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DVD Review: The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress MacNeille, Pamela Hayden, Russi Taylor, Karl Wiedergott, Marcia Mitzman Gaven, Joe Mantegna, Bob Anderson, Chuck Sheetz, Dominic Polcino, Jen Kamerman, Lance Kramer, Lauren MacMullan, Mark Kirkland, Matthew Nastuk: Movies & TV

Product Description
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Surround / Spanish & French: Stereo
Language: Dubbed: English, French & Spanish / Subtitled: French & Spanish
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen: 1.33:1

Disc 1: 110 Minutes
**Treehouse of Horror XI
**A Tale of Two Springfields
**Insane Clown Poppy
**Lisa the Tree Hugger
**Homer vs. Dignity

**Commentary:
*Treehouse of Horror XI - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Rob Lazebnik, John Frink, Don Payne, Carolyn Omine, Matt Selman
*A Tale of Two Springfields - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, George Meyer, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Dan Castellaneta, Shaun Cashman, Roger Daltrey, David Silverman
*Insane Clown Poppy - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Tom Martin, Matt Selman, Dan Castellaneta, Joe Mantegna, Bob Anderson, Joel Cohen
*Lisa the Tree Hugger - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Don Payne, Tom Gammill, Tim Long, Yeardley Smith, Steven Dean Moore
*Homer vs. Dignity - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Rob Lazebnik, Carolyn Omine, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Max Pross

**Deleted Scenes

**Featurettes:
*A Comic Moment with Matt Groening
*Illustrated commentary - Lisa The Tree Hugger

**Animation Showcase: - Treehouse of Horror XI
**Animatic/StoryBoard Compare
*Storyboards: Storyboard with episode PIP
*Animatic: Animatic with episode PIP

**2 Easter Eggs

Disc 2: 132 Minutes
**The Computer Wore Menace Shoes
**The Great Money Caper
**Skinner’s Sense of Snow
**HOMR
**Pokey Mom
**Worst Episode Ever

**Commentary
*The Computer Wore Menace Shoes - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Don Payne, John Frink, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Mark Kirkland, Joel Cohen
*The Great Money Caper - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Carolyn Omine, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Chuck Sheetz
Skinner’s Sense of Snow - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Tim Long, Matt Selman, David Mirkin, Max Pross, Lance Kramer
*HOMR - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Mike B. Anderson
*Pokey Mom - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Tom Martin, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Dan Castellaneta, Joe Mantegna, Bob Anderson, Joel Cohen
*Worst Episode Ever - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Larry Doyle, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Hank Azaria, Chris Kirkpatrick

**Deleted Scenes

**Featurettes:
*Comic Book Guy: Best. Moments. Ever.
*Illustrated commentary - HOMR

3 Easter Eggs

Disc 3: 132 Minutes
**Tennis the Menace
**Day of the Jackanapes
**New Kids on the Blecch
**Hungry, Hungry Homer
**Bye Bye Nerdie
**Simpson Safari

**Commentary:
*Tennis the Menace - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Max Pross, Phil Rosenthal
*Day of the Jackanapes - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Yeardley Smith, Michael Marcantel
*New Kids on the Blecch - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Tim Long, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Hank Azaria, Steven Dean Moore, Chris Kirkpatrick
*Hungry, Hungry Homer - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Max Pross, Phil Rosenthal, Ben Rosenthal
*Bye Bye Nerdie - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Tom Gammill, Yeardley Smith, Lauren MacMullan, Steven Dean Moore
*Simpson Safari - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Yeardley Smith, Mark Kirkland, Michael Marcantel

**Deleted Scenes

**Animation Showcase: Day of the Jackanapes
**Animatic/StoryBoard Compare
*Storyboards: Storyboard with episode PIP
*Animatic: Animatic with episode PIP

**Easter Egg

Disc 4: 132 Minutes
**Trilogy of Error
**I’m Goin’ to Praiseland
**Children of a Lesser Clod
**Simpsons Tall Tales

**Commentary:
*Trilogy of Error - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Rob Lazebnik, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Max Pross, David Mirkin, Mike B. Anderson
*I’m Goin’ to Praiseland - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Carolyn Omine, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Chuck Sheetz
*Children of a Lesser Clod - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Mike Polcino, Mike B. Anderson
*Simpsons Tall Tales - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Bob Anderson, Joel Cohen

**Deleted Scenes

**Easter Egg

**The Commercials
*Nestle USA “Butterfingeritis”
*Nestle USA “Bart’s Nightmare”
*Burger King International “Spaced Homer”
*Red Rooster “Loungearama”

**Deleted Scenes Intro by Mike Scully
**Deleted Scenes Gallery W/ Commentary

**The Global Fanfest
**Sketch Gallery
**Illustrated commentary - I’m Goin’ to Praiseland

A chance for Fox to redeem themselves… plus a great season!,

By C. R. Swanson “wilybadger.wordpress.com” (Phoenix) -

We all know the many, many problems with season eleven’s packaging. To this day I almost never watch that season cause I’m afraid of a: scratching the disks when taking them out of the sleeves and b: ripping the sleeves. It makes me tempted to copy them onto different DVDs so I can watch them when I want to, but of course, Fox doesn’t want us to make copies.

We don’t know what the packaging will be like this time around, though I am guessing it’ll be similiar to the last design, with comic book covers instead of midway scenes, but what we do know is that there are some very good episodes in season twelve! The complete list:

“Treehouse of Horror XI” - The yearly Halloween insanity!

“A Tale of Two Springfields” - A personal favorite! Gotta love the badger at the begining!

“Insane Clown Poppy” - Krusty has an illegitimate child. Only one?

“Lisa the Tree Hugger” - Lisa goes green!

“Homer vs. Dignity” - Homer becomes Burns’ prank-monkey.

“The Computer Wore Menace Shoes” - Any resemblence between this episode and a certain 1960’s British TV series is completely in your imagination, Number Six.

“The Great Money Caper” - Homer becomes an artist. A CON artist! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ah, I slay me.

“Skinner’s Sense of Snow” - Imagine a snow day where you’re trapped in the school. Sucktacular situation, but a fun episode!
“HOMR” - Homer has a crayon lodged in his brain. Messy.

“Pokey Mom” - Marge kicks it with a fun-loving criminal.

“Worst Episode Ever” - Comic Book Guy falls in love… with Skinner’s mom! Terrifying!

“Tennis the Menace” - Lots of tennis. Yeah, that’s about it here.

“Day of the Jackanapes” - Sideshow Bob and his boy-bomb attempt to destroy Krusty!

“New Kids on the Blecch” - Yeah, it’s got NSYNC, but it’s still a fun episode!

“Hungry, Hungry Homer” - When the owner of the Isotopes tries to move them to Albuquerque, Homer rises to the occasion! Pft. Imagine the idea of Albuquerque having it’s own baseball team. It is to laugh!

“Bye Bye Nerdie” - Eh, not one of the best. It’s a Lisa episode, but kind of, well, lame.

“Simpson Safari” - The Simpsons are goin’ to Africa!

“Trilogy of Error” - Three stories meet up together to make for one good episode!

“I’m Goin’ to Praiseland” - Flanders tries to create an amusement park devoted to God and Maude!

“Children of a Lesser Clod” - Lisa takes up gymnastics and Homer tries to run a day-care center!

“Simpsons Tall Tales” - a fun “anthology” episode centering around old folk stories and legends.

Lots of good episodes here, I just hope that Fox gives us good packaging this time around! They won’t, of course, but I can dream. I can dream.

Listing Of Episodes & Special Features,

By Reconnecting To My Childhood “Time Won’t Let … -

The twelfth season of the Simpsons will soon finally be on DVD. If you still love the Simpsons or still loved this particular season then you will be very excited at the chance to further complete your Simpsons collecton and the opportunity to own the following 21 episodes spread across 4 discs as follows:

Disc One
249 Treehouse of Horror XI: G-G-Ghost Dad/Scary Tales Can Come True/Night Of The Dolphin.
250 A Tale Of Two Springfields
251 Insane Clown Poppy
252 Lisa The Tree Hugger
253 Homer Vs. Dignity

Disc One Special Features Include:
Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, A Comic Moment with Matt Groening, Illustrated Commentary: Lisa The Treehugger, an Animated Showcase: Treehouse Of Horror XI, Animatic/Storyboard Compare, Storyboards with episode PIP (Picture in Picture), Animatics with episode PIP and 2 supposed Easter Eggs for viewer’s to find.

Disc Two
254 The Computer Wore Menace Shoes
255 The Great Money Caper
256 Skinner’s Sense of Snow
257 HOMR (Great Episode)
258 Pokey Mom
259 Worst Episode Ever

Disc Two Special Features Include:
Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, Comic Book Guy: Best. Moments. Ever., Illustrated Commentary on ‘HOMR’ and 3 Easter Eggs.

Disc Three
260 Tennis The Menace
261 Day Of The Jackanapes
262 New Kids On The Blecch
263 Hungry, Hungry Homer
264 Bye, Bye, Nerdie
265 Simpson Safari

Disc Three Special Features Include:
Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, Animation Showcase: Day Of The Jackanapes, Animatic/Storyboard Compare, Storyboards with episode PIP, Animatics with episode PIP and 1 Easter Egg.

Disc Four
266 Trilogy Of Error (I enjoy this episode)
267 I’m Goin’ To Praiseland
268 Children Of A Lesser Clod
269 Simpsons Tall Tales

Disc Four Special Features Include:
Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, 1 Easter Egg, 4 Commercials, A Deleted Scenes Intro by Mike Scully, Deleted Scenes Gallery with Commentary, The Global Fanfest, a Sketch Gallery and Illustrated Commentary: I’m Goin’ To Praiseland.

This set will have a running time of approximately 506 minutes. Video is standard Full Screen. Audio Options are English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Spanish Stereo and French Stereo. French and Spanish Subtitles are also available.

Aforementioned commentaries will, as usual, be available on all episodes with the ever interchanging group of writer’s producers and others who worked on the show. Matt Groening himself only appears on certain episodes nowadays opting not to spend all his spare time in commentaries. Some more noticable appearances are made by commentator’s Joe Mantegna, Chris Kirkpatrick and Hank Azaria as well as Yeardley Smith (Lisa) and Dan Castellaneta (Homer) again making several commentary appearances.

The packaging will most likely be the same as the fan hated packaging for the eleventh season, here’s hoping that FOX will respond to fans outrage by making the packaging for this set different. It would be nice to have a DVD boxed set that actual protects your DVD and makes them easily accessible but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Artwork on these sets is always well done though.

Anyways, no matter how anyone may individually feel about the Simpsons long run the twelfth season will be out on DVD soon. I’m not yet sure if I’ll personally be buying this season but I do recommend it as 5 stars to fans of the show from the early millenium era and certainly to fans of the show today but probably 3 stars to anyone else. They’d better start releasing these sets faster if they ever want to catch up with themselves. Thanks For Your Time.

easy solution for the packaging issue,

By S. hare “music fan” (san francisco, ca) -

I know I am not alone when it comes to the way season 11 and probably season 12 will be packaged. In those almost immpossible sleeves the discs are crammed into. Once out of that tight fitting slot, just use some of those two sided sleeves or envelopes you get at office depot.They fit back in between the accordian type booklet just fine. It’s a quick low cost solution to the problem. Just thought i’d share that with everybody.
Search The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress MacNeille, Pamela Hayden, Russi Taylor, Karl Wiedergott, Marcia Mitzman Gaven, Joe Mantegna, Bob Anderson, Chuck Sheetz, Dominic Polcino, Jen Kamerman, Lance Kramer, Lauren MacMullan, Mark Kirkland, Matthew Nastuk: Movies & TV from AmAzon

[asa]B0024FAR52[/asa]

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DVD Review: The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (Limited Edition Comic Book Guy Head Packaging): Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress MacNeille, Pamela Hayden, Russi Taylor, Karl Wiedergott, Marcia Mitzman Gaven, Joe Mantegna, Bob Anderson, Chuck Sheetz, Dominic Polcino, Jen Kamerman, Lance Kramer, Lauren MacMullan, Mark Kirkland, Matthew Nastuk: Movies & TV

Product Description
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Surround / Spanish & French: Stereo
Language: Dubbed: English, French & Spanish / Subtitled: French & Spanish
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen: 1.33:1

Disc 1: 110 Minutes
**Treehouse of Horror XI
**A Tale of Two Springfields
**Insane Clown Poppy
**Lisa the Tree Hugger
**Homer vs. Dignity

**Commentary:
*Treehouse of Horror XI - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Rob Lazebnik, John Frink, Don Payne, Carolyn Omine, Matt Selman
*A Tale of Two Springfields - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, George Meyer, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Dan Castellaneta, Shaun Cashman, Roger Daltrey, David Silverman
*Insane Clown Poppy - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Tom Martin, Matt Selman, Dan Castellaneta, Joe Mantegna, Bob Anderson, Joel Cohen
*Lisa the Tree Hugger - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Don Payne, Tom Gammill, Tim Long, Yeardley Smith, Steven Dean Moore
*Homer vs. Dignity - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Rob Lazebnik, Carolyn Omine, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Max Pross

**Deleted Scenes

**Featurettes:
*A Comic Moment with Matt Groening
*Illustrated commentary - Lisa The Tree Hugger

**Animation Showcase: - Treehouse of Horror XI
**Animatic/StoryBoard Compare
*Storyboards: Storyboard with episode PIP
*Animatic: Animatic with episode PIP

**2 Easter Eggs

Disc 2: 132 Minutes
**The Computer Wore Menace Shoes
**The Great Money Caper
**Skinner’s Sense of Snow
**HOMR
**Pokey Mom
**Worst Episode Ever

**Commentary
*The Computer Wore Menace Shoes - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Don Payne, John Frink, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Mark Kirkland, Joel Cohen
*The Great Money Caper - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Carolyn Omine, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Chuck Sheetz
Skinner’s Sense of Snow - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Tim Long, Matt Selman, David Mirkin, Max Pross, Lance Kramer
*HOMR - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Mike B. Anderson
*Pokey Mom - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Tom Martin, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Dan Castellaneta, Joe Mantegna, Bob Anderson, Joel Cohen
*Worst Episode Ever - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Larry Doyle, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Hank Azaria, Chris Kirkpatrick

**Deleted Scenes

**Featurettes:
*Comic Book Guy: Best. Moments. Ever.
*Illustrated commentary - HOMR

3 Easter Eggs

Disc 3: 132 Minutes
**Tennis the Menace
**Day of the Jackanapes
**New Kids on the Blecch
**Hungry, Hungry Homer
**Bye Bye Nerdie
**Simpson Safari

**Commentary:
*Tennis the Menace - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Max Pross, Phil Rosenthal
*Day of the Jackanapes - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Yeardley Smith, Michael Marcantel
*New Kids on the Blecch - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Tim Long, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Hank Azaria, Steven Dean Moore, Chris Kirkpatrick
*Hungry, Hungry Homer - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Max Pross, Phil Rosenthal, Ben Rosenthal
*Bye Bye Nerdie - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Tom Gammill, Yeardley Smith, Lauren MacMullan, Steven Dean Moore
*Simpson Safari - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Yeardley Smith, Mark Kirkland, Michael Marcantel

**Deleted Scenes

**Animation Showcase: Day of the Jackanapes
**Animatic/StoryBoard Compare
*Storyboards: Storyboard with episode PIP
*Animatic: Animatic with episode PIP

**Easter Egg

Disc 4: 132 Minutes
**Trilogy of Error
**I’m Goin’ to Praiseland
**Children of a Lesser Clod
**Simpsons Tall Tales

**Commentary:
*Trilogy of Error - Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Rob Lazebnik, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Max Pross, David Mirkin, Mike B. Anderson
*I’m Goin’ to Praiseland - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Carolyn Omine, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Chuck Sheetz
*Children of a Lesser Clod - Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Mike Polcino, Mike B. Anderson
*Simpsons Tall Tales - Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Bob Anderson, Joel Cohen

**Deleted Scenes

**Easter Egg

**The Commercials
*Nestle USA “Butterfingeritis”
*Nestle USA “Bart’s Nightmare”
*Burger King International “Spaced Homer”
*Red Rooster “Loungearama”

**Deleted Scenes Intro by Mike Scully
**Deleted Scenes Gallery W/ Commentary

**The Global Fanfest
**Sketch Gallery
**Illustrated commentary - I’m Goin’ to Praiseland

Obviously not for the episodes…,

By Weezy -

Once again FOX took the easy way out and put out awful packaging. At this point the only people buying these seasons are the hardcore fans that have been collecting since Season 1 so why not give us what we want??? These DVD’s are collectors editions so that we can always have any episode at our disposal whenever we want and to put them in scratchy cardboard flimsy packaging is a disgrace!! Go back to the old way for the next season, I can’t take this anymore!

Really?,

By John C. Brindiar -

Okay, first i want to say that i just started watching Simpsons during season 19. I think the show is currently really good and getting back to it’s roots.

I have every box set of this show and love evry season (with the exception of 8). When i read the pre-order reviews, i was stunned to learn so many people thought this season was the beginning of the end. I was even more stunned to learn they were right. I had never watched these episodes back to back before until today. They are not very good. Sure, it has it’s moments (Pokey Mom, Homer Vs. Dignity, Homr [backwards R], Trilogy of Error, Children of a Lesser Clod, and Simpsons Tall Tales), but most of the storylines are so far feched and i never realizd it before until i watched them together. Far fetched story lines include Tale of Two Springfields, The Money Caper, and Simpsons Safari.

Now, for the packaging:
The packaging is slightly better than season 11. The episode list on back has a little flap to hide the flip book style sleeves, giving us false hope for a box inside. It is nice to have a spine on both sides to look like an old boxset from the outside. Also, the cardboard sleeves have little indents where edges of the discs stick out for less chance of scratching. (In case you didn’t know, in the new head packages after season 10, the heads come off to reveal the regular boxes. So, if you prefer the regular boxes, like me, but feel like you should buy the “limited edition”, you can have both and it still matches your other boxes and will fit on your shelf.)

The season gets 3 stars.
Packaging gets 2 stars.

Please, give us season 13 in a proper package!

Great season but I can’t believe they did it again!!!!!!,

By ML “manuell” (Quebec Canada) -

Fox learned nothing from the release of season 11. After all the critizism received for the awful packaging for season 11, Fox did the same thing again for season 12!!! They’re obviously not paying attention or simply don’t care for customer feedback!!! What a dissapointment!!!
Search The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (Limited Edition Comic Book Guy Head Packaging): Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress MacNeille, Pamela Hayden, Russi Taylor, Karl Wiedergott, Marcia Mitzman Gaven, Joe Mantegna, Bob Anderson, Chuck Sheetz, Dominic Polcino, Jen Kamerman, Lance Kramer, Lauren MacMullan, Mark Kirkland, Matthew Nastuk: Movies & TV from AmAzon

[asa]B0024FAR5C[/asa]

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Product Description
Six young criminals break into hidden catacombs underneath their town, and attempt to steal jewelry buried from the Great Depression only to find inhabitants guarding the precious belongings. After being trapped in this dark maze of crypts the group tries to escape alive.

Decent Concept, Terrible Acting,

By The Tao of Netflix (Washington, DC) -

If possible, I’d give this a 1.5 star rating. In short, a group of socially deviant 20-somethings decide to break into an old crypt and rob graves, only to find the crypt inhabited by ghost-ish creatures intent on not letting them make off with the loot. On the good side, the production values are surprisingly good. This isn’t quite a micro-budget film, but it definitely is low budget. Annoyingly, they used a camera that isn’t well adapted to low light conditions, so the dark scenes have lots of digital artifacts that don’t look so nice on a HDTV. But aside from the camera quality, the production values are surprisingly good; good camera work and good sets make for a movie that seems larger budget than it actually is. However, the film really breaks down on the acting and script. The opening scene is good - it drew me in, did a good job of setting the mood and future expectations, etc. From there out, though, it grinds to a halt. The story fails to develop the grave robbing team as a group of individuals who would actually be inclined to rob a grave. There’s a lead guy on the team who gets released from jail in an early scene, and he gets paired with a group of females who are much more valley girl (think Clueless) than hard core. They’re just not believable at all. Then there’s the actual story of them robbing graves. Obviously there are ghosts involved, and that is perhaps the biggest problem with the film. The film seems to reject modern notions of computer graphics and opts instead for very mediocre makeup. The ghosts look ridiculous, period. All in all, I very hesitatingly might consider recommending a rental if you’re really in the mood for a low budget horror-ish flick, but certainly not a purchase.
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DVD Review: Alien Trespass [Blu-ray]: Eric McCormack, Jenni Baird, Robert Patrick, Jody Thompson, Dan Lauria, R.W. Goodwin: Movies & TV

Product Description
A flying saucer, ray guns, body snatching and a one-eyed monster from outer space! It’s all here in this action-packed sci-fi adventure! Eric McCormack stars as an astronomer who gets possessed by a friendly alien bent on saving our humble planet. But even with the help of a lovely diner waitress, is he any match for the Ghota, a one-eyed evil alien on a murderous rampage?

A very good homage to 50’s sci-fi,

By Lawrence W. Stephens -

This review is from: Alien Trespass (DVD)

When I saw that this movie was playing at a old time theater that my wife and I used to go to when we were first married in the 70’s, sounds fun, lets go see it. Popcorn, drink, a real balcony and a 50’s style sci-fi movie, what could be better. And for the actors, real “B” quality. For the most part, a real homage to sci-fi. Blob and It Came from Outer Space comes to mine. Unfortunately, Eric McCormack in trying to act like a 50’s B actor, over acted his part. He seems to be posing. Look I’m Richard Carlson, no I’m Hugh Marlowe, no I’m Grant Williams, etc. Lot of fun at the theater. You can go back. Not sure if the prerelease price is worth it ($19.49).
Oh. For the story line see “It Came from Outer Space”.

Great Movie!,

By Raskolnikov (Ca, USA) -

This review is from: Alien Trespass (DVD)

When I saw this panel at WonderCon, I knew it was going to be a hit. The movie did not disappoint! I love the writing, the scenery, and the homage o the classic 1950’s sci-fi films. It’s a must have for your collection folks.

LOOK TO THE SKIES,

By Mark Turner -

This review is from: Alien Trespass (DVD)

There is a certain member of movie fandom that loves old movies. And each genre has its own devotees. Classic musical fans love the MGM musicals. Horror fans the Universal classics. And science fiction fans love those bug eyed monsters invading earth from the stars. The film ALIEN TRESPASS pays homage to those films while placing a tongue firmly in cheek.

The story begins (in the extended version) with the grandson of the film’s producer and the grandson of the film’s star introducing the picture. Of course they carry on the fight that began with their grandfathers over the film and then allow it to begin. The film had been shelved for years and now they’d decided to release it.

The story begins with astronomer/professor Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack) watching the skies while cooking on the grill as a meteor shower begins. But when a large meteor lands nearby, he abandons his wife at home to investigate.

As we already know, the meteor was actually a spaceship crashing. And while we watch, an alien in space gear exits the ship and wanders about. When Lewis shows up, his mouth opens to scream but before we can hear the scene changes.

Cut to lovers lane where teens Dick and Penny are parked. They have seen the crash as well but think it was just a meteor. As Penny pushes away Dick’s advances and encourages him to leave the area, they are confronted by a 6 foot tall, one eyed, tentacled creature. The care starts and they escape. But who to tell? No one will believe two teens in the 1950’s.

The local police think it’s all a prank when people begin missing and the teens tell their tale of a monster on the loose. But all the while Lewis, now possessed by the alien, hunts down this monster. With the help of waitress and aspiring artist Tammy, he tracks down the alien and explains what is going on.

It turns out the alien’s name is Urp and he was transporting the Ghota to a prison planet when it forced his craft to crash. Now they have just a few hours before the Ghota divides and begins a quest for world domination based on its hunger. They only have a small amount of time to save the planet, but how can they do so with no help from the local law?

The movie plays it straight as if this actually was a film made during the science fiction craze of the fifties. Everything from the sets to the styles to the acting screams low budget B-movie cheese. The people who made those films truly thought they were making something special, which we now can recognize that they did. At the same time they were making some of the campiest messes ever placed on celluloid.

The movie doesn’t knock those early films though. Instead it is paying tribute to the films that came before, giving a wink and a nod to film buffs along for the ride. The actors actually act as we recall the actors from that time period acting in these films. The monster is extremely low budget looking but functional. Amazingly enough the only thing that doesn’t look lifted from that time period is the cinematography.

McCormack does a great job as grandfather/grandson. While the elder of the two spoke as if he was the greatest actor alive, McCormack shows his pompous side as is that of his grandson. Robert Patrick shows up as an obnoxious sheriff who takes the teens in town to task just for being young. Dan Lauria turns in a steady performance as the town sheriff who doesn’t believe but begins to do so as the body count rises and pools of goo are left in the wake of the Ghota.

Directed by R. W. Goodwin who wrote several period piece episodes of THE X-FILES, the film shows his love of movies like THE BLOB and IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE with a touch of I MARRIED A MAN FROM OUTER SPACE tossed in. You get the sense he has a true admiration of the genre and perhaps can encourage a new generation to seek them out.

ALIEN TRESPASS isn’t a perfect film. It also might not be for certain tastes. But it does offer an entertaining evening for rental that the entire family can watch together. Fun, homage and the confrontation between man and alien make for a film worth watching.
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DVD Review: The Art of War III: Retribution: Anthony Treach Criss, Warren Derosa: Movies & TV

Product Description
When international diplomacy comes up short, extreme measures must be taken. In the newest installment of The Art of War, Agent Neil Shaw, played by Naughty By Nature’s sensation, Treach, is on a covert mission to stop North Korean terrorists from obtaining a nuclear bomb. But when the deal turns deadly, Shaw is drawn into the crossfire to save a beautiful facilitator (Playboy model Sung Hi Lee)…and ends up framed for murder. Now a wanted man with only his newbie partner and the mysterious facilitator by his side, Shaw must rely on his kick-ass martial arts skills and bad-ass warrior code to fight through Korea’s mean streets and find the terrorists before they detonate the bomb at a United Nations peace summit. This is war, and there is an art to it.

waste of time,

By Ed Bruggeman (bentonville .. ar) -

acting stinks… director was asleep… movie is trash… actor isnt qulified
to be on the screen… some body bought his way in…

Poor acting, directing, & dialogue.,

By M. Impson “Woodworker” (Tennessee) -

This is one of the worst movies I’ve seen. Was the director asleep? The acting gets corny. The main actor is so arrogant that it is unbelievable that he would reach his present level of success. The trainee acts like he has too little knowledge to be in a secret operative. Why would the gov’t have an on-the-job training position like this? The dialogue is simplistic and uncreative. Fortunately, I rented it for a buck at a Redbox machine, so I’m not out much.

The new “Art” is a return to form,

By N. Peake “Horror Reader” (BigApple) -

After watching Art of war 2…there is really no reason why I would continue to support the franchise, save for my love of movies. I picked this DVD up just to see what direction they took. Surprisingly it was a very good movie for what it is, a hyped up testosterone action flick. Not as good as the first but head and shoulders over the second. In this one Wesley Snipes is replaced by Treach ( Hip Hop fans might remember him from 1980’s group Naughty by Nature), this is easily the best film he has ever taken part in. While Treach does not have the acting chops of Snipes, he does sell the character during the actions scenes, and this helps to accept him in the lead. The support in this film is more talented than Treach and this helps the overall quality of the film. Though the writing in this film is a bit formulaic, and sometimes wanting, the director does an excellent job providing clever shots and visceral action. So in short..this one will not win any awards, but if you want to microwave a bowl of explode o’ pop, and enjoy a popcorn friendly actioner…this one is for you. If they where thinking of keeping the Art of War franchise alive, this film has taken it off of life support.
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DVD Review: Katyn: Artur Amijewski, Maja Ostaszewska, Andrzej Chyra, Andrzej Wajda: Movies & TV

Product Description
1940. After Germany’s invasion of Poland, Joseph Stalin ordered the liquidation of the Polish officer corps, slaughtering nearly 22,000 men in Katyn Forest. Based on this horrific, historical event, Katyn tells the story of four fictional officers and their families as they struggle to uncover the truth. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and directed by Academy Award Winner Andrzej Wajda.

Masterful Film,

By Paul E. Richardson “Russian Life” (Montpelier, VT) -

The 1940 Soviet massacre of over 20,000 Polish internees, including some 12,000 officers in Katyn forest, was, by any measure, a horrific war crime, yet one that has never been prosecuted, and one that has been shrouded and confused over the past half century by coverups, propaganda and a general desire to forget the past. (The Soviet government did not officially admit that the killings were ordered by Stalin until 1990.)

Wajda’s masterful film centers on this dismal episode by revealing the webs of commitment and interaction that connect disparate lives - from an impetuous youth, to the staid wife of an executed general. Most all of the movie is an examination of these connections, of how lies and fabrications feed terror, of how in war there are seldom good choices between right and wrong. Only in the closing minutes, after all the victims have been deeply humanized, is the brutal, machine-like horror of the killings brought to center stage. The effect is powerful and profound.

The misty cinematography, in hues of brown and grey, evokes the mood and texture of wartime. Characters are richly drawn, and if at times the sudden introduction of new faces is confusing, it is only until one realizes Wajda’s intent: these people could be any of us. (As reviewed in Russian Life)

A tragic story that was not allowed to be told earlier because of suppressed truth and political pressure,

By Richard J. Brzostek (New England, USA) -
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
  

If the Poles didn’t have it bad enough by having by having nearly the entire German army blitzkrieg it’s Western border on September 1, 1939, the Soviet army then invaded from the East sixteen days later. Katyn presents a history lesson that most people never heard about: the mass murder of tens of thousands of Polish officers by the Russians in 1940. While watching this film you may wonder if the Russians mistreated Poland worse than the Germans did during World War II (which is a debate in itself).

The Germans found the massacre site in 1943 and announced it to the Poles, hoping to use it for propaganda against Russia. The Russians denied the accusation and then staged it to appear the Germans were behind the butchery. Katyn doesn’t tell the story in a chronological way, but we see it unfold slowly; we see both the men at war and the women at home who love them. The wives, mothers and daughters of the Polish officers spend so much time waiting and wondering what happened to them. Even when the war ends the problems of the war do not - they spill into the decades that follow.

Andrzej Wajda is Poland’s best-known director and has been making films for over fifty years. I think it is great Wajda is still making films because his recent work is opening the door to younger audiences who primarily watch contemporary movies. He has long ago established himself as being a brilliant director and Katyn reflects his years of experience and talent.

Katyn is a story that is strongly based on history and is the first film about the Soviet massacre of nearly 22,000 Polish officers. I viewed Katyn with someone who lived through this time and he confirmed that even the smallest details were right on and the way it is presented is how it was. It is a tragic story that was not allowed to be told earlier because of suppressed truth and political pressure. This movie is not just for people that like historical dramas but is one that may be of interest to everyone.

Communist Poland Was Built On The Lies Told About Katyn,

By Michael D. Goolsby (Oakland, California) -

This was probably the biggest national heartbreak suffered by a single country other than the Holocaust. It happened when Stalin ordered the NKVD to “liquidate” the captured Polish POW’s who had the misfortune of being captured by Timoshenko’s troops instead of Guderian’s or Runstedt’s. The “4th Partition Of Poland” created a problem for the western allies that would not resurface until 1942 when Stalin’s government, who adamantly refused the recognized legitimate government-in-exile in London’s request to send the Swiss and the Red Cross over to what the Germans discovered at Katyn. The Soviets told the world it was a German Atrocity while the Nazis were telling the world that it was a Soviet Atrocity. Only the Poles and Soviets knew the real truth and no Nazi forensics was going to tell anybody different. The Poles because it affected their families directly when they lost contact with their loved ones captured by the Red Army. The Soviets because they knew exactly who gave the orders as well as who carried those orders out–afterward, many of them who committed the executions themselves would be slaughtered by their co-workers on orders of their superiors. What few survivors there were from the executioners’ side were either discredited because of their mental imbalances or they drunk themselves to their deaths. It was the lies of Katyn that compelled Stalin to break relations with the London Government as well as work to crush the Polish Home Army that was loyal to it. The Home Army fought and died with the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto against the Germans while Rokossovsky’s troops were ordered to stand back and let the Germans take out the last vestige of Pilsudski’s and Paderewski’s Pre-War Poland. Once it was clear that the Germans effectively eradicated all Polish military resistance, The Stavka gave the order with Stalin’s blessing for Rokossovsky’s forces to take Warsaw from the Germans and continue their drive to the west to take up as much land as possible before the Americans and the British take it.

Katyn was the fulcrum by which the Polish people would judge their experience under Communist rule, first under Soviet Occupation and then as a Soviet satellite, a forced ally despite centuries of mistrust between them. The lies of Katyn that compelled Stalin to set up the Lublin Government in 1942 to counter the London Government and when Rokossovsky took Warsaw, the Lublin Government became the de-facto government of Poland–even though many in its government, including its Minister of Defense, Konstantin Ustinovich Rokossovsky himself, were not Poles. Because of Katyn, many Poles after the war did not respect the Polish Government as their legitimate government, Let alone the PRP, the Polish Communist Party.

The Polish Governments of Wladislaw Gomulka, Stanislav Konya, Edvard Gierek, Konya again and Wojciech Jaruzelski had to walk a balancing act between the Polish people and the Soviets despite the fact that the rest of the world did recognize Gomulka’s government as the official government of Poland in the mid-1940s. It was fait accompli that made it happen, brought about by a Soviet victory which further tried to bury Katyn to the Poles and the rest of the world–even though the rest of the world knew the truth. Churchill even wrote about it in his history of the Second World War.

It wasn’t until Gorbachev became General Secretary in Moscow and his calls for openness after the Chernobyl disaster that forced a discussion about Katyn in both Poland and the Soviet Union. The Poles also learned other truths about their leaders as well, especially Jaruzelski, who during that time was arrested by Smersh troops and and hauled off to a gulag in Siberia, only to be rehabilitated after the war and brought into the ranks of the new Polish Army and the PRP. By discussing the subject of Katyn, the Poles confirmed their beliefs in their common loss, which until this time was considered a loss suffered by specific families. By this time, the Polish government found itself in an untenable position with their own people and without Gorbachev and his government to support them further. If it was the will of the people to undo their government by either coup or reform, the Red Army would not stand in the way. The only guarantee that Gorbachev would give to Poland was that their territorial integrity especially against Germany would be defended.

Jaruzelski had to give opposition parties more legitimacy and even had to allow for the possibility that the PRP could lose its monopoly on political power, especially when the government thus far failed to deliver prosperity to the people it served. He also had to allow for the possibility that he may also be tried for crimes either for what he did in World War II or even afterward. The government was between a rock and hard place. Eventually, that government dissolved peacefully and the opposition parties gathered together with the PRP’s successor party, the USDRP. In the early-1990s, even Jaruzelski tried to paint himself as a reformer in the Gorbachev mold, but his past caught up to him, especially what he did in 1981 trying to squelch the Solidarity movement.

The lessons of Katyn are that no matter how deep one tries to bury the truth behind an atrocity, It will always be in the background and will determine how one perceives people who either built the lies or benefited from them. Katyn founded Post-War Poland twice–first in 1942 by its lies and then in 1990 by its truth.
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