buyers show up, and what a charming lot they seem to be…adulterers, freeloaders, and just general sleezy characters all around, and they’re off, leisure suits and all. They arrive at a pier, disembark from the yacht, and proceed to a tent to get liquored up (ply the rubes with free booze, and the property sells itself, I guess). Everyone then gets on a two-car tram, and tool around, while Marilyn, sitting in the front of the tram, all of about 3 or 4 feet from the clients, starts yelling into a megaphone in case anyone is hard of hearing (if they weren’t, they are now). Earlier we saw the drum of radioactive waste wash up on the beach, and we also saw it beginning to leak silver paint, er…I mean radioactive waste, and we also saw ants wallowing around in the oozing material. That can’t be good…I mean, if 1950’s sci-fi (and Bert I. Gordon) taught us anything, it’s that radioactive materials generally have the effect of `embiggening’ things. Well, sure enough, the ants exposed to the stuff become humongoid, and start picking off hapless members of this little outing. All I could think was this wasn’t going to be good for the realty business, what with the radioactive waste and giants ants. Well, the remaining members of the party discover, to their horror, what ate up their former companions, and rush back to the yacht, only to find it overrun with giant ants. After awhile, they decide to make their way to a nearby river, and we lose a few more members. I have to say, there was something completely satisfying about seeing Joan Collins wallow around in swampy river water. Anyway, they finally make it back to civilization of sorts, try to relate their harrowing tale of escape, but find the town to be oddly apathetic to the news that giant ants are headed their way. Why? Well, this is where picking up on the foreshadowing at the beginning of the film pays off…

In terms of the special effects, the whole rear-projection enlargement technique was fairly well dated by the late 70’s, but still managed to work well here at some points, but the noticeable difference in that technique and the use of prop ants certainly delineated the differences in the sizes of the ants. One method use would make them appear as big as a bus, while another would make them seem a large as a man. The actors all seem pretty bored and given they spent a fair amount of time futzing around in a swamp, I am sure they probably figured at some point they weren’t getting paid nearly enough. The script, well, is pretty hideous. Inane remarks, pointless declarations, and lame characterizations only serve to make so very obvious who was going to be ant fodder. And not a likeable character in the bunch ensured the audience rooted for the ants, as this particular society really didn’t seem worth saving. I did enjoy the sort of twist element near the end, even though it was telegraphed so obviously at the beginning of the film, giving this schlockery a bit of originality and a nice little spin within the genre. I have to say, I did get annoyed early on with some of the sound effects. The ants had two basic effects working, one being a persistent chirping which would indicate their presence nearby, and a screaming sound when they were attacking or being attacked. This second one was definitely the more annoying of the two, as it was akin to having a woman scream in your ear every ten seconds. A nice throwback to the 50’s, but if you’re into giant ants, go watch Them! (1954).

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MGM provides a nice look wide screen anamorphic print here, and special features include an original theatrical trailer for the film. I guess if I learned anything from Empire of the Ants, it’s that if you are ever running through the swamp with Joan Collins, fleeing giant ants, and she gets her sweater caught, don’t stop to help her, as she won’t return the favor.

Cookieman108

1977 B-Movie starring Joan Collins, who gives free cruises to people in hopes they will invest in a soon to be built tourist dreamland. The only problem is the island that “Dreamland Shores” is located on is also occupied by huge ants. Contains all the elements you want in a classic b-movie, such as huge mutated insects, fantastic dialog, low-budget special effects, and an actress (in this case Joan Collins) who went on to bigger things and probably wants this movie to be forgotten.

Based on H.G. Wells book of the same title. Also features Robert Pine of “CHiPS” fame.